The Browser as the Epicenter of the Digital Ecosystem: A Platform Economics Perspective on Market Evolution, Revenue Models, and Strategic Trajectories

摘要

The web browser, once conceived merely as an interface for information retrieval, has evolved into a multi-sided platform (MSP) that orchestrates economic interactions across digital ecosystems. This study reframes the browser as a strategic access point that mediates value creation among interdependent user groups—end-users, advertisers, content publishers, and developers—thus functioning as both infrastructure and market actor. Drawing on Platform Economics and Digital Ecosystem Theory, this research examines how browsers have become central to digital competition, revenue generation, and regulatory intervention. Employing a hybrid methodology that integrates a systematic literature review with a comparative case study of Google’s integrated ecosystem and Huawei’s distributed architecture, the study reveals that the browser has transitioned from a software tool to a pivotal control point in the digital economy. Google’s Chrome browser exemplifies an integrated market model, embedding advertising and search into a unified ecosystem that captured 69.23% of the global browser market in 2025. Huawei’s HarmonyOS, conversely, reflects a distributed model emphasizing cross-device collaboration rather than browser centrality. The findings contribute to platform and marketing scholarships by demonstrating that browser dominance is not merely technical but structural—rooted in network effects, data-driven feedback loops, and ecosystem orchestration. The article concludes by proposing a theoretical synthesis of digital platform power, situating browsers as gatekeepers that define the future trajectory of innovation, competition, and regulation in the digital marketplace.