Monopoly risk and regulatory analysis of internet platform media

The existing Internet platform media has gradually formed an oligopoly through mergers and acquisitions, capital expansion, and data monopolisation, thereby reducing market competition diversity and the vitality of innovation. This study analyses the monopolistic behaviour of Internet platform media in the current digital economy, its impact, and evaluates the effectiveness of regulatory policies. This study collected data from TikTok and set market performance indicators, including the number of patents and content diversity. It also tracked the number of patent applications and authorisations by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, in the short-video and related fields. The impact of different market behaviours on market performance was evaluated using panel data models. The regression analysis of patent quantity showed that the coefficient of the acquisition model was 0.15* and the coefficient of data monopolization was 0.21**, indicating that acquisition and data monopolization positively impacted TikTok’s patent quantity. The regression analysis of content diversity showed that the regression coefficient of acquisition behavior was − 0.19**. By acquiring competitors or integrating related platforms, TikTok can reduce content diversity. Data monopolization also had a significantly negative impact on content diversity (-0.39**). The study results suggest that TikTok’s market share and user growth rate may decline significantly in 2022 and 2023. The value of this study lies in preventing the negative impact of monopolistic practices by Internet platform media on the market and society. It suggests that regulatory authorities should enhance the enforcement of antitrust laws, implement data privacy protections, and require algorithmic transparency to ensure fair competition and sustainable development in the Internet platform economy.