The hunt for the cheapest digital marketing course has transcended mere cost evaluation. It has become a socio-economic amalgamation of education, business, and politics at a global scale. The digital economy is disrupting the traditional practice of hoarding knowledge and information, reshaping the rules of learning and determining who can benefit financially.
For many freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses, digital marketing is an absolutely crucial skill to have. The fierce emergence of cheap or free courses and the ease of access to the digital economy have definitely benefited a segment of the population, but they have also revealed a plethora of weaknesses and cracks in the industry.
Ethical course sellers who have built their businesses over many years and charge a premium claim that such drastic price reduction always, if not mostly, leads to a reduction in the quality of the course. On the other hand, small-scale course sellers claim that their business model has to be maintained to sustain the competitive economy.
This type of conflict exemplifies the politics of an educational cartel and its direct consequences for the economy.
The growing issue of affordability has become a global phenomenon. For students in developing countries, online programs are a way to access educational opportunities at a low cost. However, global access to education has political implications.
Countries are beginning to incorporate digital education into their economic plans, prompting some governments to provide regulation, funding, and control over platforms that offer low-cost authentic course materials.
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The growth of cheap online education rests on a complicated relationship between larger corporations and small start-up companies. Traditional EdTech companies rely on brand equity and proprietary materials, while upstart companies try to compete on price.
All sides of the argument have power in both business and public spheres. As such, the issue of victory comes for those that offer low-cost educational resources. This dispute certainly isn’t a simplistic case about price, but instead, about who’s at the lead of the digital economy for education.
The competition over pricing is likely to intensify and become more intricate. As more consumers and enterprises pursue more inexpensive digital marketing training, the expectation from the platforms to meet the demand will increase.
Whether the shift happens towards low prices or towards price and brand exclusivity, the result will change the paradigm of knowledge valuation and dissemination of knowledge across the world. Low-priced courses are not mere instruments of learning. They have, in fact, become ideological weapons in the world of diplomacy.