Unbundling

Unbundling is a neologism to describe how the ubiquity of mobile devices, Internet connectivity, consumer web technologies, social media and information access in the 21st century is affecting older institutions (education, broadcasting, newspapers, games, shopping, etc.) by 'break up the packages they once offered (possibly even for free), providing particular parts of them at a scale and cost unmatchable by the old order.' Unbundling has been called 'the great disruptor'. Unbundling is a neologism to describe how the ubiquity of mobile devices, Internet connectivity, consumer web technologies, social media and information access in the 21st century is affecting older institutions (education, broadcasting, newspapers, games, shopping, etc.) by 'break up the packages they once offered (possibly even for free), providing particular parts of them at a scale and cost unmatchable by the old order.' Unbundling has been called 'the great disruptor'. 'Unbundling' most basically means simply the 'process of breaking apart something into smaller parts.' In the context of mergers and acquisitions, unbundling refers to the 'process by which a large company with several different lines of business retains one or more core businesses and sells off the remaining assets, product/service lines, divisions or subsidiaries.'