Even some entrepreneurs and venture capitalists have succumbed to the lock-in fairy tale. The rush to be first on the Web was brought about by visions of network effects that would supposedly lock in dominance. The online bookseller once argued that as the number of its users grew it would be a juggernaut. It hasn't worked out that way. Amazon is still losing money.
Network effects require that consumers derive value from others using the same network.
But book buyers get little value from the fact that others shop where they do. Besides, consumers are not myopic. If a better product is available, they will find out about it and know that others will too. They will often make the switch because of anticipated network effects. They will want to be where the market is heading, not where it was.