How to apply the theory of the firm?

From today’s reading, I would like to discuss The Theory of the Firm, especially about how we apply industrial organization framework to research questions we are interested in; and how we can conceptualize and measure each variables in that model (e.g., structure—market concentration and barriers to entry, conduct—pricing and product strategy, and performance—technological progress.). So my first question is:

Q1. How SCP paradigm (structure  conduct  performance) or IO framework (Industrial Organization) has been applied to research in the field of media economics?

In the case of Google vs. Microsoft, it seems interesting or doable to examine the relationship between market structure and the conduct of the firms by putting market structure as Independent Variable (e.g., perfect competition vs. monopoly (or by national)) and the conduct of the firms as Dependent Variable (War between Google vs. Microsoft). My second question is about this:

Q2-1. Does this research look doable?
Q2-2. If not, what would be possible?
Q2-3. If yes, how can we measure the conduct of the firms? (How the conduct of the firms has been/can be measured in general other than this Google vs. Microsoft case?)

(Continued to the Google vs. Microsoft case) while measuring market structure (IV) seems possible, for instance, by nation, measuring the conduct of firms seems tough (categorized variable for chi-square or logistic regression?).

As mentioned in the textbook, there are limitations in applying the IO framework, for example, data limitations (p. 156). How can we measure technological progress, which is one of the elements of performance? One of the major criticisms of IO framework is that “market performance is a multidimensional concept and therefore very difficult to define and measure for use as a dependent variable in multiple regression analysis (Cable, 1994, p. 3); To overcome some of the problems of the SCP approach, new industrial organization economists have begun to use game theory to develop oligopoly models of the strategic behavior of firms in markets and of individual agents within firms (Dixit, 1979, 1980, 1982; Roberts, 1987; Spence, 1977). (as cited in Wirth & Bloch, 1995).

Q3. What’s game theory and how game theory has been applied in media economics?

Last question is about the role of the individual level of consumer behavior in Figure 7.1 (Industrial Organization Framework). For example,

Q4. How can we explain people’s online news media use with IO framework?