Reintermediation
Etymology
Formed from "re-" (again) and "intermediation" (Latin "intermedius," in the middle), as a deliberate counterpart to "disintermediation." It arose in business and economics writing around the dot-com era.
noun · /ree-in-ter-mee-dee-AY-shun/
The reintroduction of a middleman into a transaction that technology had earlier cut out.
What it names
The surprising return of intermediaries — new platforms inserting themselves where direct connection was supposed to win.
Example
The internet promised to connect makers and buyers directly, but reintermediation put giant platforms squarely in between.
Related idea
Disintermediation is the cutting-out of the middleman the internet supposedly enabled; reintermediation is the twist where new middlemen quietly take their place.