Book: The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
It’s now been quite a while since I read this book. It’s well worth thinking about the changes the internet has made to what kinds of products can find a market. A few decades ago, it was only possible for a small number of items to find an incredibly large market.
The internet has changed the way that the notion of “mass culture” exists. While people my age (mid 30’s) who grew up in Australia can look back on a shared media experience in the TV shows, movies and radio stations that they grew up with, the internet has increasingly meant that people can pursue their niche interests, and be connected – deeply connected – with those other people who have that same interest.
What will this mean for people growing up now, who can’t remember a time before the internet, before smartphones, before facebook? While mass culture will still exist to some extent, there will be more and more fragmentation, and new markets will emerge to take advantage of these niches.