It's not Choice, Seth, it's Voice
Seth Godin is worth reading because he so frequently comes up with some interesting insights about this modern world that's evolving and growing before our eyes. But I think here he gets it this wrong:
If I had to pick one word to describe what's new, what's different and what's important about now vs. then, it would be "choice."
The choice of more products.
The choice of more retailers. Many a click away.
The choice of more consumers to ask for an opinion.
The choice by marketers over who to market to (precision increases).
The choice of workers to be virtual or flexible or change careers.
He goes on with some for-instances.
The thing is, I don't see choice as being some "new" 21st-century phenomenon. In fact, in many ways, there's less choice today than there was 25 years ago. There may seem to be more banks around, but what I've been seeing is massive bank consolidations. The local banks in my area are being absorbed by -- or absorbing -- other banks. I can buy insurance for my company from any number of brokers, but they're all selling the same thing, often the same underwriters, especially when it comes to health insurance. There may appear to be more credit card offers out there, but these companies have been consolidating so rapidly, I think I have one single card in my purse that has not merged and changed names in the past 2-3 years.
The web moves in punctuated equilibrium. Most of the time, choice is illusory. It consists of thousands of minor variations on what are just a few common themes. Most people crave consistency, because they can’t handle too many real choices. And yet thousands of minor variations are strangely unsatisfying. We can invest all the time, seek all the answers, work hard to get to depth, and we’re left wanting more, or at least wondering if this is it. Delivering something deeply different to break us out of the drone of all that mundane choice is valuable.
Seth does hit on one thing, though: "More choice in who to listen to (and who to ignore)."
That's true. However, I feel that is only a symptom of the real paradigm shift in our economy and culture today:
Voice.
Every day, in the "old media" of traditional broadcasting and newspapers, we see closed-minded -- and I'd say willfully ignorant -- attitudes expressed about how unimportant blogging and social media are. But they are speaking from platforms that are feeling a bit disempowered by the new media.
The new media are what have given people their voice. And it's not just that now we can hear what people used to just shout back at the television. We (the people) are changing. It's amazing what happens when you get a sense that maybe, this time, when you speak out you will be heard. That's profound. It's revolutionary.
People can talk back. Talk back to companies. Talk back to politicians. And, most important, talk to each other. We have more choices to listen to because we have more people saying things.
We have voice.
What do you say?
That's a great point!
I think voice is coming along. The fact is, though, that 99% of the audience doesn't speak up. That's changing, but the fact is, it's nascent.
Nascent it may be, but even now that is the revolutionary aspect of this all. 99% may not speak up, but that is not because they are incapable. I am silent in many forums, but not because I am silenced.
It's a far cry from the couch potato days, where you turned on the tv and then looked to see what to watch -- never with the option of actually communicating back and being heard.
That's the thing that has the "Establishment" in such a state. We can speak out to each other. This exchange here would not have happened 20 years ago.
Choice-wise, I don't see much change. Sure there's more choice in computing, say, but there are fewer different gasoline companies. Fewer grocery store chains. Fewer department store chains.
I think what's different about our choices today is that they are informed by other choosers -- we inform each other. That is radically different. In today's world, a publication like "Consumer Reports" would never get off the ground, except as a community effort.
I don't know if we'll get much higher than 1% active participation in the community dialogue. But just the fact that that 1% is self-selecting -- not barred from participation as a result of class or race or gender -- is radical.
And sometimes you get more than 1% speaking out. That's when it's time to really pay attention.
Hi Seth, thanks for visiting! I'm flattered you found your way to this obscure corner of the tubes! Welcome!
Great post!
Voice is important, and there are two voices. First is the voice that speaks without having been asked. Bloggers are a great example. The web empowers their voice to be heard. It lets them disagree or freely spread new ideas. That was missing.
The other voice, and perhaps this is the one Seth Godin is more talking about, is the one where the voice is invited. Here I think we have a long ways to go. Companies say they want to hear these voices, but the number of companies that are actually set up to encourage it in any kind of web-savvy way is miniscule. It can't just be like sending an e-mail to customer support, there's more to life than that. It has to be a full blown discussion.
Towards that end, I like things like Dell's IdeaStorm. Users are getting in there and they're actually banding together to use it as a tool to lobby Dell to do various things. I think that's cool the way these mini-collectives form up to push their ideas. That's a real conversation. That's information most product people I know would die for.
Yet it is ironic that companies don't know how to engage, or perhaps they're waiting for off-the-shelf software that makes it easy. Either way, we're not very far along there and I'm looking forward to watching that piece unfold!
Keep up the great posts!
For corporations, I feel it's more of a cultural thing than a technological thing. Until they are ready to listen, and hear what they are being told, I think they will continue their spiral away from their customers.
Thanks for coming by, Bob! I just discovered your site for this post. Looking forward to more interesting stuff!