A moment of self-indulgent back patting here:
This article in the New York Times does a nice job pointing out something I have mentioned in this posting and more recently in this one. This has everything to do with Now Not New.
While it’s geek chic to talk about paradigm shifts and technological revolutions, the reality is, people like the comfort of a frame of reference.
If something is truly ‘like nothing you’ve ever seen before’ disorientation comes alongside curiosity. Without a sense of how a new technology fits into their lives, people may be momentarily curious but will soon move on.
It’s worth noting, this also holds true for all the jibberish industry jargon that circulates around the Internet space. People will listen, initially, but if it’s too hard to decipher or sounds like SAT-wordwashing they’ll move on.