THE LONG TAIL- THE NICHE CULTURE - PART VIII
Chapter 11 of Anderson's The Long Tail became particularly interesting to us as we worked through his new economic theory. In many respects, we think of our firm, Hull and Hull LLP, as truly a niche in the legal world. While Anderson spends much time in his book dealing with the concept of the niche market in the digital world, in Chapter 11, he further clarifies his thinking with respect to the life and times and future of the niche market culture.
At page 80, Anderson notes that the concept of The Long Tail is nothing more than the manifestation of infinite choice. Abundant, cheap distribution means abundant, cheap and unlimited variety - and that means the audience tends to distribute as widely as the choice. Infinite choice equals ultimate fragmentation as the masses scatter to search for the niche products and media that cater to their special interests. At page 184, Anderson cites Virginia Postrel, who observes that the variety boom is nothing more than a reflection of the diversity inherent in any population distribution:
Every aspect of human identity, from size, shape, and colour to sexual proclivities and intellectual gifts, comes in a wide range. Most of us cluster somewhere in the middle of most statistical distributions. But there are lots of bell curves, and pretty much everyone is on a tail of at least one of them. We may collect strange memorabilia or read esoteric books, hold unusual religious beliefs or wear odd-sized shoes, suffer rare diseases or enjoy obscure movies.
As Anderson notes (at page 184) this diversity has always existed, but it is only now that we can act on it and expand and explore our special interests as a result of the rising niche culture.
Thanks, Suzana and Ian.
