The Long Tail - the mice begin to roar
The Long Tail - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Here’s an article from Wikipedia that may look pretty boring at first glance, but if you delve into it it’s actually a fascinating look at economies of scale in the internet age. It looks at the phenomenon of the “long tail” which means that the cumulative amount of less common items ends up being greater than the aggregate of the most popular/common items. The quote from an Amazon employee illustrates the concept well : “We sold more books today that didn’t sell at all yesterday than we sold today of all the books that did sell yesterday.”
In other words, thanks to the internet, the blogosphere, and the economics of a store like Amazon, we live in a world where we not only have more choice than ever before, but where the total effect of the choices of minorities may be greater than that of the popular majority. It’s a world where minorities and niches are becoming more important and better catered for all the time. Fascinating and thought-provoking ideas indeed.
Categories : Culture, Internet | 0 Comments
