Tell Me What You Want, What You Really Really Want

Anderson’s discussion of the development of the Long Tail phenomenon was very interesting. I definitely agree and identify with the three components that he declared to be necessary to their success -- limitless availability, lower than low cost, and assistance navigating the endless options. These are the characteristics that attract us to companies like Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, and many more. They have the ability to fulfill desires that we didn’t even know that we had. 

Whether good, bad, or indifferent, the reality is that this is the kind of world that we live in. It is unlikely that things are going to become suddenly ‘less available’. Amazon isn’t going to close up shop because we are overwhelmed by the number of books out there. Instead, digital content distribution platforms are flooding the market and you can even find ways to DIY digital distribution. Rather than talking about the pros and cons of the Long Tail, I want to touch on some of the other interesting points that Anderson’s article brought up.

Anderson notes that the idea of unlimited shelf space helps people “discover their taste is not as mainstream as they thought.” It’s true, these sources allow people to access music, books, movies, etc. that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to. In the time since this article was written, however, I can’t help but wonder if the overall abundance of stuff is actually informing our preferences. Not all content can be displayed at once and we cannot see all of the content available. Because of this, it is likely that our preferences are being crafted for us by the busy bees at Amazon, Netflix, and the like. Sometimes we only see that snippet that they have chosen for us, and more often than not, I would say that tiny image stays with us and influences our consumer decisions.

Aside from influencing our choices (often without our knowledge), the access to abundance of media that Anderson hails as the dawning of a new age scares me a bit. In his article, Anderson asks what people really want and he doesn’t hesitate to respond -- more. I’m protective of my time and energy because I know that it is exhaustible. Infinite supplies of media content threaten to steal my autonomy in that regard, so I would argue that what I really want is less. There was a time when people begged for more, but I would venture to say that in the world of information and media content overload many have learned, as I have, that more is not always better.