We Silicon Valley types love both inflection points and business jargon and when the two collide, we discover meme ectasy. In the early 90's, Geoffrey Moore taught us that technologies could cross the chasm and by 2000, Malcom Gladwell introduced the newer concept of the tipping point. In my days as a VC, I often thought that PowerPoint must have a cliche wizard that I somehow had overlooked. The vast bulk of presentations sent to me used one of those two expressions to short-cut "here's how we go mainstream."
I mention this in 2009 as we argue over whether Facebook has gone mainstream or Twitter has hit a tipping point. It's important every once and a while to look away from our giant HD LCD TVs attached by HDMI cables to DVRs, Apple TVs, Roku and Vudu boxes and remember that analog TVs (attached to... nothing!) are still prevalent enough to warrant Congressional action:
"The Senate passed a bill on Monday to delay the nationwide switch to digital TV signals, giving consumers nearly four more months to prepare.
The transition date would move to June 12 from February 17 under the bill that was fueled by worries that viewers are not technically ready for the congressionally-mandated switch-over."
Anyone know someone still struggling to convert their TV? The Senate does!
It's quite simple -- the people who are still struggling to switch over are that very valuable voting constituency known as old people.
Posted by: Jeffrey McManus | January 27, 2009 at 09:02 AM
Andrew, why do you hate old people?
Posted by: Mena Trott | January 27, 2009 at 09:10 AM
AARP-driven legislation change I'd bet... Ye who write letters (actual letters... you know with postage) shall be heeded in the halls of Congress.
Posted by: Jeff Reine | January 27, 2009 at 09:10 AM
By Valley standards, Andrew IS old people.
Posted by: Chip Bayers | January 27, 2009 at 09:39 AM
I heard from a good source that Twitter was being in discussions with General Dynamics to bolster its crime scene correlation program offering.
Posted by: Caswell Brownby IV | January 27, 2009 at 10:17 AM
If there is a Facebook cause to repeal the digital TV signal law, then we know Facebook has gone mainstream.
Posted by: Mark Simmons | January 27, 2009 at 10:35 AM
@Jeffrey, @Mena and @Mosjef, the fact that it may or may not be a bunch old folks doesn't take away my point, which is that there's a much bigger technology laggard market than any of us Valley tech types like to remember.
The fact is, the government program which gave away converter boxes is authorized to spend (and has run out of) over a billion dollars. In an admittedly gross oversimplification, that makes the technology laggard market about as big as social media last year.
Posted by: Andrew Anker | January 27, 2009 at 10:35 AM
what language is that? HD LCD TVs
Posted by: Alex Deve | January 27, 2009 at 11:01 AM
And to amplify -- that's the technology laggard market that actually signed up to get a converter box. The reason this is being delayed is that there's a still untapped market of folks that didn't get their converters in time.
The tweet storm does write itself, however -- RABBIT EARS EPIC FAIL.
Posted by: Michael Sippey | January 27, 2009 at 05:14 PM