Legislation after the long tail
I knew this was going to happen. 2 chapters in and I'm already hooked.
Finding out how our web-driven society is changing is like watching the DaVinci Code unfold in slow motion.
So the world of hits has become a world of niches. I like the sound of that.
Yet I do see a fly in the ointment. Normally technology and/or society changes, then governments legislate. In Italy for example, emails weren't recognized as legally-binding documents untill about two years ago.
They do catch up but often there is a worrying gap between the moment the change appears on the radar and the introduction of some new control, law or tax.
This gap is of course a land of opportunity for early adapters but when the opportunity for some turns into a benefit for the many and we reach the tipping point for whatever change has arrived, government legislation can and often does get in the way.
So what happens when all the bits and pieces I need to satisfy my chosen niche happen to come from outside my national legislation? Will the old guard obstruct even more opportunities? Come to think of it, how will national governments cope with infinite choice? Does web-based TV content signal the end for national television licences?
I for one sincerely hope so. If the supply-industry as a whole has to adapt in order to compete in a world of ininite choice, I don't see why governments should have it any easier.
