[cardguy]

I recently read the following book.

Which is brilliant.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Different-Escapi...=different

It is a book about business strategy and is packed full of interesting stories and ingenious examples of the following paradox.

The more that businesses compete - the more they end up with similar competitive strategies. Resulting in a marketplace where products crowd each other out as they try to make similar promises. Resulting in confused consumers who have trouble distinguishing one brand from another.

I have read alot of business books. And most of them are pretty bad - with alot of padding. And a message which could be summarised in a single paragraph. But this one is different. And since it is written by a woman - I can honestly say it is the only truly brilliant book I have yet come across by a woman. So it is pretty special for me on that level as well.

It is one of the very best books I have ever read. On every page was an insight which made me put the book down and think about it. Indeed - the book even covers Hollister's policy of not stocking clothes for fat people - since as a brand they do not want that sort of customer. I was already aware of this ingenious strategy. But - reading about it in the book put a smile on my face.

Anyway - since I am passionate about this book - I just wanted to start my post with a recommendation.

---------------------------------

Now - in the book - the author makes the point that it was once considered 'cool' to be different. Whereas today - people are scared of being different.

I find this interesting. She says that 'The Cold War' helped make individualism a priority among many people. Since - we lived in a world where hundreds of millions of people lived in Communist countries where being an individual was considered a crime.

But - this has changed with the end of 'The Cold War'. And now - people seem to see 'being normal' as a good thing which should be strived for.

Whilst at the same time. Political Correctness encourages people to express their 'individuality' by chanelling their identity through officially recognised categories (such as their gender, race or sexuality) which are already deemed 'acceptable' by the powers that be.

I remember Mark Zuckerberg saying that he wanted people to only have one 'self'. The public 'self' which people showed the world. And since people can now communicate and be on 'show' 24/7 via Facebook - it would mean the elimination of our private 'selves'. Which tradionally has being the parts of our identitiy which we preferred to keep hidden from our peers. Often because of the unpopularity of the views that people secretly held.

The result of this is a blander populace - who live their lives enclosed in a virtual Panopticon. With the guard tower in the centre replaced by a smartphone.



Anyway - I would be interested to know if others feel the same? Are people scared to be different these days?

And were things different in the past?

[Katatonic]

Edit

[cardguy]

It is a hard thing to analyse.

I sometimes think this cartoon could be accurate:

[Yarbles]

Did the book discuss Hotelling's Law? Basically it states it's easier to get more customers/followers by moving closer to (geographically for a store or ideologically in politics) your competition as you're already going to keep getting the people you're moving away from because you're still the closest/most similar to them. Seems to be like what you're describing with companies becoming indistinguishable. Also explains why there are 3 coffee shops at the same intersection and also what is happening with politics... repubs and dems fighting over the same 1% of middle voters and becoming almost indistinguishable from each other.

Note that the configuration this produces isn't socially optimal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotelling's_law

[WestIndianArchie]

I was really going to "lean in" on your comment about this being a business book by a WOMAN. Back when I started in pick up, people didn't analyze everything through the lens of the manosphere.....

But then I read the 1st review on Amazon.

"She believes that the way to compete isn't by being better. It's by being different. The products and brands that people love are those that fail to give us what we expect, but which then surprise us in some other way."
^^^^

GOD DAMN, don't this shit sound familiar then a mf'er.

WIA

[cardguy]

Thanks for the tip about Hotelling's Law. Really good stuff.

[Bad Hussar]

Don't think that technology has changed how different/unique people are or strive to be. Just moved it into another forum.

As for Zuckerberg's/Facebook's wish for people to have only one identity:
I know Zuckerberg is obviously a very, very smart guy. But if he ever seriously thought this was on the cards (and he probably didn't) he MUST have some sort of autistic spectrum disorder that means that sometimes he doesn't see social reality. It's great to think that we can present only one "face" in all possible circumstances, but it isn't possible. We have too many competing, and mutually exclusive, priorities to have and present just one identity. A facebook profile that you actually use as such cannot also be your professional profile. Unless you are a very exceptional person in one of only a few creative fields. Otherwise you need something like linkedin.

PS: As for why he'd say that people should only have one profile if he never believed it? Just being hopeful probably. The more info people divulge on facebook, the more value they represent (to advertisers, and thus facebook). If he can convince a few people at least some extra value and/or revenue is generated.