What Is An Original Idea Worth?

Posted by Greg Bond

August 11, 2008

Napster may be what turned me into a computer nerd. Around seventh grade, I remember learning how to crack programs, find passwords, and cover my cookies from the rents. Since then, it is apparent that my whole field of view musically has been greatly expanded. I’ve seen concerts, bought CDs, and promotional items of artists I would have never known hadn’t it been for the internet. As a result, the days of double platinum record sales is over; no one will ever have as much market share as the Beatles or MJ. There is just so much out there.

The entertainment industry was, and still is, the most affected by the march to online. Whenever a new medium is created, it starts with intellectual curiosity, devolves into the hedonic aspects of human nature, the dust settles, and practical application ensues. The videogame industry is a perfect example of this evolution. It started with people doing math on computers, then playing tic-tac-toe, and now they are used to train our soldiers.

Today, business people are finally using the internet to learn about other businesses and help grow their own. In this discovery, they are also finding that they aren’t unique. Someone in China is doing the same thing for a fraction the price. It’s the same thing Metallica saw with Napster. Pirates weren’t just stealing their music, they were discovering all the other Metallicas too. What a humbling experience this must have been.

The internet has helped companies realize that they can’t look like everyone else, even if they act like everyone else. Designers are being contracted through the roof. I don’t think creatives could have imagined the demand for an original idea during an economic slump. Business people are realizing the value in looking different from the rest of the crowd. Great. This is the hedonic part of the curve and practical application is still yet to be seen by most of the businesses out there.

What most people are failing to see is how other companies are using the net beyond aesthetics, simply because the execs don’t use the net for anything practical besides research, purchasing, and e-mail. So when someone tells you to start embracing the net, take heed. The net isn’t about what you do, as much as it is about what you can do. Now, start thinking.