Jay Deragon is discussing Metcalfe’s Law over at his very excellent blog. Some of his points sparked a re-read of Chris Anderson’s Free! Why $0.00 is the Future of Business in this month’s Wired.
I think Jay’s point about the inexorable link between digitalisation and globalisation as raised by Rupert Murdoch and Chris’ many points about price shifts in our economy of (over) abundance are telling an interesting story. One where that which remains not free is something that cannot be commoditised - creativity, and the additional value that comes with it.
Here’s what I’m thinking…
As the economy of abundance shifts commoditisable products towards zero, the businesses and individuals that will ride out the wave are those that have something more to add - their creativity, their knowledge, their talent, the value in the relationships that they can offer. It’s the very model on which acidlabs operates as a business. I have no product that (as my Great-Uncle Jack used to say) “you can see, feel, or poke a stick at.” Everything that I have to offer is non-commoditisable and held as tacit knowledge within my head.
Sure, I can create things with that tacit value - workshops, presentations, documents and the like. But they aren’t a product. They are outputs. Creations.
The creative, conversation-based economy for business is, as Jay says, at loggerheads with the old, dictatorial, top-down model. Time will tell which will survive. I think I share his opinion in believing that social networking gives us as consumers a far greater power to engage with those businesses that share our ideals and want to engage with us.
They are often businesses that have moved beyond commodity into adding real value.
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