Digital Predictions from the Past

It’s early in the New Year. We tend to feel brave and have a penchant to make predictions. These predictions are often more long term than our resolutions. So I thought it would be interesting to rewind to almost seven years ago and see what a guy who is always living on the early adopter curve said about some things back then.

Chris Anderson, as you may know, is the editor-in-chief
of Wired magazine and website.

He is also a speaker and author. His first book in 2007 entitled The Long Tail argued that products in low demand or that have a low sales volume can collectively make up a market share that rivals or exceeds the bestsellers and blockbusters, if the store or distribution channel is large enough.

His second book Free was released in 2009. It was available as a free download for two weeks and over a quarter of a million took advantage of it. Amid controversy of his tactic, the book still debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list at #12 when the paid version was released.

This was a TED Talk Anderson did in 2004. Since then Wired has sustained an onslaught of unrelenting competition from official organizations and the blogosphere. Since this is prediction season, I thought it would be interesting to see how many of Chris' thoughts have come true, seven years later.

Wired is one of the most respected resources on technology and culture. Anderson continues to lead the charge. [video]



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visual credit: TED