After my post yesterday on John Naughton’s introduction to an Ecological viewpoint of the internet I’ve been reflecting on my interpretation through the day today.
I’m still struggling to understand the relevance of Ecology - apart from I can see the shape of something that should make sense.
I talked about the market yesterday and abundance of resources meaning the consumer holding all the power. John also brought up examples where consumer power was increasing off-line because of the increased information that consumers now have access to prior to making their purchase. None of this seems to contradict an economic viewpoint - if anything it create a more utopian marketplace where both supply and demand is balanced and competition is ripe.
So I’m wondering still what can be learnt from this idea of Ecology or if it is just a stretched analogy that served it’s purpose on Monday and would do well not be taken any further.
The rise and fall of internet businesses and the trends that survive and those that fall by the wayside seem to still have as much basis in the ideas of Adam Smith and Charles Darwin as they did on Sunday for me.
I want to take something more from this - but I think this is more about the changing role of television and mass media than it is about economics and success on the internet.
Shame though as I liked my end of the stick!
I’ll keep the phrase “survival of the smartest” to motivate me though and look out for any Ecologists who are winning on the stock markets.
Well I’m off to find another stick to pick up at the wrong end and slowly work my way up to the other end.