Wired editor Anderson declares the death of "common culture"and insists
that it's for the best. Why don't we all watch the same TV shows, like
we used to? Because not long ago, "we had fewer alternatives to compete
for our screen attention," he writes. Smash hits have existed largely
because of scarcity: with a finite number of bookstore shelves and theaters
and Wal-Mart CD racks, "it's only sensible to fill them with the titles
that will sell best." Today, Web sites and online retailers offer seemingly
infinite inventory, and the result is the "shattering of the mainstream
into a zillion different cultural shards." These "countless niches"
are market opportunities for those who cast a wide net and de-emphasize
the search for blockbusters. It's a provocative analysis and almost
certainly on targetthough Anderson's assurances that these principles
are equally applicable outside the media and entertainment industries
are not entirely convincing. The book overuses its examples from Google,
Rhapsody, iTunes, Amazon, Netflix and eBay, and it doesn't help that
most of the charts of "Long Tail" curves look the same. But Anderson
manages to explain a murky trend in clear language, giving entrepreneurs
and the rest of us plenty to think about.