The Lemmings Come Home to Roost

Maybe this is my week to be a cynic.

This past week, in addition to the New York Times story mentioned in yesterday’s post, a couple of other articles caught my eye that basically reinforce the theory that, regardless of all the vast and rapid (vapid?) technological changes our society has seen and experienced, we humans fundamentally are the same lemming-like creatures we always were and probably always will be.

The first story is a Wall Street Journal review of the book Buying In, by Rob Walker, who wrote the “Consumed” column for the New York Times Magazine.  Walker makes the point that despite today’s tools allowing people to block advertising, to access to more information and to have the opportunity to weigh a diversity of views, the consumer is still sucked into the most basic of advertising hype, blindly and somewhat irrationally going straight for that which he/she perceives to be popular. It’s the power of group dynamics played to a ridiculous level.

The second story reports on a Harvard marketing professor’s study that refutes Wired Magazine editor Chris Anderson’s well-regarded theory of “The Long Tail”, which in a nutshell states that the Internet Age has made selling more obscure, niche products economically viable and has forever changed the dynamics of consumer behavior.  The Harvard study states that in actuality, the Internet has made the mainstream “super hits” even more popular and profitable, citing humans’ natural tendencies to be social and to collectively throw their support to common destinations (music, movies, blogs, etc.) simply becuase others endorse them.

The article rightly pointed out that the truth probably lies somewhere in between – that the Internet has spawned many, many more options and made superstars out of some of the offbeat content and personalities who would likely never have had a chance to raise to the level of public consiousness in the old media days, but that when push comes to shove, it’s still pretty much one big popularity contest. Just like high school.

I wonder how I’d fare in one of those consumer-lemming studies.  Would I give an enthusiastic thumbs up to the vinegar-laced orange drink just because it has an appealing-sounding brand name?  Would I cave in and buy something I wouldn’t ordinarily, just because everyone else is?  I’ve always prided myself on being independent-minded, but I can only hope that when put to the test I’d pass my own lofty standards.  With all the information and choices available to us, we could all probably afford to be more thoughtful.

And yet…I’ve heard that ABC’s “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” is a total hoot and I need to set my DVR for Tuesday night’s episode. Talk about being conflicted…Stay tuned.