Sometimes I end up going on strange "mindwalks" as a result of reading content online.
Earlier today, I came across someone asserting that new things and innovations tend to be "exclusionary." Whether it's a new thing, or a new concept... people's initial response is that it's "not for me" and early adopters are perceived as some "little private club of insiders."
Whereas I can see the superficial truth in that argument, I felt compelled to poke around in it, a bit further.
Nasturtium
I can remember the earliest incarnation of the Internet being perceived as "exclusionary." People looked at the web circa 1993 and declared that is was "just a new toy for deep nerds."
Although I was-- by no means-- any kind of "deep nerd," I found it pretty easy to get on the Internet and I was (guessing) one of the first million people to do so.
Now, if we dial the clock forward some 25 years, I watch and listen to "regular" people calling cryptocurrencies "exclusionary" because (in their minds) some kind of technical expertise equivalent to that of an engineering graduate student is "required" to use them.
Or... we can even look at Steemit, as seen through the eyes of the average Facebook user: The perception is that Steemit is "difficult to use" and you have to be an expert on cryptocurrencies ("what are THOSE?") in order to use it.
Perceptions, again...
Whereas there is a minimal level of truth to some of the above, I got to think about where this "exclusionary" idea comes from.
Fallen tree on the beach
Let's face it-- the Internet, Cryptocurrencies and Steemit are not some "exclusive Country Club" that won't accept you if you went to the wrong college or grew up on the wrong side of town!
In reality, any "barriers to entry" when it comes to cryptos or Steemit (or the Internet, back then) are pretty minimal... and are the result of our own false perceptions rather than anything real.
Let's face it-- joining and putting a post on Steemit is probably easier than understanding the average smartphone!
As is often the case in life, we create our own "exclusions."
Wild rose, Denmark
Our suspicion of-- and even fear of-- "newness" cause us (perhaps subconsciously) to make up stories about why something new is "not for us." We exclude ourselves!
In the mid 1990's, it was amazing how many people seemed "globally" fascinated by the Internet, and yet resorted to trying to persuade me that it was just a fad for "perverts and socially inept nerds."
And the first time I was going to go and "meet someone from the Internet," most of my friends thought I had taken leave of my senses and gave me all manners of warnings. When they met Helen-- who not only wasn't a psycho, but also was quite charming and hot, the response was "But she's so... NORMAL!"
Right now, quite a few of my Facebook friends think I have been eaten by some kind of scam or cult named Steemit! Steemit isn't "excluding" them, they are excluding themselves!
Osprey with her young, Montana
Before I wrap this up, there's one more thing I wanted to point out: because of this perception that certain new things are "exclusionary," it's very hard to sell game-changing new ideas (like Steemit) through conventional mass marketing. In fact, mass marketing will most likely raise a crowd of skeptics and nay-sayers.
And since Steemit is a social platform-- based around community-- by far the most effective approach is the grassroots peer-to-peer marketing technique.
If you think about it, it only makes sense. Mass-marketing is basically a "centralized" approach, and here we are part of a DE-centralized network. Peer-to-peer referral marketing where we each tell one person, one person at a time, in our own way... is also a decentralized approach. You match like-with-like.
Well, going to wrap up here... appreciate your reading!
What do YOU think? Are people naturally suspicious of new ideas? Would you consider yourself an "early adopter" on most new things? You're HERE, after all! When people call something new "exclusionary," do you think they are mostly excluding themselves? Leave a comment-- share your experiences and feedback-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Published 20170816 17:08 PDT
