Room for the Long Tail

The Long Tail took the online world by storm in 2006. The theory holds that society is "increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of 'hits' (mainstream products and markets) at the head of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail."

New research now suggests that the far from diminishing, the "head" is infact amplified by the Internet. The ease of sharing combines with the desire to be part of the same thing.

Certainly some of the tools do work to amplify this effect, just as in the offline world. Surfers find the same lists and are more tempted by the endoresement to click on the number 1, than they are to pick their own way through the endless content available.

BUT there is surely room for both effects. At the head, there are the followers who want an easy recommendation. But there are also the leaders who are prepared to explore the long tail because they are looking for something different. The web empowers them to find it more easilty and to share it with others.

As ever, the world is rarely black and white.