Why Content is Not as important as Connection

Andrew Odlyzko of the University of Minnesota's Digital Technology Center is looking at the evolution of the connected home. He argues that a myth dogs the research and development goals of many that are pursuing the vision, making them less competitive.

In "Finding a voice: Learning from history" he describes the dogma as regarding 'the Internet as first-and-foremost a content delivery system. It isn't. The Internet is primarily a tool for person-to-person communication. But policymakers, investors, and telecommunications companies have too often fallen for the plausible slogan that 'content is king'. What systems and equipment providers as well as service providers in this area should worry about is giving people what they really want, which is to be connected to other people.'

He suggests that this has direct implications for the products and services that are likely to be successful and goes on to discuss what they are.

His essay looks at some of the fundamental principles of product development from a user-centred perspective. The full essay is linked below.

Associated Link: Finding a voice: Learning from history

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