"Controlling the emotional intensity of an industry is an incredibly powerful source of advantage in the post-network economy."
Umair, this is an extremely powerful observation and I'm hoping you are willing to elaborate on it a little bit.
"Controlling the emotional intensity of an industry is an incredibly powerful source of advantage in the post-network economy."
Umair, I posted a comment the other night asking if you could elaborate on this observation. For some reason, it didn't make it up, and so I thought I'd try again. I would appreciate it if you would expand on this statement. Thanks!
Umair, thanks for linking to my post. I am a big fan of your blog.
I think we are actually making the same point, we're just using different words to describe it.
Whenever I evaluate a new consumer startup, what I am subconsciously thinking is "What is the relationship between this service and the user who uses it? Is it a weak emotional relationship or a strong emotional relationship?" etc.
Because emotional intensity directly correlates with 1) how much attention a user is willing to pay on any given product/topic (Quantity) and 2) the quality of the interaction the user is likely to have with this service. Emotional intensity creates option value for the service provider.
Think about your last romantic relationship. The stronger you feel about someone, the more likely it is that you are going to 1) spend more time with someone and 2) explore the depths of the relationship.
As we are moving into an economy where attention is the most valuable currency, the strength of one's emotional connection with a service is of utmost importance. I'll post more thoughts about this on my blog in a bit.
