The Laws of Crowdsong Innovation

One from the archives: Circa Autumn 2012

The 1st Law of CrowdSong Innovation states quite simply that

To take full advantage of the network effect you will need an activity that is very easy to learn and share with others.

You may like to express this ideas as KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid) or DEAD (Dopey Entertainment and Activities for Dummies) functionality.

The long term trend towards the dumbing down the user experience (to maximise the probability of the network effect kicking in to boost traffic or app sales) means that although the level of activity across the network is increasing rapidly the rate of innovation across the network is slowing. (i.e. the network is becoming dumber not smarter due to the inevitable replication and fragmentation of functionaility).

That's why the 2nd Law of the Crowdsong Innovation Paradox simply states that

That the level of "break through" or "Game Changing" innovation activity across a network (i.e. the creation of new types of functionality, messages and connections) is inversely proportional to the growth in the network.

The 3rd Law of CrowdSong Innovation takes this paradox to its logical conclusion and states quite simply that, contrary to popular management theories about the benefits and objectives of investing in innovation,

The dumbest network wins

Why? Simply because it attracts the biggest audience. It does this because its offering is the easiest to use for the largest number of people.

Note: You can substitute words like Search Engine, Platform, Social Network, Mobile OS, Web Browser for Network. and Simple, Safe, Cautious, Easy, Stupid for Dumb.

The 3nd Law of the Crowdsong Innovation explains why it is so easy to disrupt the established incumbents on the network that have progressed and consolidated into platforms (i.e. Private or closed networks)

Networks fail catastrophically when they try to become too smart (i.e. Innovative and complex) and are disrupted by new entrants that simplify (i.e. dumbs down) the experience

Put very simply Apple disrupted the mobile phone market because its smart phone experience was dumber than the rest. The same principle applies to Facebook's disruption of MySpace and Google's disruption of Yahoo!.

This then is the somewhat paradoxical and, yes admittedly, somewhat absurd message at the heart of the US tech innovation story. If you want to disrupt the market leader you need to think how you are going to be dumber, not smarter or better...

Till next time...