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Luca Dellanna Profile picture
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20 Jan, 10 tweets, 3 min read
CROSSING THE IDEA CHASM, AND THE MONETIZATION CHASM

On how ideas spread, or fail to spread, and how the business models of "idea spreaders" influence that.

(thread, 1/10)
2/ Context: the Adoption Curve is an important idea (see below).

The term “chasm” refers to the difficulty that ideas and technologies have in jumping from early adopters to mainstream.

3/ A question some had is, why is there a chasm, if (in theory) people are distributed on the adoption curve as a continuous spectrum?
4/ In a recent essay, Ben Thompson proposed an explanation: the monetization chasm (explanation in the next tweet).

"The chasm of ideas is also a chasm of monetization." – [[Ben Thompson]] stratechery.com/2020/the-idea-…
5/ Many ideas spread as follows: Twitter produce ideas for free, subscribers-supported newsletter distribute early ideas to early adopters, chasm, and ad-supported newspapers distribute mainstream ideas to the masses.

Whereas people are on a continuous spectrum, outlets aren't.
6/ Subscriber-supported newsletter naturally must focus on "hedgy" ideas appealing to visionaries willing to pay for it whereas ad-supported newspapers must discuss already-mainstream ideas to ensure that the masses read their articles (and their ads).
7/ The chasm in monetization exacerbates the difficulty of early ideas in getting mainstream.
8/ Of course, the chasm can be crossed in many ways other than media outlets – for example, by having a product using the idea cross the chasm. Also, it's not like the idea chasm cannot be crossed without solving the monetization chasm problem. It's just that it's less likely.
9/ Another thing is that, yes, in principle we can use Lindy (👇) to say that if an idea spreads like wildfire in its early days it is likely to spread fast later too; OTOH, the chasm constitutes a natural bound that prevents using Lindy beyond that.

10/ This was an excerpt of one of the essays from the next edition of my newsletter. Subscribe here (for free) to receive the others this Saturday.

(it also goes out in @roamresearch format, 👋 #roamcult)

Luca-Dellanna.com/newsletter

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More from @DellAnnaLuca

Luca Dellanna Profile picture
18 Jan
HOW TO DELIVER MEMORABLE PRESENTATIONS

1/ If you need a script because you can't remember it, your audience won't remember your talk either.

2/ If you need to write it in the slides to remember it, your audience won't remember it either.

(thread)
3/ The purpose of presentations is to get the audience to do something. If it could have been a paper, it's not a good presentation.

If your presentation is not actionable, or actionable but not acted upon, it's near useless – at least for the audience.
4/ Your presentation won't be acted upon unless you get your audience to emotionally experience the benefits of acting during your presentation.

Show, surprise, let them try, let them experience emotions.
Use stories, visuals, interaction, breaking rules, role-playing.
Read 10 tweets
Luca Dellanna Profile picture
14 Jan
I broadly agree. I’d add that it’s not just about abundance but lack of potentially damaging stressors.

Example: if the SEC doesn’t do it job, than you can become the richest man of the world on top of a meme.

Not that abundance wasn’t necessary but that it wasn’t sufficient.
Also, abundance is a stressor that protects from damage from stressors; so the two points above are intertwined.
A question I’ve been spending time pondering is, do we benefit from a market of memes?

In part, yes: memes can be the bridge that crosses the chasm, making the impossible possible.

In part, no: fraud and “you can do it without substance” are memes too.
Read 6 tweets
Luca Dellanna Profile picture
10 Jan
ON POLARIZATION

If you think that "the other side" has bad intentions, you're polarizing. Your actions will cause the other side to react defensively.

If you think that "some people in the other side" have bad intentions, you're de-polarizing.

Let me explain.

(thread, 1/13)
2/ Clearly, during the last elections, some people from both sides acted in bad faith.

Just as clearly, many people from both sides acted in good faith.

Referring to one side as if they were all in bad faith will only cause some of its good-faith members to turn bad.

Example:
3/ It might be true that some Republicans threw accusations that they knew were false.

But saying "Republicans threw false accusations" causes good-faith Republicans to feel attacked.

It will cause at least a few of them to react defensively.
Read 15 tweets
Luca Dellanna Profile picture
8 Jan
Imagine it’s 2024, Trump runs for presidency again, and he wins.

The Democrats, surprised by the results in a few counties, ask for a forensic audit of the voting machines but some get denied, “there’s no evidence”.

1/N
2/ You, a Democrat, don’t like the answer, because the other party spent the last 4 years talking about interference during the elections.
3/ You get told to respect the democratic process.

But you do already want to respect it! Perhaps, you even believe that your candidate did lose, but now you get suspicions because the Republicans are dismissing the claims of foul play rather than investigating them.
Read 13 tweets
Luca Dellanna Profile picture
8 Jan
ON PRINCIPLES

The recent censorship events have shown that many don't understand what's a principle.

If you only practice it when convenient, it's not a principle.

1/11
This doesn't mean that a principle cannot be partisan.

For example, "I put the family first" can be a principle.

But then you must put your family first, both when it's convenient for you and when it isn't.

Otherwise it's not a principle.

2/11
What is the purpose of principles?

They keep us focused on the long term when the short term would misguide us

For example, I do not like Trump. And yet, yesterday I defended his free speech. Because I believe that defending free speech is ultimately good for everyone.

3/11
Read 11 tweets
Luca Dellanna Profile picture
8 Jan
THOUGHTS ON CENSORSHIP

1/ Censorship you don’t like always begins as censorship you like.

2/ Allowing censorship assumes that this power can be taken back and that it won't corrupt the censor. Two strong assumptions.
3/ Censorship assumes that your party will stay in charge forever and won't turn against you. Strong assumptions.

Rule of thumb: don't allow censorship if you're not willing to have your enemies as the censors.

4/ The moment you withhold your enemies a right, you open the door from it being withhold from you.

Rights are preserved by giving them to your enemies.
Read 21 tweets

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