2003-05-27

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Mindjack - Taste Tribes by Joshua Ellis

But even this might turn out to be beneficial. In a capitalist society, commerce is a requirement (or a necessary evil, depending upon your point of view). And wouldn't it ultimately be better if the producers of pop culture were able to work with their consumers, rather than against them? To directly access those consumers' needs, rather than simply making educated guesses? In this model of supply and demand, taste tribes create an alternate form of direct marketing, analogous to Amazon's recommendation system – but vastly more useful, because it is not automated. It takes the eccentricities of human taste into account.