Gartner frequently publishes a very interesting take on technology that they call the “Hype Cycle”. In it, they analyze technology advancements through a lifecycle that includes a Technology Trigger that starts things off, a period called the Peak of Inflated Expectations where things are hyped more than they could possibly be worth, which is followed by a fun period called the Trough of Disillusionment where the over-hype causes a backlash, the media ignores the technology and you aren’t seen to be cool anymore just by virtue of being able to quote some technical gibberish that amuses and amazes at cocktail parties.
The graphic of the Hype Cycle is shown below:
When I looked at this, it was fun to note Micro-blogging as just entering the Trough of Disillusionment in July of 2009 . Of course, the greatest example of Micro-blogging is Twitter.
I have often been accused of being a grumpy old man because I have failed to get on board with Twitter. My family and friends have grown tired and now resigned to the frequent stories of my disdain for the concept. From my “we’re encouraging ADD in our teenagers by having them believe they can say something useful in 140 characters or less” rants to the “the first tweet I ever received was Dave Matthews saying “oops, spilt soup”, isn’t that useless” tirades, I was looking a little out of step with the times.
Truth be told, I have always been impressed by Twitter. Such a simple technology and a simple concept, that beautifully marries our need for constant contact and communication, our fixation with celebrity, our desire to be heard and our collective inability to focus for more than the length of a text message. Brilliant. I had no problem understanding how it would be perfect for my 14 year old daughter to keep up to date with the minute by minute life experiences of her favourite pop stars, but I frankly I have still been stretching to understand how it could be a valuable tool for business.
Now Gartner puts it all together for me. We have to go through the Trough with Twitter and hopefully emerge on the fair side into the Slope of Enlightenment. Then we’ll see real benefits and practical applications beyond tracking Dave Matthews’ soup adventures.
In the meantime, I’ll continue to post on my Corporate Blog – since Corporate Blogging is already on the upward Slope which is a much more comfortable place for a grumpy old man like me.