Seth Godin takes on the over-hyped Digital Divide – that invisible wall separating the Internet connected and the disconnected – stating that the new digital divide is more a matter of choice. Those who choose to engage in the social web, the "Digerati", subscribe to RSS feeds, read meta-blogs, write their own blogs and avoid the mainstream press. So what does this mean, other than the fact that we have a new label? According to Seth:
As a result, your most-connected, most influential customers are part of the digerati. They can make or break your product, your service or even your religion’s new policies. Because the Net is now a broadcast (and a narrowcast) medium, the digerati can spread ideas.
The second thing to keep in mind is that the digerati are using the learning tools built into the Net to get smarter, faster. A new Net tool can propogate to millions in just a week or two. Unlike the old digital divide, this means that the divide between the digerati and the rest of the world is accelerating.
The second thing to keep in mind is that the digerati are using the learning tools built into the Net to get smarter, faster. A new Net tool can propogate to millions in just a week or two. Unlike the old digital divide, this means that the divide between the digerati and the rest of the world is accelerating.
Using the Law of the Few as described in Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, it seems that the Digerati are simultaneously playing the key roles of Mavens, Connectors and Salespeople.
