Create A Need And Fill It

There was a time when the business credo was "Find a need and fill it". Now with technology being driven by such fierce competition, there needs to be a use for all the new technological advances. That's where marketing comes in. In fact, marketing is the most importing component of any product ...more important than its quality or relevance. So, it is the job of marketing to "create" the need for the product.

On demand infotainment is the hottest thing in the communications industry right now. The parties that be want to create [are in the process of creating] streaming video content for ipods and other portable devices. Do we really need TV on the go? We've already got cell phone that receive pictures and music, and double as text-messaging centers. I'm the last person to pooh-pooh technology; I love electronic gadgets. But the pervasiveness of the "communications" industry is becoming a bit frightening. Why don't we all just go ahead and have the implant installed. That way, we'll be tied into the "big brother" mainframe all the time. We won't miss a thing ...and neither will [he].

Consider the cell phone. How in the world did we ever survive with out it. Of every ten people you encounter, eight of them are engrossed in conversations on a cell phone. The first thing that comes to mind is, "What is so important that you can't be away from for even a moment?" I know cells are convenient ...and indispensable in an emergency. But these aren't all emergency calls. Granted, many of these talkers are teens and we all know about teens and telephones. But what about the adults? And don't even get me started on [automobile] drivers on cell phones.

It's my theory that we've become addicted to all the electronic stimulation we're subjected to on a constant basis. Most individuals find it impossible to "just be still". Try just sitting still for an hour doing nothing. Okay, half an hour. Just clear your mind and do and think about nothing. Not so easy, heh? Even I never leave the house without my mp3 player.

Now the broadcast stations want to get into the TiVo business. For a small sum [I think it's $.99] you can watch a broadcast program ...one that was originally broadcast over the free airways ...you can watch it anytime you want. But wait! Don't we already have a device that does that.? It's called a VCR. Oh, I see, that's yesterday's technology. And since so many of the brilliant minds in the world never mastered the art of programming a VCR, now they can just pay for the program when they want to see it. HELLO PEOPLE! And these programs are also to be made available for playing over ipod-type devices.

The porn industry is also gearing up to supply content that can be viewed on theses mobile screens, but I hear that Steve Jobs wants to find a way to prevent porn from being broadcast over ipods. Now come on. Even if you are trying to be discreetly lascivious, a 2x2 inch screen is woefully inadequate for watching porn ...or any other movie/program for that matter.

On that note, I'd like to segue to the subject of why porn is considered an "indecent" commodity. Obviously there's a very large number, if not a majority, of the adults in the world who want it, and go to great pains to get it. The internet is one of the greatest inventions of our time and we've managed to turn it into an enormous database of porn. We live in a democracy and that's supposed to mean a government for the people by the people ...and the people obviously want porn.

Sure this flies in the face of all the tight-assed right-wingers and bible-thumping religious zealots, but the reality is that we're a nation of pervs. And that's all because we're so up-tight about sex in the first place. We've been raised in an atmosphere of oppression and have been taught to view sexual expression as something vulgar and naughty, something that should be done in the dark. The problem is that sex is a natural function and we are sexual beings. Suppression only exacerbates the desire for it while contributing salacity ...the irresistibility of that which is taboo. Take away the [unnecessary stigma] and it ceases to carry the dirty back-alley status. Didn't we learn anything from "Prohibition"?

Quote of the Week: "The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it."