paradigm shift //
Although paradigm shifts can be appealing, they are rarely executed well.
A paradigm is a mental model we have of the world. As long as our model works, we don’t think much about it. You would notice the lack of gravity if you lived on a space station all the time… until one day you didn’t.
The rules are changing because of technology and culture. Then, those who are bold enough to imagine an entirely new mental model, one that’s not just adjusted but completely rebuilt, will have a lot of opportunities.
Network TV was built on the concept of mass markets, and the struggle for the final few percentage points.
Cable TV changed that (a little) because niche channels could find enough viewers to make a good profit. Suddenly, even the smallest audience was an effective way to create a media asset. MTV and ESPN would not have been able to survive in a world with only three channels, but they did well in a world with forty.
YouTube is the real game changer. It’s no longer about adding a few more channels. It’s all about accepting the notion that there are an infinite number channels. It’s important to understand that a lack of spectrum is neither normal nor useful. No one in the world of cable or network TV understood or did anything to fix it. They were more concerned with shifting than flipping.
Many of my friends and colleagues in the traditional publishing industry are still struggling with the print version. Instead of switching to a new model, they are inching towards a change.
Flipping paradigms in medicine has saved millions of lives. Hand washing and germ theory are two examples. Recently, we’ve seen the importance of bacteria and beta-blockers in heart disease. My friend Jonathan Sackner Bernstein discusses his groundbreaking work on how Parkinson’s works in this video.
Not all paradigms flip. Often, humanity is stuck with a culturally-entrenched system that’s difficult to change. When we recognize an opportunity to help, the hardest part is to be willing to let go of our dependence on what has been done in the past and not just try to make small changes.
