We are all familiar with passing fads, those must have things that fade quickly. Pet Rocks or Parachute Pants come to mind. There are those things we think will be a passing craze that seem to linger to become, astonishingly, a staple - saggy pants come to mind on that. Who would think that Marky Mark would have set off a craze that is still with us today.
There doesn't seem to be a discernable reason for one to fade as a fad, and another to stay with us as a staple of life. A fad hits the public's interest at just the right moment, capturing the interest of consumers, pundits and journalists. But what makes it last? What ensures the enduring popularity making it a standard? If there was a way of predicting, marketers and investors would have a much easier time of it.
The idea of fads and staples has been on my mind for a while. Today I came across this video about Mexican Pointy Boots (really you have to stay for the whole video), and combined with a call from Barnes and Noble, it got me wondering why eBooks are showing significant signs of becoming a staple, this time. We librarians see eBooks as just a new format in our array of offerings, a great addition to the Large Print, audiobook, paperback, hardback choices intended to meet the varying needs of our community - that this time around is actually showing signs of staple-dom.
This time? You might well ask. eBooks are not new. I can remember back some 10 or so years when working at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, having the Assistant Director, Gladys Maharam, - a true visionary of library service - demonstrating this new gizmo that would allow people to read a book electronically. She saw such a future for them that she had invested in purchasing several, plus the books. She was sure that everyone would be as excited as she was, would understand the potential, and electronic versions of books would be, well, a staple. I guess you realize that it didn't. Didn't even show up as a fad. No one was interested, and nothing came of it - back then.
Fast forward to the present, and suddenly eBooks are the thing. Not a fad, and not the death of the printed book - but something comfortably in between - a staple. Everything has its golden moment - the trick is making the evaluation: fad or staple? The science is making the right evaluation and know where to invest and where to just enjoy the fleeting craze.
Book: Trendwatching: don't be fooled by the next investment fad, mania, or bubble, by Ron Insana
Audiobook: Microtrends: the small forces behind tomorrow's big changes, by Mark Penn.
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