The Internet LOLed at AirPods when they launched. Who’s laughing now?
No, it's not about AirPods at all, but rather about general early adoption of any new technology. Examples are given of the first motorcar and predictions that humans would not be able to breathe if they travelled so fast. I distinctly remember people saying only a few would be able to afford mobile phones when they first came out and were the size of a brick.
Psychological studies have shown the power that group dynamics can have on how we perceive the world. In 1935, Turkish-American social psychologist Muzafer Sherif ran an experiment to test his hypothesis that social factors would influence perception. To test his theory, individuals in a dark room were shown a small dot of light that appeared to move but actually remained still. When participants were asked how far the dot moved, the groups converged on their findings based on the “social norm” of their peers. In other words, he proved that when faced with the influence and pressure of in-group decision making, individuals aligned their answers with each other — even though the dot never moved. Commonplace lead to common sense.
See https://qz.com/1295361/the-internet-loled-at-airpods-when-they-launched-whos-laughing-now/
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The internet loled at AirPods when they launched. Who’s laughing now? What makes technology reach mass adoption? Why did Google Glass fail, but you’re now an ardent advocate of motorized scooters? |