Dichotomy

October 30, 2015

There is an interesting dichotomy emerging in terms of human development. There is an upsurge in online platforms meant to provide flexible learning through others’ IP featuring video, audio, and text. Sometimes there are even “tests” that must be passed to proceed to ensuing levels. Most of this I find to be “talking heads” and the only people making money are the platform hosts. But some of it has great potential for flexible, individually-tailored learning.

This phenomenon, however, has stimulated more value in the intimate, real-time exposure to experts. Thus, i can draw 35 people to my high-end events for over $10,000 each. We still need to meet and to be in the sphere of respected others.

The test of any intervention—virtual or real—is whether the value is immediate and profound so that the ROI is readily manifest. I think there’s likely to be a happy co-existence. The demise of an office using paper or a consumer using paper checks was vastly overstated. And this past year, the biggest decline in publishing was in e-books, not hard copy books.

If we can adjust to the dichotomy we can be successful. But to insist it has to be one way or the other is a formula where both paths lead to failure.