According to new Pew research, 8% of online adults use Twitter every day, while 15% say they’ve ever used it at all. When I first heard that, I was shocked. Just 8%? But everybody I know is on Twitter!
Among the nerds I hang out with, daily tweeting (or at least tweet reading) is an assumed quality. And in a world where daily Twitter use is a given, nerds design products (and write articles) with that bias subconsciously in mind.
But while we’re off debating how next-gen mobile payment apps will integrate with Google Glass and turn us all into cyborgs (seriously, check it out if you haven’t yet), 85% of online adults have never even used Twitter.
Of course, Twitter use is a very rough gauge of consumer sophistication. And it makes sense for startups to target only savvy consumers that will spend money and time using innovative products.
I’m not stepping on anybody’s business plan. I just can’t shake the feeling that there’s a fortune waiting out there for startups that target the other 85%.
What’s that, tiny demon on my shoulder? You want me to name names? Ok, but I’ll keep it positive.
Recently, at the very first Startup and Play showcase in Raleigh, I met some cool startups that seem to be focused on the other, normal side of the adoption curve. Here’s what they do:
� FeelGoodz: Make socially conscious flip-flops.
� YardSprout: Help you grow a garden.
� PintLabs: Help you find beer.
Finally, entrepreneurs who can easily explain what they do to their mothers! I’m only half joking. For many people, even Twitter can seem confusing and complicated.
It’s a rule of human nature that’s easy to forget when you’re living every day with the complexity of your creation, and it’s just as true for writers as it is for entrepreneurs.
After we all become cyborgs, of course, all bets are off.
