“You look ridiculous in that outfit”
This is always the case.
Something new is always used first by people who are willing to look ridiculous, at least for a few minutes.
Every once in a while, we adopt something because it's truly a better technology, a new taste sensation, a productivity shortcut that pays for itself regardless of what people think of it.
But most of the time, culture moves forward on the basis of a simple question:
"Do people like me do something like this?"
If the answer is 'no', most of us wait.
And so, new fashions (of all sorts) come from unexpected places, not from the arbiters of what's correct. Cameron Diaz and George Clooney aren't showing us new ways to dress, and Thomas Keller isn't inventing brand new cuisine. The people who go first have a different agenda than the standard-setters.
That's why it usually takes years for something to become an overnight success. The culture changes from the edges, and gradually, we come to answer the question about a hat or a software network or a car with, yes, in fact, people like me actually do use something like this.
This explains why Kickstarter campaigns do so well after they hit their minimum… social proof.
This week on HugDug, we saw generous and insightful reviews from:
Scott Harrison, founder of charity: water (on a solar backpack),
bestselling author and snowboarder Amy Jo Martin on what happens when men act more like women,
actress Jessica Stroup on her favorite perfume, Jackie Huba on sweetness,
and NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on a secret muscle conditioning device that might even work on someone like me.
Not everyone, not yet.
People who care go first.