In the political sense, Ron Paul represents new technology, threatening to disrupt the status quo and revolutionize the system.
In the 90’s Geoffrey Moore wrote (and later revised) a book that immediately became the de-facto desk-side handbook for every marketer in the technology arena. The book, titled Crossing the Chasm, is a road map for marketers trying to navigate their way through the perilous waters of the silicon age with products that are not widely known, technology that is not widely accepted, and competing against ubiquitous incumbent technologies that are both safe and predictable (despite their shortcomings).
In Chasm, Moore unveils a paradigm in technology marketing, called the “chasm model,” which illustrates the gap that a new technology must cross before gaining widespread acceptance in the market. This is particularly true with so-called “disruptive” technologies that promise innovation while threatening the established way of operation.
In the political sense, Ron Paul represents new technology, threatening to disrupt the status quo and revolutionize the system. Moore’s chasm model gives us a frame of reference to examine the gulf that exists between the innovative, risk-taking early adopters, and the pragmatic, risk-averse late adopters.
Innovators (The Technology Enthusiasts) – The first group to be sold on a new technology are the innovators (primarily because they are the ones cultivating it). These are your typical technology enthusiasts: the über-geeks who innovate, nurture and adopt technology because they believe in it and the promise that it holds. Every great inventor in history falls into this category (likewise, every great philosopher does too). In our political model, Ron Paul qualifies as an innovator, along with the vanguard of libertarian thought (Ludwig von Mises was an innovator). The innovators provide a foundation from which the new technology/idea can be launched. As Moore puts it in Chasm: “Enthusiasts are like kindling: They help start the fire.”