When I was younger, I read Comic Books. Mostly X-Men and the related series (New Mutants, X-Force, Etc.) – but dabbled here or there into other series. It was fun – I’d tell the stories to some of my neighborhood friends and they’d get into it for a bit. For the most part, however, I was by myself in this little hobby of mine. I digested as much as I could – spent hundreds of dollars buying magazines, books, etc so I could learn the history behind this comic that started long before I was born. It was a great hobby and much of that information is still in my head. In fact, the other day as I drove home from Denver with my friend Ef, we discussed our mutual love for the comic of our youth.

The other week, my friend James introduced me to the world of Firefly. By the end of the weekend, I had watched the entire series, the movie, and read as much as I can about the Joss Whedon masterpiece. I am dumbfounded how the show could have been canceled and, using the internet, saw that I wasn’t alone. In fact, the Firefly community was strong enough to have the movie green lighted – which at least provided some amount of closure to the story.

Why do I bring these two things up? Simple. The difference between the two obsessions comes down to one thing – the internet. My love affair with the X-Men was never truly fostered because, for the most part, I was alone. It wasn’t “cool” to like the X-Men, or to read comic books in general, and finding like-minded people was troublesome for a young boy in the middle of suburbia. With Firefly and the internet, not only could I easily connect with hundreds of thousands of fans that share my same interests, but I can also do it with minimal effort, minimal cost, and feel that, despite this niche interest, I wasn’t alone in my love.

It made me start thinking about how the web has transformed cool. When I was in college, Indie Rock music was for a certain type of person. You know the stereotype – hangs out in record stores, owns vinyl, brags about seeing a band before they were big. They hung out together, learned what was cool from each other, and created a niche genre that catered to their aesthetic. As the internet started to really blossom – file sharing, web communities, etc etc – Indie music started to become more popular. It started to appear in shows like The O.C. It started to infiltrate popular culture. The niche became cool.

The internet provides access to information and, in reality, that’s all “coolness” is.

Why did this happen? Well – the concept of the Long Tail is something I love. The internet provides access to information and, in reality, that’s all “coolness” is. It’s information on what is acceptable, normal, and common. Before the internet, you were subject to local thoughts on coolness – or mass media’s determination of what should be cool. In today’s world, those influences are disappearing. If you’re a huge fan of something, odds are you can find a community out there that shares your interest. You can belong and feel accepted. You can be cool because you have found the niche where you belong. Indie Rock – a genre filled with extremely talented musicians – became popular because people went to what they identified with, not the sugar pop that the record companies and advertising agencies pushed upon them. The music industry isn’t floundering because of file sharing, it’s floundering because the machine is built on the ability to define cool. The internet removed that ability and the industry has yet to adapt (more on the music industry some other day)

If you think about it, most people AREN’T cool. Most people weren’t the home coming queen or king. Most people didn’t hang out with the cool kids in high school. Most people were just people – with their own thoughts, ideas, and personalities. Even those who WERE popular have thoughts, ideas, and personalities that exist at different points in the long tail. And since most people don’t fit into the front part of the graph where “Cool” was conventionally defined, the “long tail” concept applies and gains strength.

It’s not just the future generations that will shape the world. These tools on the web are shaping our lives. The way we discuss things. The way we elect Presidents and deal with government. All of this is the recognition that the masses – the ones that exist in the Long Tail – have the power. Power to the people. Interesting concept. A blossoming reality…