March 7th, 2008
Has the P2P Economy Outgrown Open Source?
With the emergence of the P2P Economy, most of what was open source development is now recognized as a form of influence investment. The mystique of open source hinges on a belief in software that is both free and without defects. This movement thrived because many of its most ardent supporters were entry-level people without access to corporate resources or influence.
The Internet in the latter part of the 1990’s and early part of this millennium was besieged by the open source mind set. Commerce was frowned upon by many of these open source devotees. Subject matter experts debated how the free market economies would end. While these gurus were busy preaching fear, uncertainty and doubt, they failed to recognize the shift in value from software to content. No connection was ever made between influence and content.
Influence was never considered a worthwhile goal for early Internet contributors because they were junior members of their organizations. Entry-level people are judged by their efforts and their contribution to teams. It was not until the emergence of the P2P Economy that influence was seen as currency to be exchanged and converted to trust. The open source metaphor will continue to thrive in many corners of the Internet. However, the P2P Economy will cause most netizens or citizens of the Internet to seek out new ways to describe this next great economic age.
The IT Investment Architect®
Concepts: influence, influence-investment, P2P Economy, trust