First basic communications
Cell phone plans used to be priced by minutes, and text messages.
This throttles connections by price since the more money you had, the more connections you could afford to have and the more relationships you could afford to maintain.
Whether you did or not is not the point.
Then data
Then phones changed so telephone companies started charging by data. Data is how we engage in many of our conversions and how we access information.
Now our access to information and connections are throttled by price.
The more money you have, the more information you could access and the more connections you could afford to maintain.
Whether you did or not is not the point.
To What Benefit?
The thing I wonder is, who benefits from creating scarcity of information and connection?
Aren’t we as a society better off the more we share and connect? Aren’t we as businesses better off the more our customers know?
This is one example and I’m sure telephone companies don’t see it that way.
Which makes me wonder, are there ways in which I’m throttling my clients? Is there a way I can give people more to improve the world and provide more value?
I don’t have an answer, but I think what’s more important is the question.