jprimus - Tumblr blog

[jprimus]

"the great thing about subscription businesses is that you don’t need very many users to build something significant. "

[jprimus]

What Gangnam Really Means

I like PSY but I'm not the greatest fan of Gangnam Style. Yet as viral hits go, the South Korean phenomenon might be the Muhammad Ali of our time. And that makes it somewhat historic.

Here's what President Hu Jintao of China said in January:

"International forces are trying to Westernize and divide [China] by using ideology and culture.” 

But in the case of Gangnam Style the arrows are being shot from east to west! And this might be the first time that we've really ever seen this happen. (And it won't be the last.)

You might be thinking about earlier Asian stars and hits like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, or Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. But these works were introduced to America in English. Gangnam Style might be the first time that an Asian-language hit has gone stratospheric in the States. Language is the ultimate cultural determinant. (Oh, this hit has nothing to do with martial arts, for once!)

This is a watershed moment, made possible by the connectivity of the digital age. This will happen more and more, and also in other arenas like software. I think it's going to be incredibly exciting and fun to watch! 

P.S.: Manga Camera for the iPhone already has my vote for potential international viral (mini-)hit #2! It needs quite a few more features, but its basic premise is pretty damned cool.

[jprimus]

I wrote a book(-let)! It's called How to Make the Media Fall in Love with Your Startup and it's got advice from writers at TechCrunch, PandoDaily, All Things D, VentureBeat and more. Buy it here!

[jprimus]

Look, Ma, I wrote a book!