Unravel the intriguing concept of hype and its five distinct levels. Explore how it shapes our perceptions, influences our decisions, and drives trends in various industries. A journey through its stages, from inception to peak, awaits.
Trying to categorize exuberance
Hype is an interesting thing. It’s rightfully often spurred as misleading bullshit or ignorant boosterism but it also has its uses.
- When it comes to creating a new technology, you need to sell a vision to attract resources you need (people, investment, etc.).
- At its best, it can create a shared vision pulling the actors in the same direction and thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The five levels of hype
A new technology doesn’t have to move through every single level but it most likely will at least reach level 3.
- Think of this scale as a form of Richter scale to get a feel of how bad the hype is
- Download the graphic here
Magical Thinking
The technology has left grounded reality and takes on magical properties
Marketing Claims
These are exaggerated claims that are based on what existing technology can do for you almost immediately.
- However, they work on an immediate time scale because whatever they promise can be realized almost instantly if the technology already exists (i.e., the company has the technology).
Othering
Technology has become a group identity for its boosters
- Claims are exclusively utopian
- Critics are painted as defenders of the old, to be left behind
- The time of arrival is less important at this level
- Just that the technology will arrive at some point in the future
Exaggerated Claims
the effects and impact of an existing technology are greatly exaggerated and oversold but still informed by its real capabilities
- The focus lies on the returns to come by investing now
- These claims oversell the present capabilities of a technology, often skirting the line to fraud
Utopian Futures
Technology is the key to a utopian future or the avoidance of a dystopic one
- Claims are solely focussed on the “potential” of the technology, less its benefits in the present
- Hyperspiel focuses solely on the future, though the time-scale is still concrete
