GHC/FWLW

It’s possible to draw certain comparisons between the Garter Hype Cycle and the First Word/Last Word Models. One could say that the First Word appears at the Innovation Trigger, and the Last Word can only come to be once the Plateau has been reached. However, the Hype Cycle applies specifically to disciplines, while FW/LW can apply to much more compact things, like ideas or techniques. there no space on the Hype Cycle for Hunter S Thompson, but he fulfils both halves of FW/LW in the field of Gonzo Journalism.

Personally, I feel drawn to the spaces after the initial hype of an idea has died, because then there remains a living progressive dialogue, which I find more interesting and useful. There is also none of the Hype’s manic speed here.

Schulze himself notes that working in the Trough of Disillusionment is a good choice financially, since the technology has already been developed and over-produced. He just needs to figure out what to do with it. However, there is also a certain romantic draw to this space, this graveyard of concepts where somebody could resurrect an idea and make it into something truly great.