The setup is like a dog walking on its hind legs. Creating Social Utility Low price, high speed and constant availability will undoubtedly accelerate the growth of electronic commerce and of on-line communities. The first category, choice and pleasure, actually has to do with the limited amount of leisure time most people have. Because that time is essentially fixed, new forms of communication and entertainment will thrive only by displacing existing forms. If new offerings are to continue stealing time from old ones, they will have to give users greater control over the form and timing of communication and entertainment.
Greater choice brings more options and thus increases the chance for greater pleasure.
Efficient consumption addresses the significant fraction of an individual's personal time spent on overhead tasks such as reading junk mail, paying bills, filling out order forms, waiting for appointments, preparing tax returns and so on. Broadband will unleash value if it can automate many of these processes, raising the efficiency of consumption. Shopping for a gift, for instance, means finding the best option, given your available cash and search time. The Internet makes it possible not only to buy a necktie more quickly and conveniently but also to be informed about a present you hadn't even thought of that would be preferred by the recipient. As far as financial payback goes, the main issue is that household budgets are relatively fixed and change slowly.