Key to Martin's thinking is the concept of commoditization, the most intriguing of seven cybertrends he describes in his book. It's a phenomenon that has the potential of turning just about any business upside down. The Internet is causing products and services to become commoditized, Martin argues. With the free flow of information, consumers will be able to buy anything from anyone at any time from anywhere. What used to be privileged information is becoming readily accessible, and what used to be expensive information is becoming free or low-cost.
Information changes the status quo.
It puts more power in the hands of consumers by making the core products and services of many companies less exclusive, says Martin, who describes himself as a cyberfuturist and who formerly was a vice president at IBM, founding publisher of Interactive Age magazine, and corporate technology editor at Time Inc. In the past, the way to get a good deal on a travel package was to talk to a travel agent, whose fee was paid by airlines and other travel companies. With many agents being forced by declining airline commissions to charge for their services or curtail the time they spend on you, Web sites can be a better deal. Unless you wanted to pony up a fee, you used to have to call up different insurance agents to compare the costs of different insurance policies. Now this information is available on-line.