I'm not sure where or when the first article of clothing labeled one size fits all appeared, but the name itself was a stroke of genius. Pure marketing genius. Let's examine this concept and how it relates to current activity in the computer business and on the Internet. Over the years, I've argued that the late twentieth century has been full of dualistic trends. For example, there's a trend toward European unity alongside a simultaneous trend toward tribalization.
Diversity is in constant conflict with conformity and unity.
Today, one size fits all is at battle with individualization. Mass produced, low-price computers are in conflict with customized systems. But a problem occurs when one size fits all isn't fully understood and begins to be misinterpreted as something for everyone . Take socks, probably the most ubiquitous example. Stores don't want to stock a variety of socks for every shoe size.