new thread
Today Netscape got eaten alive by AOL. The commercial interests are probably going to make the internet like television. Television probably encourages people to keep their hair short because commercial interests probably believe that people with short hair spend more on haircuts and hair care products than people with long hair.
If we can show them what products long hairs would buy, maybe commercial media will advertise products for long hair, which may encourage more men to grow long hair. Many products for long hair exist but aren't promoted by commercial media. If they were advertised they probably would sell more and make it worth while (profitable) to encourage more people to have long hair, then the media would probably buy more programming that includes long hair.
These are some products and services that I think long hairs would buy:
Shampoo: Long hairs probably use more shampoo than short hairs. If major companies knew this they could probably encourage men to grow long hair and beards.
Special conditioners that prevent hair from being too dry or getting split ends.
Device for finding and cutting only split ends, leaving each hair as long as possible. A small fluorescent light bulb might make split ends easier to find. Maybe a flashlight type light be attached to the scissors which would make it easier to find and cut split ends with the other hand.
Medicines and pills. The pharmaceutical companies could invent products to make hair healthier.
Treatment for damaged hair to repair things like split ends or dryness.
Beard styling gel or wax.
Places that style men's long hair.
Places to massage or braid long hair.
Items to tie up hair or wear with long hair.
I can't see how Netscape is NOT a commercial organisation while America Online is. Both are multinational companies and aim to make money through sales of their products or services and thus are commercial.
In Malaysia the mid 1960's there was a Vitalis advertisement which showed a man with shoulder length hair (l-o-o-o-ong in those days) using Vitalis to groom his hair.
The ad went on to say how Vitalis reaches from the roots to the tip and ended with the commentary "see what Vitalis can do for this man's hair -- or perhaps a haircut."
Later on, Vitalis had an ad saying, "If you want to have hair as long as your sisters... use Vitalis" and it featured a picture of a man with really long hair by today's reckoning.
In Britain in the mid 1970's I noticed hair dressing salons and barber shops advertising hair washing and blowing services for men with long hair.
Many products for long hair exist but aren't promoted by commercial media. If they were advertised they probably would sell more and make it worth while (profitable) to encourage more people to have long hair, then the media would probably buy more programming that includes long hair.
Perhaps its a matter of critical mass. The proportion of women with long hair is greater than men, so I guess companies think that they can get more mileage by featuring women.
Then of course there is that sexist bullshit of exploiting women in adds.
But then again, why would longhairs want to be exploited.
Hmm! To think of it, the Java Evangelist for Sun Microsystems is a longhaired guy. Lucky devil!
Cheers
Charles
The difference I see is in who they sell their product to, and what the product is. AOL seems to be going the direction of television, where advertisers pay AOL to provide viewers for their ads. The viewers' time becomes the product sold to advertisers. The AOL viewers may get free web access some day, but then the advertisers would be the ones buying the product, influencing what viewers see.
Netscape sells web browser software to web viewers. Netscape is motivated to design a product that viewers will be happy with else the product wont sell. When the viewer buys the product from Netscape, there is no third party trying to control what the viewer sees.
If AOL controls Netscape and Java, the programming codes may be optimized for AOL rather than the average person. For example, Java programming may become too complex for the average person to create web pages. Web site creation would only be for professional programmers who are willing to spend thousands of dollars on software and equipment. Another possibility is newer versions of Netscape might be limited to AOL members. Then all other web viewers and ISP's (internet service providers) have to choose AOL or Microsoft IE when software in use today becomes obsolete. Another possibility is AOL may make web access free for viewers. Viewers would quit their local ISP and join AOL. High bandwidth viewing such as video on demand may cost special fees charged by the number of megabits of data sent. Low bandwidth viewing such as these text messages may be interrupted by pop-up ads embedded in the AOL-Netscape browser or commercial breaks showing Super Cuts hair salon ads.
I don't know why, but the people sure love to watch commercial TV and buy advertised products. I think people will want advertisers to pay for internet access so it can be seen for free. If longhairs avoid commercialism, longhairs may become a marginalized group of people who have no recognition or power.
Some reports say AOL and Netscape have different company cultures. If they go the way of commercial mass media and Blockbuster Video, maybe the Java developers working for AOL wont be allowed to have long hair. Then maybe longhairs will quit AOL, grow long hair and design and sell new web browsers.
Problem is that is the way things have gone all along, not that I like it but that is how it has happened before.
That is true, but the same could be said for Microsoft's IE, though I find too much of their own advertising on Microsoft's web site but usefull stuff too.
Yes, that is a distinct possibility but how to stop it?
Yes, true indeed. I guess most people fall for the adds.
The latest is that this guy left Sun and for a company developing Java-based enterprise resource planning applications and still has long hair.
Regards
Charles