Today I came across a relatively new (month-old) feature in Facebook Messenger: you can hail an Uber from within the app. Both Facebook and Uber act as (and have aspirations to be) interesting “front door” or “gateway” apps. For instance, for more and more people Facebook is not a page on the World Wide Web: it is the Web. All browsing starts in Facebook. Similarly, Uber has aspirations to be the first thing people think of when they want to move themselves around in a place.
Both of these “front door” functions actually are about reducing hassle, or friction. It is a hassle to find links to visit. It is a hassle to get in a car, drive yourself to a place, and park. Facebook and Uber remove those hassles (or intend to).
This frictionless society has been building inexorably, and it is interesting to think about its timeline and to reflect at how different the world has become and is becoming.
In thinking about this timeline, it is possible to start as early as 1969 when Arpanet was created, or 1989 when AOL was launched, or 1991 when the first Web page was published (actually that link points to a replica).
But instead I am thinking about the efforts and effects of major companies. Depending on your viewpoint, this could be a dystopic history or the description of a pathway to an easier lifestyle — or it could be both.
In any event, think about it:
- Amazon (buying things) established 1994
- craigslist (local want-ad stuff) established 1995
- Wells Fargo Web banking established 1995
- Peapod (groceries) established 1996
- Google (searching) established 1998
- PayPal (paying people) established 1998
- Wikipedia (knowledge) established 2001
- iTunes (digital music) invented 2001
- Gmail (best email) launched 2004
- Facebook (social community) established 2004
- YouTube (video) established 2005
- Google Maps (wayfinding) launched 2005
- Twitter launched 2006
- Apple TV launched 2006
- Hulu (broadcast TV) established 2007
- iPhone launched 2007
- Spotify (even easier music) established 2008
- Uber (transportation) established 2009
Just the above list does not do justice to the massive dislocation that a handful of these companies have created. Just think about how altogether possible it is to:
- Buy everything you need through Amazon (groceries through local delivery service like Peapod)
- Maintain connected to community, communicate, and learn about news through Facebook
- Pay all bills through web banking
- Listen to any music you want through Spotify
- Watch any filmed entertainment (TV shows or movies) through Apple TV
- Get around using Uber
- Find people to do housework through craigslist and pay them through PayPal
Each of these services is attempting to create a total “front door” ecosystem, and they have to varying degrees created footholds among and between each other (Facebook + Uber for example).
What else is ripe to become more frictionless? Making objects (3d printing)? Learning (Lynda)? Remembering things (Evernote)?
Brad Rourke's Blog 