The Masses Ruin EVERYTHING.

Jeremiah Owyang noted in a Twitter on Friday that all kinds of people were at the Web 2.0 Expo this week, not just "the cool kids." A-hem. That's why some of us didn't go....

It's not so much a snobby cool thing though as it is an early adopter v. bandwagon, LOOK-ME-TOO!!!! thing. Similarly Scoble drew a Web 2.0 line in the sand Friday when he said anyone who joined Twitter after Friday was officially not an early adopter anymore and hence, not worth following. (Perhaps Scoble is just exhausted with 20,000+ followers and people he's following. I know I would be! I already got an unexpected phone bill this month thanks to Twitter. Somehow I *wasn't* on an unlimited text plan. Ouch.)

I'm thinking something similar has happened with the fun geek Guitar Hero/Rock Band subculture. Or not so much subculture as just ubiquity. My issue isn't that it's everywhere. I think that part is awesome. It gives us all a shared consciousness when, say, One by Metallica comes on in bar. We're all thinking about that part it the song when it goes nuts and you've just got to hang onto your axe for dear life and hope you don't get booed off stage. There are so many notes you know if you make it, you're getting at least a 100,000+ score. (Am I right, geeks?)

My issue is that it seems to have gone from the pass time at startups (or Yahoo green rooms) or the drunken pass time at casual dinner parties to the check box on any big, 111-Minna-style startup party. Really? We have to PROVE we are that Web-twenty these days? "LOOK WE HAVE ROCK BAND AT OUR PARTY!" ugh.

Way to ruin a good thing, Web Twenty late-comers.