> And so, every few weeks it seems, we get these posts from some techie who believes that his (it's always a man) experiences with social media are universal.
On the other hand, technical people are like rats. They're the first to pile on to fresh meat (there was even a prominent website by this name...), and they're the first to flee when the place is burning down.
Your argument made sense in the years past where there only were technical people on the internet. But now it is less so. People are comfortable making their own choices on the internet and don't need the recommendations or advice of technical people like they did it in the past.
Look at the success of Pinterest or Instagram for example. Neither grew because of technical people.
Dating the smartphone revolution at anytime before the first iPhone is disingenuous and you know it. Even then, the bulk of Internet-using smartphone users were tech heads.
On the other hand, technical people are like rats. They're the first to pile on to fresh meat (there was even a prominent website by this name...), and they're the first to flee when the place is burning down.