It didn't, but it did

"Working from home" didn't take off. But now it does.

That's according to a Computer Sweden article reporting a heavy increase in VPN sales.

Apart from the remarkable lack of evidence in the article of such a development, it's a rather funny view of diffusion, isn't it?

1. Everbody expect something to happen.
2. It happens, but not to that extent people were expecting
3. Not much more is happening
4. Now it's happening again

It's like if the Wright brothers would say: We did fly. But not more than 500 yards. Let's sit down and wait until there are some real airplanes on the market that people really can make som use of. And hey, look Orville! Now I see one!

The truth is of course, everything that finally will turn out as common use is happening when people think nothing  happens, that is number 3. Number 4 may sometimes (but not in this case) be what we know as "the tipping point". The problem for media is that in their perspective number 3 means nothing. In journalism the development is viewed from a news perspective:

1. People say things will happen
2. Now I've found som tiny evidence
3. There's nothing more to tell
4. Now it is - it's happening again!

Conclusion: journalists are lousy diffusion experts as journalism doesn't pay attention to gradually changes. They want big news. And big news means big changes, which almost never happen, at least not in a pace that is exciting enough to write about.