Despite the ongoing media hyperbole about startups, entrepreneurships and how these creative, disruptive businesses are going to change the everyday nature of our lives, it seems that we as a nation are extremely slow on the uptake of new technology and quite cynical about trying anything new.
Perhaps this is why there is a dearth in the tech press about the actual startups in general. A lot of the information circulated seems to concern industry gossip, trends and government schemes. Of course a few startups are mentioned - however, they seem to be ones that are already relatively successful, rather than those in their early days. Just as startups have to prove to investors that they have traction before they get investment, it seems that they've also got to prove themselves to the journalists too, who are generally not keen to go out on a limb when it comes to bigging up future successes.
I believe that ultimately this comes back to our fear of failure which so pervades every aspect of our national life. We seem to believe that it's easier to stick to what we know rather than take a risk. That it's easier to deride those who fail than venerate them for having the cojones to take on the challenge. It's why our American counterparts time and time again, seem to top us in energy, innovation and plain old enthusiasm.
So rather than having an excess of tech journalists who, talented as they are, seem to skim the surface when it comes to the true meat - the stories behind the many startups out there, what they're trying to achieve and encouraging people to adopt and give feedback as to their product - it could be more constructive to build an environment that focuses on the actual startups themselves and creating a landscape where they can potentially grow and prosper?