There is a great debate going on here and here and here with a follow up here between Doc Searls, David Weinberger and Dave Rogers.

Dave is refuting the core thesis of the Cluetrain Manifesto, "Markets are Conversations" and he makes sense, but I've had this argument with others. We all have different experiences with 'the marketplace' and we all have our own motivations to buy. "Markets are conversations" just brings a more human perspective to the transaction, in my opinion, and I want to be treated as a human. Thus, following the golden rule of 'do unto others', I will also treat customers like humans as well.

While drifting off on Saturday night, my family watched 'Goodwill Hunting' again. Robin Williams plays the shrink who finally gets to Will through making a connection to him rather than through maintaining a patient/doctor hierarchy. In the analogy, some customers and transactions require hierarchy (like David mentions here: There is, of course, also a place for frictionless transactions. The Net has many mansions, and in some of them there's no talking allowed.), but more and more are enjoying the empowerment this conversation driven market is giving them.

I don't know about the history, but what is happening right now is that the clutter of the marketplace is being navigated quite naturally by individuals and those individuals are demanding more and more often to be recognized as the unique people they are. Even if they are spending their money on mass market products.