Seven year itch for social media?

By Billie Andersen

Social networking and technology, such as mobile and computers, are very much an item these days but it’s still not clear exactly who ‘wears the trousers’ in this passionate relationship. The rise in popularity of social networking is fundamentally changing the development of technology. But in its turn, emerging technologies are continuing to shape the ways in which we communicate and use social networking.

According to a report by Pew Internet and American Life Project released in Feb 2010, more than half of all internet users use a mobile, wireless connection, such as a laptop or mobile phone. Wireless internet is higher amongst younger age brackets, including laptops slowly replacing desktops and mobile internet use increasing rapidly through the use of smart phones.

Microsoft’s KIN phones, now launching in the US, were built specifically to embrace the use of social networking in the real world. KIN phone functionality includes functionality that is specifically targeted at social networking, for example enabling users to post photos and video directly from the phone which are location tagged to create automatic online multimedia ‘journals’. Apple isn’t sitting still though and has also filed a patent for an app that uses geographic location to form a network where people can broadcast information in real time. It’s a formidable trend – any source of information on a phone including calendars and address books can and will be used to direct location-based services and information. Popular applications such as Foursquare are already out there proving the concept.

It’s increasingly common for people to maintain multiple profiles across multiple social sites. According to that Pew report, it is actually adults that are increasingly fragmenting their social identities across networking sites, with 52% of US adults admitting that they had at least two different profiles. These identities are still differentiated by age group to some extent (more adults have a linked in profile, for example), but those under and over 30 are equally likely to have a Facebook profile.

A recent Forrester report strengthened the argument that mobiles would prove to be the key to unlocking the full potential of social technologies by bring together these different identities under a single, portable, universal social ID. Forrester argued that mobile devices are ideal tools for freeing the digital social environment from computers and integrating it into the real world, providing immediacy, simplicity and contextuality.

It is worthwhile raising a few questions amid all this excitement about mobile as a panacea for digital social integration. Firstly, will everybody really welcome a universal social ID? Many people still value a degree of separation between the individual identities they have created online, between for example, their personal profile (Facebook) and professional profile (LinkedIn). This possibility of segregation will need to be considered as part of any enticing universal solution.

Also, is the idea of moving away from computers in favour of phones really be attractive for everybody? Will mobile devices be everyone’s preferred device for engaging with social networks? Certainly the experience with phones is improving with bigger screens and slicker apps, but there may still be some things that the phone cannot offer. Many mobile social networking apps continue to deliver reduced functionality when compared to the desktop while payment models are often more complex. It’s true that mobile is more convenient for people when they are out and about, but the same people at home or at work might find computer access more convenient and seamlessly integrated with their other activities.

The relationship between social networking and technology hasn’t settled down into a solid mutual commitment quite yet. There are still a few ground rules that need to be laid down, incompatibilities that need working on and annoying habits that need ironing out on both sides. Still, like any evolving relationship, it will be compelling to see how things progress between technology and the social landscape in the years ahead…

This article was written as part of our April newsletter