But what does our interest in these particular services tell us about ourselves, right now?
Some thoughts:
1. We want to be local, not global. Small is beautiful, and a digital backfence like Facebook's status updates or twitter, has irresistible appeal.
2. Local is a state of mind. My new best friend, who I met in December, lives in New York; most of our friendship is bites and bytes, but she's my can I borrow a cup of sugar/do I look fat in the dress pal. (In other words, tech powers connections--powerfully.)
3. Reality TV is us. Who needs Survivor? The relationship status changes on FB have their own small drama--and are the equivalent of telling the town crier you're now married/separated or whatever.--And this is true for many social nets.
4. EM Foster wasn't the only one who yearned to "Only connect." Everyone with 530 friends on any social network is demonstrating both a yearning for community and their talent for getting a sash full of Boy Scout (or Girl Scout) merit badges.
5. It's all about the people, still, not about the brands. The fickleness and the endurance of switching costs suggest, that no matter what guys who like to gather for dinner chat and then name names and blog about it afterward say a universal ID isn't yet mandatory--too many people are still discovering the thrill of digital identity sharing via FB, twitter, flickr and so on.
6. People are learning their own power. PopSugar, FM, and other ad networks were first, but niche and community ad networks will abound--and the bloggers and creators will drive the terms once the first wave passes...communities (and content) that can't be commoditized have high value--and people are seeing that.
7. Forget Starbucks, the third place is digital. Got 5 minutes? Need a break? That place you like to go is probably right on your screen.
8. Passive versus active still matters--but you can drive behavior. Remember those rules about people who watched TV rather than posted in online forums? It's still that case that most people are reluctant to write, slow to put themselves out there, and cautious about privacy and sharing. BUT--smart networks like FB model behavior and get that lagging 80% to do more that they ever did before, raising the bar on all network/community activity.
9. Stories rule. Aren't celebrities royalty? And don't we all love their fairy tales? And aren't we all busy creating a few of our own? No, more than a few....with magic tools.
10. Technology teaches possibility. It's true that Facebook is a fad, as are the other hot sites of the moment--but it's also true that the big rush onto Facebook tells us more about what users want--and about how particular behaviors, once established, seek to find a home. Create that home, power that home, and babe, you win.
Bonus point: Having fun now? Wait till it all truly moves to your phone aka hand-held device.
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