There’s an old saying that I think about more and more as I study technology and its impact on behavior…technology changes, people don’t. But nowadays, I’m not so sure. I think technology is indeed changing and us along with it. Whether it’s through social networks or digital lifestyle products such as iPhones and Kindles, we are adapting and perhaps evolving as a result. Through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, we are learning to live our lives online,…
How Twitter is Changing: A new study reveals Twitter’s new direction
2010 will be forever commemorated as the year Twitter matured from a cool but undecided teenager into a more confident and assertive young adult. While there’s still much room to mature and develop, Twitter’s new direction is crystallizing. With a new look, Dick Costolo as the new CEO, and an oversold new advertising platform, Twitter is growing into something not yet fully identifiable, but formidable nonetheless. At a minimum, Twitter is an extension of each one of us. It feeds…
Who are All of These Tweeple?
Twitter is not a social network. While Facebook is the digital equivalent to your online residence, Twitter is your window to relevance, a network where individuals connect through fleeting interactions yet rooted in context and interaction. How we embrace and invest our persona in this paradigm says more about the future of digital culture and ourselves than we might imagine. And, it’s only increasing in its societal prevalence. – More than 100 million Tweets fly across Twitter every day. –…
Where and Why: An Unpublished Interview
Rather than let this interesting discussion sink to the cavernous depths of my inbox, I thought I’d share it with you here. 1. You’re known as a visionary of future media as well as a trendspotter… what drew you to this position? Not sure that they’re as much professions as they represent a labor of love. In the 90s and early 2000s, I focused all of my research and work on technology, understanding its impact on culture and consumer behavior…
Social “Me”dia and the Evolving Twitter Egosystem
There’s a saying, “technology changes, people don’t.” Yet, when we consider the impact of technology on our daily lives, some very interesting observations surface… A pen now feels awkward to hold and as such, our penmanship is deteriorating. It’s now common to sit at a dinner table with family and friends where some are actively communicating with others, listening to music or gaming via mobile devices. We are redefining the perception, boundaries and thresholds for privacy as we once knew…
Video: Media Consumption vs. Usage and the New Role of Digital Sociologists
In part three of a series of conversations discussing the state and future of social media with Chris Beck, founder of 26dottwo (@26dottwo), we review media consumption and usage and how in social networks, individuals are in control of defining their own experiences. As such, organizations are now required to study the cultures of each community in order to learn how to best establish a presence to equalize the dynamics of engagement. The idea of a digital sociologist is discussed…
Twitter Helps You Expand Your Social Nicheworks
Social networks are propelled by the connections, conversations, and gestures between active netizens. The success and vitality of each network is rooted in its capacity to expand social graphs and nurture communication and shared experiences. As such, Twitter announced a new feature to help you discover who to follow. The new “Suggestions for You” service is simple, but powerful. It not only introduces you to like-minded people, it empowers you to more effectively curate your connections and as such, your…
Once More, with Feeling: Making Sense of Social Media
I was recently asked at a communications and marketing conference for senior executives when Social Media would start to appeal to all senses including, vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. It was an interesting question and the first time that I had heard it in public. My response was that it is already in full effect. To go one step further, much of the work I’ve studied and also the focus of much of my own work fuses aspects of…
Facebook Connects 500 Million People: Defines a New Era of Digital Society
On July 22nd 2010, Facebook officially announced that it had surpassed 500 million users around the world. This significant achievement represents a significant milestone for Zuckerberg and Co. as well as for social networking and more importantly for global societies overall. To celebrate this achievement, Facebook released Facebook Stories, a new service to spotlight user stories from around the world and the impact Facebook has had on their lives. In Mark Zuckerberg’s words, “We’re launching a new application called Facebook…
I Tweet Therefore I Am
The fascination with Twitter has less to do with the number of users and everything to do with the ability to observe and study a notable online community of passionate short-form content creators and consumers. This is of course, not just any online community. Twitter is quickly becoming the lens into all that moves us as individuals and also as a global society. Twitter’s simplicity is part of its brilliance. The ability to interpret, analyze and in turn, predict behavior,…
