Social networking on the move

I just heard that Vodafone has signed up for Bebo's open mobile. Basically you can interact with bebo via a shortcode sms service and allows the use of Bebo more seamlessly through handsets.
Interesting because I already know of people who have that little mobile Bebo sign next to messages. I assume this has come from the same system as the m.facebook.com which allows access to facebook via a 3G phone, using the basic web surfing function.
I can't help but think there is something very lucrative for Vodafone here though, using a mobile friendly page is a bit different to sending out a text message, these will incur very different charges, at the cost of 20c a text message Bebo addicts could be racking up a tidy profit for Vodafone as they update status'. Handy for uploading photos but Vodafones data plans might be more useful for sending messages, at $1 for 10Mb it might be cheaper than sending out shortcode sms.

Personally I haven't been a big fan of using my phone for the many different uses they now offer but I can see that phones are becoming more and more like little PCs and the connectivity of society is becoming more fluid. I have used my phone to check my facebook on occasion. I think the connection of social media with mobile devices to be an important step in the way we interact with these sites. Already I see Facebook as a major source of communication with my peer group, it allows me to communicate information to all my friends, some of them or just one. It allows me to create events, join groups and interact with people I don't know or people I haven't spoken to in years. Having access to social media through my phone also allows me to keep on top on this information when I'm out and about, this can be especially useful when trying to organise a group of people. We are using these social network sites as the main interaction with our peer group, taking this outside of the realm of our homes and making accessible everywhere will possibly only grow the phenomenon as more people pick up on mobile technology.

Of course I think there is a flip side to the relentless connectivity of our modern world and that switching off can become more and more difficult, the interaction with these sites can often be called an addiction. We all love the pet name 'crackbook' for the beloved social website. I think this comes from that basic social desire of humans and of wanting to be 'in the loop' we feel if we don't keep up with the connections everyone else is making then we will get left behind and left out. If you don't accept the friend request on the virtual realm you may loose that friend in real life. Of course some people seem to take it a step to far, I don't know how people maintain over a thousand 'friendships'.
The way we interact with our friends is changing drastically, I know for myself and my peer groups it is the most common way to interact with people. Sometimes you get messages from people who's opinion you couldn't care less about but it is the way we get most of our information about our friends. This has changed considerably since I was in high school. I think at least in part because of the nature of the world I navigate now, I no longer see my friends on a daily basis and thus need to utilize other means to keep in contact and updated on their lives. But we all know high school students now are big fans of social media, more often Bebo for the younger set, but even after seeing their friends all day social networking sites allow them to interact on new levels, we can send links, 'gifts' share our photos and personal life to our friends, and strangers also.
Now we can do everything on the move, something twitter has already proven a successful format, it's inception based on microblogging on the move.

We have an interesting fascination with technology and communication, there is a fine line between our public and private life that never existed before. It is exciting but also scary. I think it can be a fabulous thing that we are able to access social networking sites from our phones, it brings us closer to our obsession with these sites but will hopefully also increase our real friendships through connectivity.

There is one problem that will possibly rise with this new inception. Most people around my age group will have noticed as mobile phones have become more popular there has been an increase in drunk texts and phone calls that we later regret. Now when you wake up with a hangover you may also regret those photos you uploaded to Bebo and you status update that seemed like such a great idea at the time. Will be interesting to see how mobile's will shape the future of social networking sites.