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.

Twitter and the fast moving world

I've often been a person who picks up on new trends and at least gives them a go. I love new technology and am always fascinated with the way that people interact with them. I took papers on Sociology and Media when I was at university and this has always been a strong interest. The uptake of the mobile phone and the always changing landscape of cyberspace.
There has been a rise in social networking over recent years, I myself have Bebo, MySpace and Facebook profiles. I spend all my time on the latter and these days mostly ignore the other two. However the one new rise in online media and social networking as left me a little confused, but mostly disinterested.
Twitter, as far as I can tell, is just a bunch of status updates. Now I can see some benefits for celebrities, websites or other businesses. Twitter produces quick snippets of information to send out to people. But when it comes to my friends, frankly I don't care that much. I don't need constant updates on what they are doing, what they are thinking. I feel like we are becoming more and more disjointed as a society, despite this level of connectivity, as we don't take the time to really ENGAGE with other people. This is perhaps me being old and cynical (Early 20's and somehow I am made to feel old!) but I think we need to spend more time sitting around and talking to people. I'm sick of everything speeding up, quick updates, fast food, text messages. I hate that language is reducing to 'txt speak' where people don't bother to spell anything. Now I am a terrible speller, possibly worse at grammar, but I still think it is important that we communicate in standard English, reducing the language to text speak will surely lead to confusion. I remember a TV advert where a boy in a supermarket receives a text, "get chps" and he thinks "Chops, or Chips?", with people spending less time on the communication they put forward are they taking less time to think about the interpretation? With new media there isn't always a way to convey a tone of voice, and with so much information so accessible to many people how do you know that a joke between friends won't be misconstrued as something incredibly offensive by another friend. If we keep speeding up and reducing the communication surely we are simply going to loose an important level of interaction.
Of course perhaps it is progress and should not be so nostalgic for a time that was. Although I spend a lot of time on the internet and far too much time on facebook I like to take the time to really connect with my good friends, my favorite pastime is enjoying a meal with them. Sitting down and taking the time to have a meal, or a glass of wine, or a coffee and to really talk to my friends is so much more meaningful than 'cyber stalking' them. I like my facebook, it is a wonderful tool for connecting with my friends, an easy way to contact them since we are all addicted, and is diverse so we can share events and invites.
My opinion of Twitter is in the name, 'twitter' is just a bunch of background noise I don't really pay attention to.

Although with all my criticism of the new phenomenon I haven't bothered to create my own account and actually take the time to explore. Perhaps I will soon be drawn into the new 'it' thing. With all my interest in new mediums it is highly likely I will at some point have to join the masses and start 'twitting' my life.