One of the fun things about being involved with Social Media is being in a community that usually has jargon and buzzwords being thrown around in manners that could make you think they are industry trends or possibly the latest cocktail to order at the most upscale bar! Today I heard one of these said terms and had to share. Ambient Social Networking. What is it? Well, before continuing, I suggest you read this to familiarize yourself.
Highlight, a new application that says it is "a fun way to learn more about the people around you" is the focus of this article and after just a short time reading it, it's easy to come away inspired, and thinking about what may be in the not so distant future. It's also easy to be pretty concerned, and quick!
Now, essentially what Highlight, or this "Ambient Social Networking" is suggesting is good for us (and more importantly, that there is a market for) is an app running all the time, and by proximity, will use GPS to let you know when you are near another user you may know, have a connection with, or have something in common.
This is both extremely interesting if you are a people person and totally terrifying if you are not. Let's face it, most of us heavily involved with social media are social butterflies and have little issues with public displays of self. However, as a lover of odd things, like having more professional wrestling trivia locked in my brain than most people I've met, it would be a bit awkward to start up a conversation with someone, after having been alerted by Highlight, and saying, "Hi, excuse me, I see you are using Highlight, it just alerted me that you were nearby and were a huge CM Punk fan, me too! I'm Scott..." See, just seems odd.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for sharing the intricacies that make us unique, but I'm not sure I want anyone randomly capable of coming up to me anywhere I may be and starting the conversation off like that... I mean, I may be with my boss who could think professional wrestling is deplorable, and he has no idea I like it... and this is a tame scenario!
The term itself though , Ambient Social Networking, opens up possibilities, aside from what Highlight brings. Imagine if you will, in a land far, far away, where the machines can tell us who we are near, what they like, if they are single and maybe even compatible. A world where we know who roots for the Yankees or the Sox even if they aren't sporting the colors, or where you can simply be alerted that hey, the person you met last night who you thought was really interesting is 3 blocks away.
See, all this time we've been concerned from Hollywood scripts and science fiction writer's dreams, that the government was going to tag us someday, track us, follow where we've been. Meanwhile, as we've been worrying, the cell phone companies have accomplished it, and what more, with the advent of Facebook and others, we jumped off the cliff willingly!
I've seen movies like this... and they usually end with machines having to be destroyed and the Human spirit having to take control again. However, we never do get to see the ride on the way to this destination in those movies, and from what I've learned in life, the journey is more important than the destination. Perhaps if we are careful along the way, the destination may not be that bad at all! At least, that's what my friend Skynet tells me.
What do you think of Ambient Social Networking? If the data is out there, is it a good thing to serve it up this quickly, and if done so, can it bring value to your life? So far, we have only touched on personal items, but think of the endless possibilities for businesses to see their clients coming into their store on an app like this, know what they like and direct their purchasing habits to the right products!
I like to think of this as Indirectly being Direct. Using data to influence without making waves so that the boat knows not where you are pushing it. And yes, even for someone who loves adopting early and seeing the brighter side of the possibilities, it can scare the dickens out of you.... but I'm sure Highlight may have already told you that when it said I was right around the corner anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment