re:Social Networking and Mobile Devices

A couple of nights ago I attended a seminar on social networking.  Specifically, this presentation was given to mostly smaller mom-and-pop shops (interior designers, builders, landscape companies, and others in the building industry).  And, while I was skeptical, Dan McCarthy did a very nice job of presenting social networking principles and data to support why business owners and marketers should take note.

Yesterday (and again today), I sat through presentations regarding mobile devices; their growing prevalence, and how the constraints of the devices themselves change the way we think about the data/content we access on them.  Even more provoking was the notion that expectations on mobile devices may drive similar expectations on the internet.

The Mash-up Generation.

The presenter goes on to speculate that there is a growing gap between those who interface with the internet through Google (or another search engine) and those who have created personalized, context-sensitive experiences on the internet.

And I’m fascinated.  What does this shift meant to Google?  What does it mean when we use SmartPhones more and more on the internet (and through applications)?  What does it mean when the mobile carriers have extensive information about our habits – who we are, where we are, what we purchase, what we shop, where we surf, and so on?  Will marketers use our behaviors against us?   Will they bombard us with ads and recommendations and blah blah blah?

I am fascinated, but a little uneasy.  Why can’t we “walk freely” through our world?  Why do we have to accept that we will forever be watched?

Sorta sounds like a style of government.  And I ain’t diggin’ it.