The Evolution of Social Media Technology

One aspect of social media that is fascinating is the many different ways that people access the social media outlets. Social media tools such as Facebook can be accessed from computers, cell phones, and more recently tablets. The way that people access social media is directly related to how it is used. As new points of access emerge for social media tools, the way they are used is evolving to suit. For example, once Facebook was available in app form on cell phones, people started to use it more frequently with things like mobile uploads and "checking in."

Tablets are the platform for the newest evolution of social media applications. While tablets are an odd tool that fall somewhere in between laptop computers and cell phones, they are evidence that we are seeking tools that can serve many functions (like a computer) while maintaining portability (like a cell phone). Further evidence of this desire, the link below demonstrates one example of a tool that may move us a step closer in this direction in the near future:

http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/the-internet-as-an-extension-of-self-2009026/

One of the developments I find most interesting that comes along with the ways that we interact with social media and new technologies is the way that younger generations use and understand them. This NY Times article speaks to this point:


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/weekinreview/10stone.html

This is something that I've experienced in my own life with my youngest sister. I've watched her grow up in a way that she is very dependent on the technologies that she uses every day. It seems to me that instead of learning information, she instead is learning how to access information. GPSs are a perfect example of this because instead of learning how to get somewhere, we learn how to depend on technology to get us where we need to go. Similarly, instead of learning history in a more traditional way my sister is learning how to use the technology around her to access the information she needs. While I believe this is a good development, and that ultimately my sister is benefiting from having a wealth of knowledge so easily available to her, it is still unsettling because of the way that she is rarely without a phone tablet or computer within reach.

Some social media tools are even marketing themselves with the ways they can be used in interacting with younger generations. Here is an example from Google: