Editorial Articles

Social networks are enormous and they are still growing. In the UK, more people have a Facebook profile than own a dog. 

Even in the last year, however, there has been a seismic shift in the way these networks are being used. From Obama’s use of social networks to record and display “town hall” meetings to the use of Twitter and Facebook by opposition leaders in Iran, all social platforms are moving towards ‘real time’ – the immediate publication and distribution of information – as never before.

This desire and demand for instant information is also changing the way in which people access social spaces.

Mobile platforms are now taking precedence over the PC, with technology advances through the likes of iPhone, Android and the Blackberry allowing a much fuller web experience.

If I am on the train, I can be tweeting; if I see something funny, it can be filmed and on Youtube in seconds. This type of access to real time publishing is only just starting to be explored and has some serious ramifications for a number of industries.

Newspapers and broadcasters are already seeing the affects with Youtube video and tweets driving mainstream news coverage more and more. Much of the news of the aftermath of the Iranian election was driven by real time social media platforms. But it also presents competition: there were tweets confirming Michael Jackson’s death over an hour before any news sites had confirmation.

As mobiles get more powerful, the ability for any member of the public to capture news and post it in real time increases dramatically and by using social media tools to spread this news, mainstream media has a serious rival.

But away from news, there are other uses for social and mobile. Take retail for instance.

Products such as Shop Savvy and Save Benjis allow mobile phone users to go into a retail store, scan the bar code of a product and then in real time check for online prices of that product as well as access user reviews and feedback for the same item.

So not only does the retail store have to compete with potentially lower costs on the internet but now, if a hundred other Facebook users don’t like the product, the purchaser will know all about it - instantly.

Music is another massive area for social mobile. In Europe, Spotify is working out the details of its streaming music service for mobiles. This system will not only allow you to stream music to your phone, but also to share your favourites, your playlists and your comments on the music – a bit like Myspace for mobile but with more music.

So what does the future hold for Social mobile?

Firstly: More users – about a billion more in the next 5 years. That means the size of the internet is going to double almost entirely due to Mobile.

Secondly and more importantly: Mobile offers social platforms location-based functionality. From the smart stadium project (news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8161359.stm), which links friends at seated events not sitting together, allowing them to still chat about the on-field action, through to Next2Friends (www.appappeal.com/app/next2friends), which helps users of web-supported mobile phones to generate videos and photos on the go and share them with friends, projects, platforms and applications are already being developed to harness everything mobile can offer social media.

So what’s the advice to business?

Simple. Don’t get caught up with the technology. A good idea is a good idea. New technologies and platforms, be they social mobile or anything, should be an extension of a campaign, not the campaign itself.

Author: Joe Hughes, Research and Insight Manager, Yomego