Social Networking Unleashed

How will social networking be turned around by corporations and government 
to their advantage? Right now, 2010, industry is 'flustered' about how to 
use it and how it is affecting their business while the public is shouting 
their victory with some of the tools brandished about.

Broadly I'm afraid you know what happens. Corporations and then government 
is going to turn social networking around into a control mechanism. A 
mechanism more powerful than anything we've ever seen before because we, 
the average consumer, can't comprehend it fully. Instead we want to be 
hip.

That's how technology is converted by government and industry to be used 
to their advantage. The glitz is flashed and then the confused public is 
told to look at their right hand while the left hand charges just a little 
more of their hard earned money. The public is awash in all the 
possibilities, all the glitz and glamour they look at and are convinced 
they desire, and the companies or agencies move ahead and charge a fee or 
pass a law. The damon of social networking has been unleashed on the 
public and I fear they won't know what hit them.

You know, right now, individuals are winning the war. This is really cool. 
There's the guitar player who performed one of the most spectacular coos 
in history by focusing the attention of ten million consumers on an 
airline. Then there are the 50,000 people who claimed interest in the Ford 
Focus because of a YouTube give-a-way. Imagination runs wild as the future 
average Joe may be checking into a hotel with a pre-leaked rumor that he 
will inform his/her 10,000 friends on FaceBook about the service. The 
question is: how long will industry allow this to happen and when they do 
finally reign it in, how much will it cost us? Worse yet, what freedom 
will we give up as government figures out their piece of the puzzle. 
History repeats itself. Don't let vanity and pride get in your way oh 
mighty consumer. Instead fortify your position with your knew found 
reserves and save up for the future. Industry is doing that right now. But 
then again, I'm just a Ludite.

I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but proceed with caution 
people and industry. Power still rules, and needs still reign supreme. 
Don't forget, those glitz and glamour people always sell out to the 
highest bidder.

The first casualty of social networking is privacy. Also I'm seeing 
Internet traffic way down as people spend more time on fewer sites. Plus 
I'm concerned about the lack of creativity as options are designed by the 
media sites and not the consumer. All the sites look the same. Also what 
about the quality of information and research as less effort is put into 
getting the facts. But hey! There's still PhotoShop and Audacity. We might 
see some good things as the flock of humans generates content in unison. 

kb
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