Mobile Behavior: an Omnicom Group Company

Social networking is all the rage. Unless you haven’t walked outside, turned on your TV or been visited by anyone in the past year, I’m not telling you something you don’t already know. Social networking and the act of broadcasting your life – or lifestreaming – to the larger online arena is nothing new, but it is gaining massive momentum and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

However, as we continue to come up with more “instant” vehicles of communication, the question I want answered is why? Why do people want to be connected all the time? Why do I want to tell 457 followers that I ate a turkey and mayo sandwich for lunch? There are countless studies dedicated to how social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are changing the evolutionary communication game and affecting everyone from my little sister to my elderly grandmother but few that have satiated my craving for the real reasons people share so much.

I understand the instant gratification of showing everyone how “cool” your life is – vacations to exotic places, your new baby, even how miserable “insert city/school/significant other” is. I get it. But it takes serious dedication to update your status on the regular, comment on your second cousin’s twice removed ex-wife’s videos and post photos of every activity you’ve been participating in – I mean, how else would everyone know that you were really there? Never mind that you probably had a great time documenting the experience instead of say, experiencing it? Why the sudden narcissism and obsession with everyone knowing how great we are?

Working in an industry that requires me to be on top of my social networking game, I learned of Twitter earlier than most of my friends and so I was often asked, “What’s this Twitter thing all about?” I’m sure I confused (and even angered some) people when I remarked that Twitter was essentially marketers talking to marketers. To some extent, I still believe that. At the advent of Twitter, PR professionals, advertising execs and marketers rushed in to flex their intelligence muscles, proving that they really “understood” the space by posting industry relevant links every hour, on the hour. It’s comical to think back because at that time, the creators of Twitter didn’t even understand the space they were creating, so how did anyone else?

The face of Twitter has radically changed and influenced society in ways that were never conceived at the start (Twitter Search: Iranian election conflicts), arguably for the betterment of the global community at large. I’m not at all suggesting that this isn’t a monumental breakthrough in the way that we source and consume information at a very high level – it certainly is – and I don’t think that’s the point of this article. I 100% agree that we should be using these avenues as a way to disseminate information that needs to be given a voice but my question is how do we differentiate between global crises and my friend’s drinking marathon last weekend? And why do we feel the need to share something so seemingly insignificant when so many actual issues are in play?

Clinical psychologist Oliver James recently wrote an article called, “I Tweet, Therefore I Am.” In his piece he states that “Twittering stems from a lack of identity.” Though I think this is a harsh statement, and one that I’m sure those engulfed in the Iranian conflict would strongly disagree with, it does help shed light on why some people feel enamored to share everything. We’ve already learned that the computer is a great barrier wall in which people feel comfortable saying and doing things that they would never actually say or do in real life.

For this same reason, I have a theory that people post photos and update their statuses to reflect a type of self-made image of their perfect selves – in other words, who they wish they could be in real-life. Whereas I may not tell everyone I come across that I went to a music festival, if they see if my Facebook photos or Twitter updates, I am now the type of person that "goes to music festivals.” Social networks allow us to become exactly who we wish we could be all the time with no slip-ups or explanations. This is why documenting the experience becomes just as much – if not more –important than actually being in the moment and experiencing whatever it is you may be experiencing and also why status updates are often times marked by wit, provocative thought, etc. In a global and mobile “always on” atmosphere where everyone is clamoring to define themselves from everyone else, social networks play an important role in creating an everlasting, if not sometimes misleading, identity.

Think about this for a minute and answer honestly: Why do you participate in social networks?

- Andrea Duchon

• Camera phones that don’t “click” when pictures are taken might be banned in the US [Unwired View] - Right now, there's a proposal in congress against camera phones that don't "click." The congresswoman who proposed the measure claims that it will prevent surreptitious picture taking, but you could probably launch an equally legitimate argument that it will assault collective sanity. Imagine Obama at the Youth Ball and the sound of hundreds of clicks, snaps, whistles and other equally obnoxious presets. She seems to have forgotten that people have at least two senses that can detect camera use, the other being the eyes. Will there be a mandate that click volume needs to be all the way up as well? That's great, because we love hearing blaring midi renditions of Rondo Alla Turca when someone not privy to ringtone adjustment gets a call.
• Nielsen: CBS, NBC Shows Resonate Via Handhelds [MediaWeek] - Who says mobile users will only watch 30 seconds of video on their phones? Sure, mobile is usually seen as a mediator of on-the-go consumption, but with phones becoming increasingly glued to our hips, we're now ready and willing to receive content from them anywhere, for longer durations of time. For example, of the 1.8 million downloads recently reported by NBC, 1.3 were full shows like Heroes and Lipstick Jungle. Of course, that doesn't mean there is less of an appetite for clips and this is just referring to NBC, whose bread and butter is full-form entertainment, but it is suggests a need for TV execs and content providers alike to be flexible in order to assuage consumer appetite.
• Smartphones Provide Extra Mana for Mobile Games Industry [Cellular News] - It shouldn't be surprising that the advent of ultra-consumer-friendly phones, such as the iPhone, were a huge boon to the gaming industry. According to comScore, the number of people downloading mobile games grew by 17 percent between Nov. '07 and Nov. '08. The game Light Bike by itself is proof that games rock harder on touchscreens. (No offense BlackBerry Bold because you're cool too.)
• SpeedDate iPhone app makes love search faster [CNET] - It seems like there's an iPhone app for almost everything these days. And speed dating is no longer an exception. It's pretty basic, but you can be sure the idea, if not this specific app, will be expanded upon. It just makes too much sense. You won't be able to do much at this point and, unless you love the "Poke" feature on Facebook, this might not really be your thing, but it is worthy of a moment's reflection ... or perhaps a lifetime of love?
• Dell Starts Offering Exclusive Discounts Through Twitter [Tech Crunch] - How do you get people to follow you on Twitter? Offer them something in return, of course. Assuming you can't offer a steady stream of insightful commentary and classic music videos, what's the next best thing? For Dell, it's a deal. Twitter.com/Direct2Dell is offering its followers exclusive deals via tweet. You can bet there will be more of this, and though the online giveaway concept isn't really new - doing it on Twitter, breathes new life.
• Nokia Wants to Track Your Location Everywhere [Fast Company] - Ever gotten lost indoors? Sure, apps like Loopt, Yelp, etc. are great for finding places, but what happens once you're inside? You're on your own, kid, but that may soon be changing. Nokia is working on a system that would use "existing infrastructure" to triangulate position inside places such as airports, shopping malls and more. Basically, you will get an indoor map - like the maps they hand out at Disneyland - only easier to use and more accurate.
• Sweetness: Jimmy Eat World Uses Twitter For Concert-Specific Chats [Tech Crunch] - One of the last few remaining bands that fit under the "Emo" flag before it stood for boys in skinny jeans  with shaggy haircuts, Jimmy Eat World, continues to prove how not-lame they are by bringing some Twitter magic to fans. Want to talk about the Jimmy Eat World concert taking place next week? "Tweet @jimmyeatworld #YYYYMMDD (where YYYYMMDD is the date of the show)." This will take you to a forum that corresponds to that specific show. Now go buy tickets!
• Toshiba TG01: Hands-on photo fest! [Electricpig] - Toshiba makes touchscreens? Televisions: yes. Camcorders: yes. Laptops: Yes. Smarthphones: huh? And yet here we have, not just some paper weight with a shiny screen, but a touchscreen smartphone looking hotter than a team mascot in Death Valley. Looks are one thing and function another, but one thing is for sure: this little beauty is turning some heads.
• Hi5 Launching Integrated Social Flash Games Today [Inside Social Games] - Hi5, the biggest social networking site you've probably never used (60 million strong) just announced "hi5 Games," an online arcade setup much like Shockwave or Coffee Break Arcade. What's unique is how the arcade is being integrated into the hi5 site and, in some ways, the simple fact that it is. You can play games on Facebook, but you have to find them if they're not being advertised. By creating a consolidated destination for gameplay, hi5 helps you along the path to (a) deciding you want to play a game and (b) finding one to play. And online gaming is big business - pogo.com gets almost 10 million visits a month! It's good for the tens of millions that call hi5 home, but it's also good for advertisers looking to reach them.