The invisible web that binds
social networking June 3rd. 2008, 2:30amThought for the day:
Invisible webs surround us all. These webs link us in ways we can see and ways that we can’t. It would be useful if we had the proverbial social graph available to us at all times so we could detect any relationship that we might have to people we’ve never met, while finding out more about them at the same time.
The advantages:
- Ways to connect with people in advance, to make greetings less awkward and more profitable.
- Avoid making stupid social errors.
The drawbacks:
- Loss of privacy and security - we don’t always want to know everyone that we meet.
- Loss of mystery, unpredictability, and the sense of discovery.
This functionality can be approximated today, but not reliably.
Do you think its time will come? Will it be a good thing or a bad thing?
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June 3rd, 2008 at 4:01 am
I think the existing “social graph” will improve and maybe with the ubiquity of mobile devices we’ll just have better access to it rather than the big brother style knowledge of what a person does. Civil rights activists would have a field day with this argument.
Check out Take time out - gain perspective. from Colin Walker
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:22 am
@Colin - unfortunately every time I try to develop this idea further it smacks of Big Brother and control. Maybe it’s better suited on a voluntary basis at things like large conferences, conventions or workshops, but not outside of those settings.