Updated 15 Feb, 2012, 10:20 am IST

Mobile Social Networking

27 Jun, 2009, 3:00 pm IST | Shayne Rana

Social Networking via Mobile is convenient for anytime anywhere updates, it's the new norm.

Today, in this the 21st Century, our social lives have been thoroughly extended into the digital realm of cyber space. Sure we still have to socialize... once in a awhile, to have a more personal feel but these days it’s the Social Networker that probably get’s more ‘brownie’ points than those able to reach a real live physically ‘visible’ audience. In my opinion it’s becoming a rather impersonal way of communication and I’d rather go out and meet people instead of sending messages or notes, or ‘Posting’ on walls etc. What exactly did we do before the Social Networks came around?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against it, in fact I do believe that it is an easier way to reach out to a wider audience. To reach out to someone in as distant a place that we may never ever get to see in our life time is a brilliant thing, to share ideas, cultures and even take stands on important issues as well as the more mundane things as informing the whole world that you’re in the bathroom taking a pee at any given point of time.

The mobile handset is of course THE communication tool for this age and I don’t see that changing in any other future age either. Naturally we want to interact with the one device we would most likely have at all points in time as much as we would our PCs and with GPRS, WAP and the hopefully soon to be available 3G, the mobile Social Networker is now absolutely free to update and keep control of his or her cyber lifestyle and social life as they would in the real world.

To make things even more convenient, mobile manufactures are tying up with Social Networking sites and companies to better promote and market handsets as a new age Social Networking tool. “Access Facebook from your XXXX handset while on the go.” Or “Update your Twitter account with the new XXXX mobile phone.” These or something similar to these captions are the new marketing norm for mobile phones and they work. From Facebook and Twitter to Flickr, Orkut, MySpace or LinkedIn dedicated applications are available for download onto your handset so you don’t miss a beat while staying in touch with your online life anytime, anywhere. These sites are also made easier to access via your handset’s browser and developed to suit the mobile screen.

But Social Networking isn’t just fun and games; it’s also a serious means of self promotion as well as promoting ones views and beliefs without prejudice. It’s a free and open forum to share your thoughts and ideas on world or local events. The integration of these facilities onto a mobile handset makes it so much easier to be in touch with friends, family, colleagues and even work through a very simple means of communication with a vast potential.

The mobile handset also allows you access to real-time contact with peers via chat applications like Fring and Nimbuzz. These app ties into multiple sites like Google for Gtalk, Skype for video chats, Yahoo! and MSN for their respective messengers as well. This way you’re always available on all fronts. I’m not sure that’s a always a good thing though. �

However, since this is a space for free expression, it’s important that we use it responsibly.