As we careen headlong into an uncertain 2012—a year which could, according to some, bring about the end of the world or, at the very least, give rise to more of those cool gadgets we can’t seem to get enough of—the phenomenon of social media continues to grow exponentially like some enormous mutant beanstalk on steroids. But where is it all headed? And once we get there, will we even know why?
The short answer is “we don’t know.” The long answer is “weee… dooon’t… knooow.” Consider the humble cave man. We’ll call him ‘Og’ (although his real name was probably something closer to ‘Snorts-While-Chomping-On-Mammoth-Ribs’). There he was, hunting and gathering much like his fellow cavemen in a state of Neanderthal bliss, confident that his existence tomorrow would be virtually identical to his existence today, as it probably would for the rest of his life (barring the quite likely scenarios of being eaten by a sabertooth cat or killed in an epic battle with a rival tribe).
One fine Pleistocene day, a fellow tribesman taps Og on the shoulder, or kicks him in the shin (the traditional Neanderthal afternoon greeting) and motions him to come over and check out what he’s done on the wall of his cave. There, on the bare stone in the dim firelight, a crude image of last week’s mammoth hunt greets Og’s tired old eyes (by the way, Og is 34 and already qualifies for Medicave). He stares in absolute awe as the memories and sensations of nearly being trampled by the gargantuan beast come flooding back to him in a tidal wave of emotion. Mind. Blown.
Fast-forward to 2012. Or, as I like to call it, the Sociomobilmediamania Era. No longer compelled to hunt and gather to ensure our basic survival, the people of the modern world (and by that, I mean developed nations) are pretty much free to explore and indulge in all sorts of fascinating pursuits—from fantasy football leagues, to 3D movies, to the gigantic time sucks that are Facebook and Pinterest—confident that our existence tomorrow will be virtually identical to our existence today, as it probably will be for the rest of our liv… but wait! Not so fast. There’s another force at work the likes of which ancient man never saw coming. Read More »
