Consensus

Social media, a preliminary survey. The databit minefield has been laid for a good decade now. Looking back, then forward (as people must do) brings a clarity of purpose. At least that is my hope. I read a chart of technological advances over the next century and it spelled out the volume of users that will be connected to the cloud. Staggering numbers.

G+

Less of everything = moar geek plzkthx. Seriously, though. I have a inestimable fondess for Google. It is something of a shame that their social networks did not unseat the reigning champ. Although, if math serves me correctly (and it rarely does) the suite of their services reach more people than bottled water. Perhaps it is something about the elegance of it's design that harkens back to Apple's bid for tech dominance. Everything is frighteningly integrated! I personally enjoy the seemingly professional environment of enthusiasts that genuinely create content that isn't primal bellowing. And speaking of...

Facebook

Heh. The 900 pound gorilla that only likes to eat Dole™ bananas and not build death rays. It is the household unholy name. Top-ranked, addictive, undisputed focal point of a smart phone user's experience. I will wager that the average owner of a data-enabled handset will use it more than vocal communication via said handset's protocols. Winner buys the loser a soda. Text messaging would be the next contender for widespread usage on mobile phones. And here goes the precedent shattering anecdotes. My mom wants to start using FB, which is actually rather cool. What is odd to me is that people from the generation born at the beginning of the Californium Age* will opt for access to this system over, say, video conferencing. I get it, though. Just like SMS over-turned conventions of physical communication, FB body-snatched human interaction, making it a mandatory part of a more digital lifestyle.

Myspace

HAHAHAHAH myspace. Let us disregard the fact of its ownership by yet another megalomaniacal faction. The user experience for this social media platform was decent at first. It slowly broke down like so many Ford™ cars. Media took media to heart. Bands, comedians, personalities of many types joined the hype machine. But it did not ride a wave of innovative functionality. I left it, never looking back. Facebook had a better class of hot bitches anyway. Although I will admit I dated a girl I met from Myspace. True story.

Friendster

Talk about malfunction. When it debuted it was already suffocating. Does that even work still? Luckily, myspace usurped, consequently usurped. Bandwagon jumping was the extreme sport of that brief epoch. The king is dead, long live the king.

Orkut

Huhhhhh. A potential cesspool if I were interested in BRIC nations. Economists may be looking at this with one raised eyebrow. Carbon copy features that is standard in a social media like engines in cars. Honestly, I would use it strictly because the title sounds cool. ORK. C'mon!

Instagram

Casual nerdism ati it's finest. Users gain the ability to be hipster photogs with an added benefit of an FB sync and time sink. Oddly self-contained but needlessly reliant on its sponsor. Sounds like me, so I'll join. Heh. NJK.

Twitter

Tweet and retweet. I really have few clues on the significance of the platform and micro-blogging in general. It looks and feels like a glorified shoutbox. I am literally shrugging and saying aloud:

"Good enough."

I will give it to the bird for its simplistic versatility. It can get cluttered fast, as expected. On the bright side, it seems to be a visceral outlet for personalities that are otherwise static icons on fully featured social media platforms. ?uestlove tweets and one can mention or reply or whatever the action is; the personality can respond or not, no harm no foul. In many ways, everyone can have a fan club in which all parties involved are accountable for everything and nothing. Freeform jazz, man. I just realized a design flaw that is lacking in fb: posts without attached objects cannot be form-shared across the system. In lay terms, sentences as status updates stay glued to the users wall. Links posted to walls can be shared. Looks like there are some end of line moments in the world, booooooo.

Tumblr.

An astute observation made very recently by LeSean Thomas echoes my sentiments.

"The only down side to tumblr, is i see all of these walls by kids who don't have an actual life they can call their own. It's filled with photos and things that they didn't do, or aren't a part of. :-/"

Nonetheless, I will eventually start one for the express purpose of it's tabloid-style presentation. Don't get me wrong, that is available in other outlets, but there is something about this look that I can't put my finger on. I find it difficult to love and I am indifferent about hating it. Maybe because my heart belongs to blogger. The more the merrier, really #currentmotto. Wait! hashtags don't work outside of twitter?$^%

...and other, more specific, destinations. LinkedIn attracts a part of me, but it is within a confluence I dare not tread at this juncture. Bebo is a no for being formerly owned by the necessary evil that was AOL. MSN is a firm nevarrevarragayn. Pinterst, really. Livejournal? I know 'the more the merrier' was just displayed, but there is always a point where redundancies are toxic. Youtube as a social media that goes without any real description other than: it will die when the internet does.