Networked: The new social operating system

We live in a networked age. Always-on technology now links people together in a myriad of ways that was inconceivable just a few decades The social impact of these technologies – especially over the last twenty years or so – has been massive. Networking has changed the ways we communicate, how we write, how we stay in touch with friends, how we conduct our day to day affairs, and even how we attend to things of interest. No sooner is a norm established than an emerging technology appears that disrupts that norm yet again. The purveyors of networked technology describe these social changes with unbridled optimism, which its acolytes consume with fervor. Just recall any of the various special events that companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and others use to introduce new products, and the over-the-top enthusiasm of the crowds that attend those events. As technological consumers, we too find the technology beguiling, at least in terms of how our buying practices reflect such successful marketing, and how our use of those technologies consume more of our time. Yet as with any social change, there has been much commentary and concern. The daily press is replete with stories about misuses of social networking (e.g., cyber-bullying), poor cell phone practices (e.g., the 'crackberry' phenomenon ascribed to people constantly