Patrick Moorhead is president and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, a highly regarded high-tech industry analyst firm focused on the disruptive ecosystems of smartphones, tablets, personal computers, living room devices and social media.
New social media service Path promises to bring your true friends (not just acquaintances) together in a much more personal way. However, neither Path, nor Facebook, nor Google+ have fully comprehended that personal circles vary by context, and that context changes rapidly and infinitely.
In the end, while services like Path get us closer to "personal," they are still very much "broadcast" versions of social media. Ultimately, new services will arise that will allow the user to easily and naturally build relationships, physically meet and communicate with one's rapidly morphing groups of true friends.
How Humans Interact
To fully understand how structured broadcast and personal social models differ, we need to look at real life. First and foremost, people segment friends and groups based on a specific context. To put it simply, there are people we are very close with, people we may have never heard of, but who seem "safe," then there are thousands of groups in-between. And that context only changes more over time. Even though it sounds confusing, we build and segment groups because the action has been hard-wired into our brains.
The "Broadcast" Social Media Problem
The Facebook, Google+ and Path networks liken online interaction to shouting in different-sized movie theaters, each of which contains a different combination of close friends, family members and acquaintances. Most people in the movie theater aren't even listening; others listen but ignore; and an even smaller group reacts to what's being said.
For most people on the receiving end, a post is typically out of context, irrelevant, doesn't require a response or was just plain missed. For example, some children aren't on Facebook during school hours, and many older demographics don't check notifications on a regular basis, or else they use their accounts for very specific purposes only.
What Defines "Personal" Today?
I outlined the challenges that come with a "broadcast" model of social media. So what do I mean by "personal?" Quite simply, personal reflects how we interact in the physical world.
The infinite number of groups we encounter in the everyday world communicate in a way you would expect: over the phone, through text, BlackBerry Messenger, face to face and via email. However, some of the tools we employ — even in today's fast-paced digital environment — are slow, inefficient or even inaccessible.
For example, three families may want to go out to dinner after the eighth grade basketball game. Let's assume there are six parents total and kids don't get a vote. Just imagine how many texts it will take to arrange this. One dad has to work late and will need to meet up with the group later. Another dad is a vegan. Mom really wants a steak. Kids from one family hate Mexican restaurants. One mom decides to send out an Evite to solve all the issues, while another mom decides she'll send a message out on Facebook, but she's not friends with third mom.
My head spins in these kinds of circumstances — but this is real life. There must be an easier way to manage, right?
Personal Tools to Fill the Gap
If today's personal tools don't work well enough, then what would a better set of tools look like? The following features would would help improve personal interactions. Here's what made my wish list.
- The ability to create groups from two to 50 people, based on an "event" or "theme."
- Events would indicate locations along with all relevant information (hours, ratings, reviews, direction, maps, parking, etc.).
- Themed groups would contain a name, description and privacy options.
- We would have the ability to see all the threads in a message.
- We would be able to add real friends who are typically in our everyday address books.
- The network would be multi-platform, and feature smartphone, tablet and PC access.
- The network would feature email, map and calendar integration.
This kind of a personal tool wouldn't replace broadcast tools, but would operate alongside broadcast tools like Facebook, Google+ and Path.
New, More Personal Tools Emerging
Personal tools like group text and Evite work alongside broadcast tools, but they are inefficient or slow. However, new tool Forecast fits a few of the criteria above. The app tells friends specifically where you will be going in the future and allows people comment on those plans.
Another tool, called Goba, is more personal than broadcast. It allows the user to set up events or groups from his address book. Those in the group receive messages and can chat from a smartphone, tablet or PC. When I met with the Goba team, we discussed incorporating local data into the events portion of the tool. This way, users could suggest places to go and have access to enough data to make a good decision. Then, once the group decided on a plan, the maps would help individuals get there.
Personal tools have a long way to go, but these kinds of services will be the next big thing in social media. After all, just how many more movie theaters do we need to scream in?
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