Social Awareness: The New Networked Frontier

No one yet knows exactly what Web 3.0 is, but there are brilliant minds at work shaping and designing our internet future today. Social networking on steroids will most definitely be part of whatever evolves. Right now that conjures images of tweets beaming directly into my brain (a truly scary thought) or Facebook status updates popping up while I watch TV, like a social media picture in picture. We’re not far from that—a group in Europe is building systems that aren’t yet for your physical brain, but operate like a remote brain that receives info about your actions and pushes them out to your network.

Called social awareness, it takes what might be a tweet today—“About to whip up some @epicurious shrimp scampi—be back later, full and happy. Hope we love it!” and pushes it away from a device and into the physical environment of anyone you want to see it. See the red light? That can mean I’m busy making my shrimp scampi, so don’t bother me.

Before you read on, take a few minutes to watch this YouTube video from the Astra Project, , a collective of European researchers and organizations, who are building awareness systems. It’s fascinating to look at how our networked future is being laid out and tested, and gives a hint of what these instant connections can do. Copy in the video says, “This awareness information about the well-being, activities, and availability gives Vic (one of the participants) a direct feeling that he is in touch, sharing and involved with his daughter. We call this social awareness.”

I can see this having great application for people who want that direct connection, and aren’t able to achieve it physically. For example, families wanting to keep an eye on a parent with Alzheimer’s could use social awareness to instantly witness and monitor actions remotely, which could be a definite stress reliever (and guilt reducer) for people who have to work and can’t be with a sick relative 24/7 or pay for on site care.

Automation is an incredible resource and tool, but I question the need to include it in every facet of our lives. It’s a spontaneity and trust killer. And if privacy is almost out the window, social awareness kicks it out completely. Research shows that most people have limited understandings of basic privacy features of social networks, and that they tend to keep whatever default settings are in place when they sign up. I’m confident that the people who are most interested in social awareness aren’t in that category. They know how to change privacy settings, and that’s why I’m not sure how this will catch on with the general public. If people think Twitter is too much info, this will blow their minds.

I’m writing this story from San Francisco, in the neighborhood where Twitter, Six Apart, and Wired have offices, and I know at one point people questioned the viability and purpose of all of them, too. I know there is a purpose for social awareness that will continue to evolve as the networks are created and used, just like we’ve seen with social networks today. I’m not at all afraid of that future, but I want to see more attention paid to how we can develop our innate sense of self and connection with others, while using these tools to our greatest benefit. I would hate to think that my life is so tightly wound that I couldn’t call someone until they sent me the green light. If someone is busy, they don’t have to answer. I’ve been using this method for years, and trust me its foolproof. No detailed understanding of privacy requirements needed.