360DigitalInfluence

The Nielsen Company’s most recent social media research has revealed that Australians are spending up to seven hours each month on social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.  This figure is substantially higher than the global average of five and a half hours.

Australia has jumped to the top of the leader board ahead of the USA, Britain and Japan. The research found that almost ten million Australians are spending time on at least one social networking site. With a population of 21 million, this figure equates to almost half the country.

Facebook topped the list as the most popular of all social networking sites, with over 8.2 million unique visitors per month, followed by YouTube, then MySpace and with Twitter coming in fourth.

So, if Facebook is the most commonly used social networking site and Australian’s are spending 7 hours a month interacting on social networking sites – How come there are only 357,871 fans on the Australia Facebook fan page?

I love the idea of a good flash mob. A moment in time where a group of people get together and do something bizarre in a public place that confuses those around them. I love the way that they are started by networking online and you have to be connected with someone in order to know what is going on. I love the way they generate discussion and we see the true powers of passing a message on by word of mouth. Have flash mobs sold out though? Have they been abused by marketers and advertisers to be more like a public performance than a moment of improvisation by the everyday person?

The flash mob that was created in New York Grand Central Station is fantastic. The mob was instructed to stand frozen for a total of 5 minutes and then vacate the area. The result was a mass of confusion by commuters and people passing by. My favorite part is when one guy says “I think it must be some kind of a protest”. Who protests by freezing in a train station?

A great example of online networking can be seen in the first international flash mob – the Worldwide Pillow Fight Day. Word spread via Facebook, Myspace, private blogs, public forums, personal websites, as well as by word of mouth, text messaging, and email. This networking enabled over 25 cities in the world to participate in the pillow fight on the same day at the same time. It just reiterates how much communication has changed since the creation of social media. Ten years ago, an impromptu event like a flash mob would have been near impossible (or at least expensive) to organise. Today, the tools we have available to us, the access to people and immediacy of communication is so prevalent that impromptu events like flash mobs are possible. That is why I like flash mobs so much, they are created from the possibilities that social media offers.

So are they selling out? Is every Tom Dick and Harry organising a flash mob to generate publicity for their brand or product, or to create a “viral clip”? The use of paid actors and professional dancing seems to be all that flash mobs are about now, they are rehearsed and perfected and the timing is impeccable. While it is entertaining to watch, the participants may as well build a stage and perform their act like any other street performer. I can’t help but feel betrayed that flash mobs are no longer about the privilege of being connected online, they no longer represent transparency or authenticity, they no longer create confusion, its only about entertainment now. I believe they have sold out, but I guess it was only a matter of time.

There is a mobile app for almost everything and the technologies behind these apps are getting more sophisticated with every new addition. There are navigation apps to tell you directions from A to B anywhere in the world, novelty apps that identify the song that is playing in the background, organising apps to manage your social networking sites, not to mention the recently launched FoodScanner app which uses the iPhone camera to scan the UPC codes of foods and link them with full nutritional information.
Some say the driving demand in the mobile apps market could grow bigger than the internet. It has been said that there are currently over 75,000 iPhone applications, the Blackberry maker Research in Motion has a few thousand and Nokia’s Ovi store has about 5500 content items including apps, ringtones and wallpaper graphics (Sydney Morning Herald).
Is this becoming the new way for us to source information or even communicate? It has been a while since we have had to write a letter to seek assistance, some organisations prefer us to call and speak to an automated voice while most want us to jump online and not speak to anybody. Is the demand now for us to download an app and seek assistance on the go? Is this the future of communication?
What is driving the demand for mobile apps? Some would say it is the need for convenience and sourcing information on the go, others would claim it’s the Gen Y demand for instantaneous results. Personally, I think it is a combination of 2 things; consumers are looking for fun, they are looking to customise their lives but more obviously they are constantly looking for something new, the latest. Mobile apps cover all bases, they can be informative, fun, colourful, free or expensive, and the potential is limitless.
Mobile apps are like viral YouTube clips, they get passed around, talked about, reviewed and before you know it, they have been downloaded millions of times. They are the new tactic in communications campaigns. It is no longer about creating a fan page on Facebook or getting the company on Twitter; it’s all about the demand for mobile apps.

Mark my words mobile apps are here to stay … until the next thing rolls around!