Lately, I have noticed that Social Media has begun to slowly sink its many tentacles into traditional media.

It has begun to utilise these mediums by linking back social metrics about our likes, habits, behaviours and wants into mainstream media, that brings a strong need to connect with brands, due to the way our brains are wired after the Social Networking revolution (circa 2004 - current).

Here our brains make the connection between: Familiar Advertising Methods (e.g. TV) and Social Media Data (e.g. Our ‘Likes’).

Over the weekend, I got to preview some new technology coming out towards the end of this year. For many, this is going to blow your mind. But before we get into this, let’s highlight the current context of Social Media infiltrating traditional media.

It all began as businesses started to get on board that good old beast called Facebook. Suddenly, adverts in print, radio, billboard and TV started appearing with “Find us on Facebook” … this slowly evolved to “Find out more about this deal on Facebook”.

Twitter came along and with our mobiles, allowed us to converse in real-time with brands, on the spot if we had to, rather than having an experience, getting home, writing a letter / email and sending it off to the customer relations team. No, these days the complaints letters are tweets and updates on Social Media against your brand (hence the importance of Social Monitoring).

There was also a time not too long ago when print ads asked you to call a number or visit a website. These have now been replaced with QR Codes, which deliver the user straight to the appropriate destination.

Australian twitter users would probably see lots of online conversation with the hashtags #qanda #thevoiceau in their streams …. Oh yes – we’re all already hooked on Social TV!

But the best is yet to come. This year, we will see a revolution that will more than likely have impacts on the way we watch TV, gather information, do our shopping and generally interact with brands and businesses.

As mentioned, over the weekend I got to preview some new technology around the Social TV. As this was not an official release, I will not advise the source or the stakeholders. I won’t even advise on all the new features. I will advise that it did most certainly WOW me.

One feature I really enjoyed was the Multi-Screen Feature.

Imagine watching your favourite cooking show. This is the first layer in your multiscreen. Along with the usage of Hashtags and Social Polls, it will pretty much contain what you know as TV today.

Now comes the beautiful technology integration.

The second layer. This sits behind your first layer, and can be accessed very easily. This layer now contains all the information you will need to make an informed choice about purchasing whatever has been placed into the first layer. In our cooking show example, this is the recipe to the dish being made. The method on cooking and the required ingredients.

But it doesn’t stop there. The third layer, sitting comfortably behind the second layer, is that list of ingredients with prices. That list links straight into your local / favourite grocery store. And with the press of a few buttons, your credit card is debited, and you have just purchased the items you have selected on the show you are watching.

Oh yes, the future is certainly here. Still a bit more tweaking to go with these features, but they are well and truly existent. I got to play around with them and am already hooked.

And as I said – that is only One of many brilliant, futuristic and mind boggling features coming out with Social TV.

As always, Share + Enjoy!

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Don’t you just HATE when that friend you have is constantly updating Facebook and clogging your news feed with information that you neither care for or are interested in? Isn’t there anything more annoying than having someone tell you what they ate for brekkie, lunch and dinner through Facebook? Well, I admit it. It can be. However, I’m a Serial Status Updater. And I’m here to stand up for the rest of us. My argument? Relevance is in the eye of the reader! What you find annoying, someone else will find interesting. Tolerance and Acceptance through Social Networking.

Facebook is the place to be these days. The average Australian spends over 8 hours on Facebook per month, and of the 8.8 Million internet users in Australia, 63% of these use Facebook actively, visiting the site at least once per month. These numbers are amongst the highest globally, as Australia has embraced Social Networking.

But what is the point? Why are Australians using Facebook so much? In true Aussie nature, we love to be able to share, communicate with and keep in touch with all of our mates. If we were to do this through our mobiles, our bills would be astronomical. So, Facebook provides us with a simplified version. Even if we don’t want to talk back, just want to sit back and listen to the broadcast of status updates, it still allows us to know what our mates are doing, where, when, with who, why and how they feel about it. Think about any event you have. Unless it’s a proper formal event, do you still send out invites in the mail? No one I know does these days. It can all be very easily managed through Facebook – RSVP lists, updates and changes, conversations … all through Facebook Events. Now think about 3 years ago. What did we do then? Email? Phone? Mail? All these are about to follow the same fate as the Dinosaurs.

Opposed to those who rarely write a status update, there are those on your friends list (like me!) who live on their Facebook wall. (I can see you right now, probably rolling your eyes in condescending pity). You know the type. Everything is a status update. Your Facebook news feed is a wall of your friends every aspect of their life. And for some of you, if not all, this really really drives you into a rage of madness.

I can see why. I mean, if someone was writing about their every meal they ate, what sauce they had with it constantly, or other irrelevant shit, I would probably go all US Postal on them too. But I’m here to stick up for the people out there who post a lot of informative, educative or interesting information. Let me just make it clear, that what I think is interesting, informative or educative, is based on my opinion. But then again, it’s MY wall …. you’re choosing to listen to it.

I like to mostly share articles. Articles about the topics I find interesting. Social Media News, NASA news, Climate Change, LGBT equality rights, Movie Reviews and Viral Video Content. I also like to share links with friends in specialties, such as photography exhibitions, upcoming environmental sustainability events and ticket links.

And occasionally, I like to share quotes. Find these good enough to place on my wall.

Now you may not think these are bad things to write about, or the fact that they will annoy people. But let me tell you, my friends constantly tell me I’m posting too much crap on my wall, and clogging their news feed!

Whilst this never offends me, only encourages me to keep doing what I do, because it means people are noticing my content, I’ve decided to put together a few steps people can take to help manage the ‘Serial Status Updater’.

Firstly, let’s establish something up front. Some of you won’t like this, but it’s just reality. This is my wall, my Facebook profile and my little corner of the Cyber verse. So unless I’m posting something offensive, discriminative, hurtful or horrible, it really is up to me what I choose to post on my wall. As someone who is my friend, you know these are my interests and as such I talk about them in our social conversations, and yet, you have never found me annoying then. Remember, you choose to accept the friendship request, or add me. This is the package that is me, so learn to live with it.  

To those that still find this difficult, here are a few options you can take:

1. Simply look away. Scroll Past, until you find something that interests you. Time & Effort required by you: Nil.

2. Stop Complaining. No one cares, and it doesn’t really change anything. I don’t know anyone that has taken feedback from their friends on board and reduced their status update numbers. Save your breath and energy for something useful in this world. Time & Effort required by you: Nil

3. Hide my Status Updates – if you move your cursor to the top right of any status update, a little cross appears. Clicking on this will give you the option to “Hide” all status updates from anyone you find annoying. Time and Effort required by you: Minimal.

4. Block / Delete Friendship request. A little bit controversial this one. But let’s face it. Of the 450+ people on my friends list, I probably have about 50 close relationships with. Others I haven’t seen for over 10 years! So it will not offend me, unless you’re in that top 50. And even then, we have a good relationship outside of Facebook, so it’s no drama to me if we use Facebook for different purposes and you want to delete me. I’m sure our friendship can stand this social suicide test. Time and Effort required by you: Minimal.

So there you have it. 4 Simple steps to take should you have a friend whom is a serial status updater! Just remember, each person has their own little piece of real estate on Facebook and have every right to use that wall as they see fit. If we take away the opportunity for people to share whatever they please on their Facebook wall, then really, what’s the whole point of social networking? After all, you would be tolerant and accepting in a social situation in the real world ….

Happy Updating! 

Twitter: @cosmicrami