In the Loop

I recently added the Loopt application to my Facebook account after a friend got a new cell phone featuring the GPS tracking software. Essentially, the lines between social networking and mobile devices are getting blurred. This, in turn, blurs a more important line between our semi-anonymous online personas and our so-called "real world" identities.

Now, before anyone gets all paranoid about their privacy, don't worry. This is nothing like that pesky illegal government wiretapping and/or other undisclosed terrorist surveillance activities that the telecoms can neither confirm nor deny the existence of. No, no, no. This much simpler.

Having Loopt on a cell phone just eliminates the need for the most commonly texted question in the world: where u at? You only invite your friends to be able to see your location, and you can always lie about where you really are if you want to go off the radar for a bit.

I am here, btw: (or am I???)



Of course, I could zoom the Google map to my exact location but, frankly, I don't know you that well.

While this type of technology is certainly the trend of the future, it does not necessarily simplify the social nuances of online living. Consider, for instance, a house party that starts at 9pm. You have ten friends who are going, and none of you wants to be the first one to show up. It's easy to see how staring at your Loopt phone all night could result in a stalemate while everyone waits for someone else to make the first move.

For now, anyway, there is time to puzzle over this newest chapter in the Book of Netiquette (7th Edition) as Loopt is currently an early adopter technology. But don't be surprised if you someday find yourself in a social network that involves interacting in the so-called "real world" we're hearing so much about these days. I know...scary, right?