Imagine going out to a local club and knowing, just by looking at a display on your cel phone, that eight of your buddies are there. Imagine that you are at a small town in Montana visiting your family, and you are out at the local frat college bar thinking that you are the only gay person in the whole town (the whole state perhaps!) and your phone alerts you that there are four other gay people within 200 meters. Imagine being out at a restaurant in Barcelona and your networking device tells you that a buddy of a close friend is in that restaurant with you.
This is just the beginning of what could happen when online social networking groups, wireless, and GPS come together. How far will people go to protect their privacies? What new twists will it put on social interaction? I imagine, like today, there will be those people who will always want everyone to know where they are, and those who choose to mask their location at all times. According to this article, these times are not that far off. It’s a fascinating concept.
