Howard Rheingold is one of the most prominent names in online communities. He was part of the Well, a profilic online community that formed in the early 1980s. The link below contains some commentary from 2003 on mobile virtual communities – meaning, online communities (i.e. MySpace, YouTube) accessible via mobile/cellular (i.e. MySpace Mobile, TinyTube, etc.). 4 years layer, the effects are only just bubbling up to the surface of the average user!
In particular, note this bullet point, and consider its implications in an urban environment in terms of high population density.
Mobile communications are – Closely coupled to the behavior of people in physical space , and have strong effects on how small social groups coordinate activities in geographic communities.
As accessing the Internet via mobile/cellular/portable becomes much more common and affordable, the specter of ubiquitous computing becomes more real. There just so happens to be a great brainstorm on this very topic in the latest Wired issue, see below.
Consider this paragraph in particular:
As we turn real-world objects — and ourselves — into data packets, our lumpy desktop computers will fade into the background, integrate with our clothes and bodies, and dip beneath the level of our conscious perception. Information and environment will meld. As a result, says Greenfield, “some of the most interesting ideas current in interaction design are being worked out at the scale of the city.”
Also be sure to check out the links provided in the article:
Sterling’s book Shaping Things, his lectures on the subject and his blog.
Greenfield’s Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing, his interviews and his blog V-2.
