It was once gloomily forecasted by many naysayers that the advances in technology would only lead to individual isolation. There were those who believed that as technology advanced, people would have no reason to leave the house. They could remain indoors, alone and isolated, and do everything they needed to sustain themselves with the click of a mouse. But while technology has probably made it possible to do this, the reality is that most people use technology to do precisely the opposite.
As is clearly seen by the nature of new innovation, technology continues to strengthen the web that ties people together. Social networking sites are abundant, for instance, and most users of these types of sites use them as a gateway for something beyond merely virtual interaction. As technology evolves, the nature of these types of sites continues to become more and more advanced. Proof of this lies in a new App that Apple is working on by the name of iGroups.
iGroups is not an entirely new concept, but it is one that is new to Apple. Patently Apple, the group that researches patents filed by the people at Apple, recently released a report describing iGroups. This new app is akin to apps such as Foursquare and Gowalla, which use GPS technology to locate other users in the nearby vicinity, and create social networks within proximate geographical locations.
Why would consumers want an on-the-fly social network to follow them around wherever they travelled? Because it creates just one more way for people to exchange and develop ideas by bringing people together who would otherwise have no means of meeting. For example, somebody could enter a convention alone, and use his iGroups application to locate other likeminded people who want to discuss events occurring in real time at the convention. Anybody attending the convention that owned the iGroups app could immediately connect, and exchange their thoughts and ideas about the convention. This interaction could be quite synergistic, and would facilitate creativity and discussion.
Once people connect via iGroups, they will have the option of meeting face to face, but can also leave the relationship to the virtual world if they so choose. According to AppleInsider, however, Apple is making it possible for consumers to make even the virtual relationship as real as possible by creating an app that works much like a walkie-talkie for text messaging. When coupled with iGroup, the walkie-talkie feature would create a real-time message board that could prevail regardless of carrier problems. It would all but eliminate any reason for people to ever attend any event truly alone again.
To those who said that innovations in technology would lead to isolation, one look at apps like iGroup should prove otherwise. It seems as if, quite to the contrary, Apple is using technology to bring people from the world over together.
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