The New Age of the "Statusphere"

Apple has a phone that has not only changed the face of the phone industy as a whole, but has also developed a market for applications that has had a profound impact on the advertising industy.

Google has a phone that's meant to give Apple a run for its money. By capitalizing upon the cultural change that society is undergoing in terms of digital media, Google's Nexus One (once they work the kinks out, of course) is supposed to be the quintessential utility for the quintessential digital consumer.

Now, however, a new theory is under exploration: that of a social media network- entrenched entirely in the digital community, making use of its own application on mobile devices, relying on others to propagate itself- expanding outside of our computer screens to bring to us...well, another phone.

What if Facebook were to come out with its own version of a smartphone? The AdAge article whose point of view I'm exploring can be found here: http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=141627

Steve Rubel, the author of the article, states that because change starts small- as in the case of Microsoft overturning how we perceive computers (an industry previously dominated by IBM)- the ways in which consumers perceive their phones is growing rapidly. According to the article, 17% of all US consumers now own smartphones. This means that out of the 250 million people in America, approximately 32.5 million of them own phones that are quickly becoming handheld computers. With the prevalence of applications, games, and utilities combined with traditional handset properties of text messaging, data storage, and, of course, calling, phones are now estimated to displace computers in terms of Internet usage within the next five years.

So, really, how hard would it be to believe that a completely Internet-based social networking site could profitize on its page stickiness and popularity to create a phone that not only makes use of all the features stated above, but has unparalleled networking and communication features in addtion?

What would a Facebook phone be like? Would it be possible to update your status while turning on the phone, to get RSS feeds of what your friends and coworkers are doing when you see the home screen, to have full Internet access along with your friends' favorite or featured pages? Would you be able to automatically add funny text messages to your favorite quotes wall, and to add pictures that you take on your phone automatically to your albums or profile pictures? Would Facebook form a partnership with other networking sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter, to give people the absolute utmost in a mobile social media experience?

And, most importantly, what would this do to the advertising industry? Of course advertisers now are attempting to break their way into consumers' minds by infiltrating social media, and this is something we in the industry are still trying to get the hang of. However, a Facebook phone with (if possible) all of the features I listed above would again completely recreate how we perceive not only mobility, but our social experiences as people. Advertisers could sponsor favorite pages, and phones could even be free with advertiser sponsorship. Live feeds via Twitter could be essential for brands, as direct messages could maybe be received as texts, and brands could update their Facebook pages with messages for soon-to-expire offers or product information. Put your brand's most popular commercials on YouTube so that those who subscribe to your company can receive, view, and send them to their friends.

To put it simply, a Facebook phone would change everything. Facebook already has the popularity and even (dare I say it) the absolute need that most consumers feel for it in today's age- because come on, who goes on the Internet nowadays without checking Facebook? Now you can be social on the go.

Welcome to the new age of the "statusphere."