It seems to be my lot at parties, work, and even when I was in school, to inevitably end up sitting near the “young hot thing.” This makes for highly enlightening eavesdropping into coversations to say the least.  Hearing about their web of social contacts, their crazy weekends and their “plans” for the future (which usually does not include meeting their financial planner and investing in a 401K), certainly passes the time in an entertaining fashion.  But, as so many of us know, the young hot things of the world usually don’t stop the conversation there.  Often we get an earful of a whole lot of details we just don’t want to know. 

This familiar story becomes the refrain in my ear when I hear so many internet portals, wireless carriers and social networks talk to me about some of their product plans.  “Imagine being able to track your friends constantly!” is a phrase I hear quite often. But, like too many details from the young hot thing’s weekend party, how much is too much?

Social media (including the social networks) have lots of benefits for the consumer, but I’m not convinced seeing everything that is happening in my friend’s lives, at every moment, is what I want to know, or what they want me to know about.

The goal of programs like Beacon, LBS from the carriers and presence enabled tools from the portals should be providing me with the essentials of information when both myself and my friends want each other to know it.  It should not be constant contact.

Constant contact leads us inevitably from digitally enabled social awareness to virutal snooping.  And everyone has a private life of some sort - believe it or not even the young hot things.