There are hundreds of social networks on the internet, and millions of users. Some are run by individuals, while others have been initiated by corporations and organizations. Telecom Report has met music social-network developer Imeem and real-time social-web developer Wello Horld to find out what the future could entail.

There has been tremendous growth in social-media channels in recent years. Thanks to the rise of mobile-broadband networks, usability and access to web platforms are also growing. Today, social media integrates telecommunications, technology and human interaction. The online communities are all about sharing, communicating and finding information – in words and images.

Many sites, such as Imeem, are also based on music content. Imeem wants its 25 million registered users to discover, interact and express themselves with music, as well as to connect with others who share similar musical tastes.

Steve Jang, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Business Development at Imeem, says: “The concept of creating playlist communities and a social experience around your favorite music really ads an extra dimension to your social networking.

“Music is really about people, places and time – your life – and this is why Imeem exists. A lot of your identity lies in what music you enjoy and being able to express this to other people and get feedback is great.”

New sophisticated ways to interact

The increase in different social-media channels also implies that people will have an even greater presence on the internet and that these platforms will find new sophisticated ways for people to interact. One innovative social-media developer is Wello Horld, which believes technology and innovation will soon open up new ways of using the internet.

Mark Wallace, co-founder and Chief Executive of Wello Horld, says: “We have the modest ambition of changing the way people use the web. Our goal is to merge the real and virtual worlds, mobile phones and computers, creating new ways for people to interact.”

Wello Horld is a small start-up company, but its ambitions are high. It wants to create a real-time social web, where you can ‘see, be, and do anything, with anyone, anywhere online’.

“Our mission is to turn the web into a virtual world,” Wallace says. “For example, it could mean that when you visit any site on the internet, you do it with your virtual character, which can interact with all other users’ characters that are visiting the site at the same time.”

Expressive environment

Wallace admits that it is difficult to say when the web and virtual worlds will merge.

“It could take anywhere between five to 20 years,” he says. “But the great thing with virtual worlds is that it is such an expressive environment, with rich real-time interaction. The web is similarly fantastic with the great variety of information and ways of sharing it. So bringing these worlds together really makes sense.”

Helena Jansson