The success of social media is often attributed to the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's creator. What Mark has achieved is nothing short of simply amazing. His networking platform has transformed the way the world communicates, collaborates, advertises and consumes information.
For me though, there is one element of social networking that never gets the credit it deserves when we talk about its success. Technology. You see, without devices like iPhones, Android phones and innovative tablets, social networks simply would not get the air time they receive today. Companies like Apple and Google have created platforms that we want to spend time on rather than having to spend time on. Ask yourself, would you spend as much time on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter if you had to log on via a PC or Mac every time? I know I wouldn't.
What we have here is hardware and software working in perfect harmony one may struggle to survive without the other but together they form a perfect combination.
iOS5, due for release next week will be Apple's most social friendly platform release in their history. They understand what their customers want better than any other company and usually before their customers even know it themselves.
Next time you 'tweet' or 'like' something, have a look what you're doing it on, they've made it easy huh?