Ezra Morrison has sent you a FarmVille request: the ups, downs and future of social networking

In the past 10 years, the internet has become pervasive in nearly everyone's lives. As something that we used to consider a novelty becomes more and more widespread, its uses become more varied. One of the inventions of the internet over the past 10 years has been social networking. While social networking existed before 2000, it started to really take off with Myspace and Friendster, which were two of the first major social networks.

Online social networking has boomed since then, and though Myspace and Friendster are no longer as popular, other social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, have become equally, if not more, popular recently. Social networking has become one of the most popular ways to do business, to communicate and to spend our free time. So what does the future look like for social networking?

First of all, there is an important factor now that wasn't here when Myspace and Friendster were popular. That would be the smartphone. Almost everyone today has some kind of mobile computer with social networking abilities. This means that you don't have to be sitting at your computer to be on Facebook. If you have a smartphone, you can be online pretty much anywhere. I think this makes a huge difference in terms of how and when people communicate and post information about their lives. As annoying as it is, smartphones have enabled that guy who keeps posting Facebook statuses about the shape of his bowel movement to do this.

As is becoming increasingly apparent, traditional desktop computers are on their way out. Mobile devices are becoming more and more adept at functioning as regular computers, and the idea that a person has to sit down at a computer to go online is already essentially obsolete. Computing in general, but particularly social networking, is becoming mobile.

Lots of people complain about how social networking has gotten rid of our ability to communicate with others in person. I can see this point of view, but in many ways social networking has actually deepened our communications with others. While 15 years ago we may have had friends who we only saw once a week, we can now instant message them any time we want. Social networking has also enabled completely anonymous communication, and relationships that only exist on the internet.

Social networking is becoming more varied and more ubiquitous, and is already an indispensable feature of many people's lives. As social networks are able to do more and more things, even like storing documents online, the world of computing is moving to become much more web-based and therefore much more mobile. Social networking has, in the past 10 years, gone from a novelty that very few people use to what appears to be the next generation of computers. It is growing exponentially, and shows no signs of stopping. People can complain about social networking all they want, but it's pretty much here to stay.