The Mobile Marketplace

I read an article on mediapost.com called “Mobile Rocks.” The point highlighted in the article is that people are increasingly using mobile devices for things other than “talking and texting,” getting its information from the comScore 2010 Mobile Year in Review report. This tells us nothing we don’t know already. People are walking around with computers in their pockets, so of course they are turning to their mobile devices for things other than chatting. The question which pops in my mind when I read the article is left unanswered: What does this mean for media companies and for the marketplace of ideas?  

“The challenge for marketers and brands,” the author says, “will be how to successfully navigate through one of the most complex and rapidly evolving mediums.” The main thing which comes to mind is synergy. These brands and markets can potentially reach anyone with a mobile device. On almost every commercial I watch, it asks me to join them on their Facebook page, which is something the author says is a “huge driver of mobile social networking” and is one of the fastest growing mobile content category in the US. Facebook and other markets can use technology to work together and grow – and it is.

This is where the marketplace of ideas is concerned. Facebook can potentially link everyone together in one place where everything can be shared. However, to me it seems that people only want to talk about themselves and things which are familiar to them. The ones who they talk to are likely going to be similar-minded and will reinforce existing ideas rather than advancing discourse, so it stands unanswered whether or not this increase in the use of mobile devices will advance the marketplace of ideas.

The fact that everyone can be reached may be better for the “markets and brands” the author mentions than for people as a whole. It is so new, though, no one seems to know exactly what will happen. Maybe synergy will branch from media and other companies benefiting to everyone benefiting.