The Lifespan Approach to Social Networking Tools

Pew Internet & American Life Project researcher Amanda Lenhart reports in Adults and Social Network Websites that the number of adult Internet users who have taken up social networking has more than quadrupled since 2005. (Chart from USA Today.) This isn't surprising if you consider the way conversations have moved toward social media as a marketing tool in lieu of a mere social connection with friends.  Networks have properties that defy traditional linear ways of thinking about market reach and targeting users, so growth should follow exponentially. In October, another Pew researcher reported on how the Internet and cell phones have become central components of family life.  It's not possible to have digital connectivity central to family life without adults engaging in digital networks. We can think about media devices as a progression, using a lifespan approach to technology adoption.  First you crawl, then you walk....Cell phones may not be the first thing that comes to mind in a social network, but they are essentially social networking devices.  Once someone starts using a handheld device for connections beyond making and receiving calls,  it's a much shorter step to Twitter.  I'm curious about the motivation for change and how most adults experience the progression.  How people conceptualize and rationalize their adoption of technology would tell us a lot about the next round of integration and how we can provide effective technology applications to users.