clipped from www.forrester.com

Individuals increasingly take cues from one another rather than from institutional sources like corporations, media outlets, religions, and political bodies. To thrive in an era of Social Computing, companies must abandon top-down management and communication tactics, weave communities into their products and services, use employees and partners as marketers, and become part of a living fabric of brand loyalists.

The exponential growth of processing power and storage capacity puts unprecedented computing power into the hands of users.

The social impact: The mainstream populace, not just the wealthy or educated, can tap into technology's power to change social mores

Social Computing: 1) innovation will shift from top-down to bottom-up; 2) value will shift from ownership to experience; and 3) power will shift from institutions to communities

multiple email addresses, and thousand-member networks will be the norm — even as these youth settle down, have families, and pursue careers.