The existence of virtual social networks like Orkut, Friendster, and Hyves can be seen as an emergence of a new kind of personal association. It is actually based based on social knowledge of acquaintance. But where physical presence was necessary to attain acknowledge this status, virtual social networks link people only through a certain set of common variables. The question of who do I know, becomes more important than the question, who do i like. These social circles can become larger, as friends invite friends. In the end, these social circles attain a tribal like culture. There is knowledge of everyone in the group, but there does not have to be any friendship.
At the same time, these networks enable communication through a myriad of means. Email, SMS, cell phone, and the web connect the individual members. Portable mobile devices connects each member with the other all the time. Shared communication is also possible, be it in a limited fashion. It is not hard, considering the progress made in the past couple of years, to envision a technology that would enable simultaneous instant communication between all members of the group. This technology would eventually become portable as well.
The emergence of such a technology would eventually lead to the ability for total and instant group communication. Each member of the group would be able to transmit messages that would be instantly received by all members of the group. Likewise, members would be able to receive instant messages from all the other members as well. This approaches the function of a hive mind, where all individual units have a strong group coherence, and instant communication exists between all members. In reality, measures are needed to prevent an individual unit from being overwhelmed by the surge of messages, but with a social group, it is only likely that some kind of structure will emerge, whether it be hierarchal or through some other means.
Would this be possible? Given the speed of current technological progress, combined with the human tendency to gather into tribe-like social structures, this situation might develop sooner than we care to think. One could even imagine these tribes to band together, to create larger tribes.
In the end, new nations and cultures are created, with one difference; geography will not be a deciding factor in a shared culture.
