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I read an interesting post on Fast Company yesterday that got me to thinking about the transition we have made over the years in the way we have interacted via social channels.  For those old enough to remember (and live through some of the pain) social communication used to be via a BBS (Bulletin Board System).  We dialed up through our 2400bps modems (the privileged folks had 9600bps hardware), and conversed verbosely through various services.

Usher in the world of Facebook where we provided updates and musings to our friends and family.  Twitter comes along so we can do the same only using code words (for length) and URL shorteners (because we really want to say and share a lot but we fake it by using TinyURL).  And now, as Fast Company talks about in their posting, we (and companies) are using pictures to convey what used to be through words.

I think this is actually a really good and interesting transition.  Pictures convey a lot about a product in a very short amount of time as we are able to process a lot about a picture much faster than reading ramblings from a product vendor (or someone posting random views on technology…).  For those that leverage Pinterest and Instagram on the personal side, postings also tell a lot about the individual – not just in the subject of the picture, but even composition, effects utilized, and even color.  All of that in what would have taken “1,000 words”.

From a product vendor perspective, pictures allow for a broader level of feedback than purely descriptions or specifications.  It also has the potential to create a tighter connection with the prospective purchaser.   They potentially see themselves (or through their friends) as part of the product.  All before purchase.

So what is the next transition?  Can it get any easier than a simple picture shared or pinned?  Someone is going to have to show me how it can get any easier.