Where's social media going? GPS shows us

Where's social media headed? Whip out your smartphone's GPS to find out. Location-based social media apps on mobile devices, such as Foursquare, are changing the games. Right here in Charlotte, startup Stash Games is mapping a new direction.

I recently sat down with two of Stash's leaders, Matt Wackerhagen and Kristi Stanfill, to talk about their company, which blends mobile, gaming, and a fun, story-related role-playing aspect. Here's what they told me about social media in motion:

"As more smartphones include robust mobile technologies, we're seeing social media become more physical and tangible," says Stanfill. "No longer are people just networking remotely over the internet. This becomes very real when you know where your friends are, and you can go connect with them in person."

One of the big knocks on social media has been that it's a time suck. Stanfill says that's changing, thanks to geo-based apps. "In many ways, it is more relevant. It gets you up off your butt from in front of your home computer. And it communicates what you're doing in the real world."

Foursquare has been the first big breakthrough in geo-based social media. That smartphone app lets you tag the locations where you are and communicate those spots to friends. You can leave tips for other users about the place where you are, unlock information about the places you visit, win virtual badges, and get ranked as "the mayor" of a locale.

What kind of impacts will geo-based social media have on us? Several important ones:

1. Privacy becomes a huge issue, because people can see where you are, what you're doing, and what your preferences are. So you won't want as many "friends."
2. The nostalgic aspect of Facebook will be left in the dust. Facebook has been a great deal about gathering, cataloging and sharing the past. You don't do that on the go. Facebook is about who we were. Web 3.0 is about where we're going.
   
3. Relevance becomes a priority for people on the move. Look for virtual contacts and signatures to become a bigger part of business, and for Farm Town and other dopey apps to fall away.
   
4. And gaming goes mobile in a fun, social way.
   

That mobile gaming is where Stash Games comes in. The company is taking role-playing, treasure hunts and mystery stories into mobile social media with a new kind of interactivity. The company builds games with a plotline, so companies can build morale, friends can bop around a city, and tourists can explore a new location.

"This is the stuff that really gets me excited," Stanfill says. "I love seeing the evolution of this augmented entertainment. It's "The Da Vinci Code" meets "Amazing Race."

Where'd Stanfill get her love of treasure hunts and mystery? She's the daughter of a former federal agent, and she moved around a lot as a kid.

So she could've GPS'd this destination long ago.