Everyday interaction in the new decade is becoming increasingly “connected,” meaning some people can’t make even a simple bowel movement without alerting the Twitterverse or uploading a Twitpic to let the world know.  Foursquare is the newest technology to recently catch its big break.  Now, anytime a person decides to go somewhere, they can compete with their friends to be the Mayor, or the highest frequenter.  It’s today’s version of being a regular, without having to share your sob story over one too many tequila shots.

The power is all in the hands of the consumer.  We don’t have to rely on magazine subscriptions or TV commercials to hear about the latest “it” thing or Jennifer Aniston’s latest Brad Pitt freak out.  (She really should get over it).  We can seek out only the information we want to hear about via RSS Feeds or on our mobile devices.  This can even be applied to conversations with our friends.  Your good buddy Joe posted too many pictures of his latest deer hunting trip? Tuning out over-sharing is as easy as the click of a “hide this” button.

It’s no longer about who has the biggest…media budget.  Now, advertising is starting to look more like public relations, public relations is starting to look more like social networking and social networks are starting to be an extension of a consumer’s identity, down to what kind of Starbucks’ coffee they drink every morning. The power is in the hands of the consumer.

Take the release of the new iPad.  Leave it to Twitter users to tell it like it is. They will let you know that, in fact, it sounds like Apple has just created the first tech savvy feminine hygiene product.  It’s all about what the consumer wants and they will let you know what they don’t.  It’s up to the brand to address this and change accordingly.  Hulu has taken a leaf out of this book with their new Ad Selector, which allows the consumer to choose which ads to view before their video. It could potentially revolutionize the online video advertising model, which is a good position to be in since there are over 108 million online video users today. We, for the first time, are directing the flow of advertising, and with that, communication.

Groupon is another rapidly growing innovative social business, offering daily coupon deals.  The catch is, you only get them if enough people get on board.  The good thing is, I’ve never seen an offer not go through.  If you’ve put money down for $40 worth of burritos, you’re going to promote it to ensure your money doesn’t go down the drain. Groupon depends on the social narcissism of consumers.  And it’s working.  From this emerged an organic promotional stunt for Groupon, a contest to see if anyone can actually live off Groupon deals.  It will be interesting to see how it pans out but once again, everything is in the hands of Joe Contest Winner, who trusted Groupon enough to take its bet.

The important part to all of this is that consumers do want to communicate with your business.  If you offer them the good stuff to keep them coming back, they’ll put you on their virtual speed dial.  Sixty-two percent of users polled on Mediapost believe they can influence business decisions by voicing opinions via new media channels.  Even better, they are likely to  bypass just talking about your product and take some form of action be it a purchase or a conversion.  (See more data on Mediapost.com).

Are you on board or aren’t you?