QWERTY-style communication is proliferated through the popular use of smart phones, computers and laptops and computer tablets.  With touch typing being a necessary skill in the modern work force, the QWERTY keypad is familiar to most computerized societies. However, despite its popularity, in 1988, Charles A. Macarthur predicted that the great differences between typing and writing will transform the way students write. Similar effects have been found in the current student generation, where vocabulary and quality of the handwriting has diminished.

In an attempt to discover new ways for humans to convey messages, scientists have been testing a fMRI brain scanner which shows patterns of human brain activity that can be translated into thoughts and emotions. These brain-reading devices have the potential to more comprehensively allow paralysed victims to people communicate. They have also been indicated by this article to have a commercial use, and replace digital communication as we know it today.

However, the different effects that this article identifies for the brain scanner may not be the only social implications that it will have if it were produced as a tested product. In social informatics, is important to realise, like the QWERTY keyboard, the fMRI brain reader can have adverse social affects. This reflects the idea that ICTs can lead to a wide range of unpredicted and often paradoxical effects (Kling et al. 2005, Sawyer & Eschenfelder 2002). Sawyer & Eschenfelder (2002) note that “ICTs impacts are rarely isolated to a target area” (Sawyer & Eschenfelder 2002 p. 440), which is true for the fMRI because of the different sectors that it is predicted to benefit, as well as other effects that are currently unforeseen. This indicates the social significance of technology as it is highly influenced by the developments in science. 

Social media is one of the great consequences of web 2.0, providing an easy and instant portal for mass personal communication. Catalysed by the introduction of the internet and the social nature of human beings, social media platforms are examples of the combination of online capabilities and human nature have resulted in a cultural phenomenon.  

Posse.com has capitalised on the popularity of web 2.0 to encourage engagement and support for music groups. By rewarding fans with ‘posse status’, information, free concert tickets and personal meetings with the band, the website asks fans to follow their favourite bands, artists and festivals to help them succeed in the music industry. The ‘posse’ would then use social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and blogs to share information, music and merchandise of the band to their friends. Flew (2005) recognises that this internet phenomenon has increasingly enabled “capturing and sharing” (Flew 2005, p. 111) to occur between virtual communities, such as music fan groups. This phenomenon could also be analysed from a cyber-psychological approach where it is believed that online communication is embedded into the modern human identity. Mehdizadeh (2010) believes that the internet provides a platform where users are able to truly express themselves without superficial condemnation. 

The relevance of this example shows the multiple layers of technological effects that exists due to the internet. Firstly, Posse.com has capitalised on gamifying human interest in bands by rewarding fans for supporting their bands through this website, promoting a convergence culture and interaction for the fan community. Secondly, it reveals the sense of belonging enabled by using social websites, such as Posse.com.   Being in the miscellaneous field, this artefact inhibits different effects on its users and demonstrates Kling and peers’ proposition that “The context of ICT use directly affects their meanings and roles” (Kling et al. 2005, p. 95).