Whither Mobile Social Application Prototypes? Implications for Development and Research

Mobile social applications are becoming increasingly popular with a growing number of users turning to their mobile devices for socializing, information sharing and/or gaming. The increased interest in the domain has resulted in numerous mobile social application prototypes being reported in the recent years, each combining interesting elements of socializing, sharing and gaming with varying abilities to pinpoint user location (location sensitivity) and claiming unique features and functionalities. In this paper, we provide an overview of sixteen research prototypes reported in the last three years followed by an analysis which reveals potential directions for research and development in the domain.