Freestyle: Social networking of the future - Gatchaman Crowd GALAX

Recently, I started to watch an anime show that had some interesting theme that I thought would be fun to discuss in my blog. The show is called Gatchaman Crowds, characters with transformative superpower. In the show, society relies on a program call GALAX which is a very interactive social media. GALAX, in the show allows everyone to be a hero of their own. For example, when an individual had a car accident, the program would look for other GALAX users in the area that could help the individual such as nurse, police, people that knows first aids, etc. The magnitude of helps can be great or small, but every time a ‘mission’ is completed, the world ‘update’, giving those user a sense that they have made a real difference. GALAX’s use does not limit it to emergency; it also is good for advice, social hub, etc.

Taken from the Gatchaman wiki:

Gamification: GALAX utilizes gamification, a concept in which video game mechanics such as achievements and points are applied to real world uses to make people more efficient and productive through positive reinforcement. This is shown in the series as Rui's method of trying to change the world for the better, often rewarding users with points for helping people and "updating the world".
Voice chat & Instant messaging: Users can communicate with each other via text messages in a virtual world with their avatars or voice chat.
Web video: GALAX features streaming video and web broadcasts of news reports.
Search engine data mining: X uses information on users and pairs them with the most compatible results when someone needs help or for emergency stiuations. (Ex. A young mother wanting legal advice on her noisy neighbor waking her baby, X contacted a lawyer who was sitting nearby.)


It can also be used to search for information from the internet. All of it is activated by pressing an "X" button on a users smartphone screen and inputting a voice command, similar to Apple's Siri software in the real world.
Avatars: Users of GALAX interact online in a way similar to games like The Sims. Users can create and customize avatars with clothes that they design as well as decorate their virtual rooms.

While the show is purely fiction, I think that there’s merit in discussing virtual society like GALAX. Would this work in our society? Can there be exploitation? I believe that the concept is interesting but the intention is a good basis for the future of social networks. Combining the virtual world to reality, allowing people a sense of accomplishment by helping others would be a tremendous step in society. However, the exploitation could also be damaging. The system would have to be very secure and trustworthy. The participants would have to all fill out their information correctly or have their official data be input to avoid harming others, which is an also a privacy issue that would not sit well with society today.