Reality of social networking, ICANN’s recent decision, and Americans at play

Social networks are here (for the moment) to stay. Recently, I ran across this interesting blog post from June by Fred Stuzman a PhD student candidate at UNC’s School of Information and Library Science. He briefly summarizes five social networks “you need to know” about. What is compelling about Stutzman’s post and what it makes me think about are the following:

• Many Americans are unaware of the impact of social networks in other countries and languages.

• Stutzman’s statement that “Young users are situating their entire formative internet experience around them and the effects of this social learning will inform use patterns throughout their life” is a given and this phenomenon and these young users also will inform 'net policy developments for a long time to come. To that effect, does anyone have something to say about GoingOn, which was announced just recently at Educause?
  

• As younger social network users come online, some networks lose their flavor.
  

• The decision by ICANN to allow non-English characters first for for Domain names, next for entire URLs will enable billions more to participate in and create social networks and search for them using their own native language, but most Americans know only their native English language and sometimes that can be both a "blessing and a curse".

How will these realities inform new modes of learning, develop new learners (by way of opening up Internet access), and change the way Americans (young and not so young) play in the global sandbox?