This little social application is sneaky as hell. I signed up for convenient way to keep track of what my pals are up to on the weekend, but it's become addicting! Foursquare has me hooked in ways Dodgeball never did because it keeps score! It's a competition, and I'm competitor! It quantifies everything I do and presents my social habits in neat graphics that I can analyze and share. Then it compares my habits to everyone else's on the network to see who's winning. WINNING!
I catch myself thinking 'hmm, well, yeah, I might take a bullet if I go out in Pioneer Square, but I might also get hella points and maybe a new badge for going places I haven't gone before'. It also encourages loyalty to a specific establishment. For example, I'm at Bauhaus right now instead of Stumptown because I know I'm going to be here tomorrow, too, and I have shot at becoming Mayor for checking in here more than anybody else.
Being able to quantify and evaluate my social behavior is useful for understanding other aspects of my life and morale. Have I really gone out more on Thursdays than on Saturdays? Is that why I sometimes feel more tired at work on Fridays? This stuff is tough to keep track of without keeping a log, and it's tough to keep a log without some serious incentive. Foursquare provides the incentive through competition and sense of social community. It's like a simplified version of the morale-o-meter, only participation is more inviting.
For now, it's a fun game, but it might eventually present an interesting look at long-term social trends.
Oh, and by tomorrow I'll definitely be the Mayor of Bauhaus... unless someone else is cheating.
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