Web 2.Osoyou

In a world where Prada has taken on the humble mobile phone, it's no surprise that technology and fashion are merging where the most commercial communication is taking place: Web 2.0. Social networking is a haven for advertising, since word of mouth can elevate anything from obscurity in a spectacular Arctic Monkeys manouevre.

A new venture which will be launching this summer is Osoyou.com (and it just happens to be next door at Shiny Towers). With the slogan "Stare. Shop. Share", Osoyou aims to merge shopping with social networking by offering an online mall / hangout and blog. And it's not the only one.

Calvin Klein dipped a toe into the social network revolution with CKIN2U. Cloying text-speak aside, the website invited us to tell them what we were into.

Already, SimplyCity has brought the world of the web to Simple users. Despite a range of more youthful products I still associate Simple cosmetics with my mum's generation; no doubt online projects like these are a PR attempt to drag minds like mine into the 21st century.

Can we successfully mix the Web 2.0 world with commercialism? MySpace seems to have done it, insofar as it provides a portal for self-publicising. Are we happy to swap direct marketing pumelling of our purchasing power for the chance to be the first to get our hands on the latest gadget or girlie accessory? Of course we are.