In his Spacing Vancouver article, Andrew Cuthbert showcases the effect of new developments on the Downtown East Side of Hastings Street.  The map shows a clear relation in old buildings with bars on the windows as hot-spots for the Hastings Street-Community.  New buildings see less traffic and loitering – this is what having/not-having social media can do!

New Developments (use of Twitter, Mobile Apps, Videos, etc.) > Bars on Windows (the brand/company that is jailed in the ice-ages of interaction)

Street Crowds create an image of danger and illegality; don’t let them hover around your front door.  Throw some Twitter at it; new ways to communicate indicate stability and prosperity.  The abscence of these tools goes less frequently unnoticed, as search terms turn to “Joel Plaskett On Twitter” or #DesignVancouver, and the tools themselves become such a mainstay that searches are conducted from the site as a home-base.

Social Media allows you to appear where the front of technology is searching.