In the late 90s, when I first heard about some of the ways mobile phones were going to be used, I thought it was a problem. I never realized, though, that people would be so naïve about the impact of their online activity that strangers could essentially stalk them.

Isn't stalking a really bad thing? Aren't there laws against it?

When I read about some of the new apps being promoted at SXSW, a thought came to mind—one I hadn't even considered when I first thought these programs were a bad idea. It has to do with the 40-year cycles that I'm subscribed to. The comment that triggered this thought, which comes from a Bloomberg Businessweek article titled, An App That Helps You Cozy Up to Strangers reads:

Paul Davison is in a hurry. Not just to board the plane that's about to take him to his father's retirement party in San Diego, or to get through the talking points about his new iPhone app, Highlight. No, Davison is rushing toward the future. "I'm completely convinced that in five or 10 years you'll be able to walk into a room and know everyone's name, where everyone works, and what people you know in common," he says in a sentence that comes out in an unstoppable cascade. Smartphones and apps will become this "sixth sense we all have, and we won't believe we used to not have that."

Due diligence is a good thing, but these apps give you too much information and will result in crime sprees, rapes, and murders, if they haven't yet. I do not want to be an alarmist, but there are already cited instances of people's homes being robbed because they stupidly broadcasted where they were. Now, we get deep background on strangers in a room. It's a conman's dream come true.

So, what odd societal trend took place 40 years ago that matches this sort of social change? Hitchhiking. You had to be there, but between 1965 and 1975, the entire country was hitchhiking to the town over and even the opposite coast. In today's world, it's rare to even see a hitchhiker. Hitchhiking met its doom when scary movies were released in which hitchhiking criminals would butcher the driver or psycho drivers would kidnap and torture the hitchhiker. This was soon followed by actual crimes across the country, all involving the practice of hitchhiking.

I'm not sure what exactly in the Businessweek article made me think of it, but if anything resembles the hitchhiking phenomenon in today's world, it would be the social media mania and the amount of trust people put into the mechanism. This was the same trust that the hitchhiking phenomenon displayed 40 years ago.

By nature, I think Americans like to be open about themselves. Many long for the storied days when they could keep their houses and cars unlocked and still feel safe. This is not wise or practical anymore.

I'm not sure what will bring down all the social media initiatives. Kidnapping? Rape? A killing spree? "The Facebook Killer Strikes Again!"

We've already seen something like this with Craigslist and some psycho killer, but the criminal element has not fully caught up with the social phenomenon. Felons haven't seen what easy targets are out there.

Supposedly, there were some pedophiles hanging out on MySpace, but that story faded when they never showed up. There is a bit of trouble here and there, but nothing to make people stay away, yet.

It probably took a decade or more before hitchhiking disappeared from the American landscape and it will similarly take a while for things to change in this new social openness milieu. But make no mistake. It will happen.