(re: article by Ben Parr - http://mashable.com/2010/12/31/social-network-predictions/)
Bob Metcalf (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Metcalfe) once said "look at the telephone and how far it has come in a century, the Internet is only a few years old..." [paraphrased].
I do not think we can accurately judge or predict what communication and social interaction will come this year, or this decade. Looking back over that last decade, email was the extent of social interaction. Instant messages are almost gone - in favor of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Blogs. But even still, Twitter has been relegated into a tool for publicist and political activist, not social discourse.
Do not count Google out. But do not look for a lot of rejuvenation behind MySpace, Twitter, or Instant Messaging either.
The true untapped social frontier is business-to-consumer and business-to-business. Look for the greatest advancement and monetization to occur here!