Asynchronous is the new synchronous. Sort of.

I am calling for an end to classifying online games, virtual worlds, and social networks as being either wholly asynchronous or synchronous social mediums. Not only are these the wrong terms for what we really mean, they are treacherous generalizations. It also helps perpetuate the delusion that these are entirely separate industries, which I’ll dive into with a separate ranting blog post another day.

Asynchronous and synchronous terms began with technologists describing technology behind data communication. At some point we made the mistake in assuming this is a critical point of differentiation in describing the social interactions that ride the technology.

The truth is that technology is eroding synchronous communication while asynchronous communication has become so efficient that we can use it synchronously.

Our offline lives are being invaded by what Howard Rheingold refers to as digital distractions. People that read and write email on their Blackberry in a restaurant while their date is sitting across from them is a commonplace phenomenon today. I would argue that the conversation with the date and the email dialogue are asynchronous.

Personal computers of today are inherently designed to be asynchronous, making them a powerhouse for multi-tasking. While virtual worlds like Second Life and World of Warcraft simulate real-time environments, users rely heavily on features like chat history, inventory “drop boxes” and in-world email messaging systems for their social interactions.

While synchronous and asynchronous may be a way to distinguish underlying technology or loosely refer to the nature of virtual environments, we need to move the design discussion away from this being an either/or design choice.

Online social experiences should be designed from the ground up, using the right interactions and subsequent technology that make the most sense and are the most enjoyable for the users.