From Twitpics and Tumblr to Instagram, the conception and evolution of photo-sharing platforms has allowed the socially savvy to broadcast our lives to the world. Social shopping, the latest trend to hit the web is making a splash by bridging the gap between brand marketing and the public.

A more interactive and aesthetically-pleasing relative of social bookmarking old-timers like Digg and Del.icio.us, newer sites Pinterest and Svpply allow users to curate lists of their favorite things, aggregating from third-party websites, personal uploads or friends.

While these sites aren’t showcasing particularly new or innovative concepts, they do utilize several small tools that their predecessors did not, including photographs, organization, increased sharing functionalities, and ease of use. No longer are users bookmarking items solely for personal use, but they are also sharing with friends, broadcasting their tastes via photographs and captions, now packaged in an aesthetically pleasing way.

As for brand benefits, not only do these platforms allow content to be seen by a multitude of new audiences, but also utilize simple linking tactics to increase site traffic and SERP rankings. Because these sites crowdsource information from all users, the brand is treated as and acts like any other user, helping to avoid a constant sales pitch feeling to a brand’s page and content, as well as humanizing the brand, enhancing their digital personality.

Though Polyvore remains the most widely used and unique form of social shopping, Newcomer Pinterest has attracted the likes of Nordstrom, The TODAY Show, and Marie Claire’s Nina Garcia who have already taken advantage of the platform. Additionally, brands including Net-a-Porter and Bottega Veneta have begun to curate content on Svpply, steadily gaining a following on the site.

Editors Note: The instant gratification that ensues after posting an item may make you an immediate addict.

Fellow tweeters in the Twitter community also voiced their tattoo design opinions, through the ‘Making Empathy Permanent’ campaign sponsored by the Social Tattoo project. By tweeting their opinions on which worldly issue would best be inked, the tattoo was determined. Volunteers received tattoos of global crisis issues based on which issue received the most tweets. The Twitter community voted by tweeting their most important issue, such as Hurricane Katrina, with the hash tag #socialtattoo to the account @social_tattoo.

Embedded digital tattoos detecting internal blood levels is another way people are linking their bodies to digital devices. This tattoo can tell the wearer what and when medication needs to be taken and even when they are dehydrated. The iPhone can then be used to read the color shift and translate the results into data.

Social media platforms and digital devices are evolving past means of communication towards a real physical and mental bond. Which means we may see the concept of humanity relying more and more on digital capabilities. True human digitization may be closer than we think.

“Technology is agnostic,” he explained as we found our seats. “We can create all kinds of havoc with it…the future is dependent on us.”

The 140 Character Conference in New York is a meeting of the minds for Twitter–similar to Ted Talks, but an express version. Dozens of Twitter superstars had 10 minutes on stage to enlighten the audience of the impact they’ve made with real time internet. There were spiritual thought-leaders, like Chopra, as well as people who just love sharing their interests, like "Sneakerheads."

The influence and potential of Twitter cannot be overstated. In a universe in which Charlie Sheen can aquire millions of followers within hours, it was reassuring to hear the entrepreneurial minds who are using that power for good.

Later that afternoon, the Lupus Ladies of Twitter took the stage. The group was made up of women (and one of their mothers) living with lupus, a devastating, perplexing autoimmune disease. Watch the inspiring, emotional video of the panel here.

Christine Miserandino, a member of the panel, is the blogger behind ButYouDontLookSick.com. The site has an impressive following among a burgeoning community of people with autoimmune diseases who have taken to social media to find commiseration, empathy, and ultimately a cure for these mysterious but debilitating diseases.

“You need to help people, when they need help,” Miserandino explained, “not when you feel like helping them,” describing Twitter and the real time web as “the 24/7 support group.”

The whole point of social media is to connect. True–for some people that means trading funny cat photos or fawning over Justin Beiber, but those connections can also turn into a life-changing experience for people who feel lost, lonely, or just need inspiration. And that's what we love about the community of social media.

Brooklyn artist Michael Arthur saw more than travel delays and soggy boots when he looked at the mounds of snow piled on the sidewalk. He downloaded photos on his iPad and drew over them, using the snow as a canvas.

And filmmaker Jamie Stuart, the self-proclaimed “Idiot with a Tripod,” shot this gorgeous montage of winter scenes in the city. He emailed the short film to Roger Ebert (yup, THAT Roger Ebert), who said, “This film deserves to win the Academy Award for best live-action short subject.”

It almost makes trudging through the slushy puddles a little bit poetic. Almost.

For those of us who weren’t lucky enough to try out the latest gift from Apple first hand, gadget blogs and amateur Twitterers alike expounded on the strengths and weaknesses of this little modern marvel.

We shouldn’t have to tell you how cool this thing is—the genius of its portability and sleek design is enough to forgive its somewhat unfortunate name. But you might wonder, how could Apple make something that was anything less than amazing?

Some marketers may have a word or two to say about that. As MarketingVox pointed out, there are some potential holes in the iPad’s integration into the media jungle:

-No Flash. This is a biggie. Lots of ads won’t be visible, and even if advertisers catch up with HTML5 quickly, there’s no way to track responses.

-No multitasking. In a world where we drive while putting on makeup while on a conference call while texting friends while doing a sodoku, how do they expect us to cope with running only one app at a time?

But thank goodness, Google comes to the rescue–AdWords will include the iPad as one of their trackable mobile devices, so we won’t be completely thrown off track.

A new platform called Ushahidi, developed in Kenya, has been helping those in danger by allowing people to report terrorist activity, riots, stranded refugees or natural disaster victims, rapes and deaths.

The idea is simple: anyone can send a text message to a specified number and humanitarian volunteers collect and plot the data on a map. They find patterns within the data to determine if a situation needs attention.

The technology was used in the aftermath of both the Haitian and Chilean earthquakes, giving Coast Guard crews more information about where to search for trapped victims. And as the New York Times suggests, the technology could even be used to find wanted terrorists—even Osama Bin Laden.

Social media saving lives? Who says there’s such a thing as “Too Much Information?”