According to a recent study by trendwatching.com, interacting with others online using web-based and mobile devices isn't turning us into isolated, "anti-social zombies" that many sociologists and pundits proclaimed and predicted. Rather these tools are providing opportunities for richer connections both online and in the real world. Dubbing it "mass mingling" trendwatching.com states,

Thanks to the online revolution, hundreds of millions are now actively searching for, finding, connecting/signaling, and staying in touch with likeminded souls in the virtual world. Constant updates, GPS and mobile online access is now bringing this explosion of dating, networking, socializing and mingling to the real world domain.

Social media tools provide an ability to communicate with a large, diverse network of contacts 24/7 and "on the go". These tools are blurring the boundaries between online and offline events and experiences, helping people with similar interests to connect online and then meet in the real world.

To illustrate this point, trendwatching.com offers the following statistics:

• Twitter has more than 100 million users who send 50 million tweets a day.
• Facebook has close to 500 million users with an average of 135 friends each.
• LinkedIn has more than 65 million users, with a new user joining every second.
• Meetup, a social networking engine that creates real world events for members of virtual networks, has 6.1 million members.
• Nearly three quarters (73%) of online teens and (72%) young adults (72%) use social network sites. Seventy-three percent of adult profile owners use Facebook, 48% have a profile on MySpace and 14% use LinkedIn.

This trend can be a boon for business-to-consumer (B2C) brands looking to capture the attention of these so-called "mass minglers". By understanding that people love to connect online AND in the real world, brands can create opportunities to organize events or meet-ups centred around the information needs, shopping preferences and behaviors of their digitally connected customers. 

Some brands - such as such as TechCrunch, Southwest Airlines, Microsoft and Disney - are already finding opportunities to use social tools like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare to connect consumers and build excitement about a new product or to deliver a special promotion, contest or service. There are even mobile apps - such as Stackd, Where the Flock and Dopplr - on the market to help like-minded individuals connect and organize their own real-world meet ups.

To capture the attention of mass minglers, B2C brands need to understand the ways in which consumers are using social media and then offer opportunities to help them connect with one another in the real world to celebrate or experience a shared passion for a particular product or service.

In this way creative brands with brick-and-mortar stores can leverage the mass mingling phenomena as a cross-channel marketing tool, delivering promotions online that motivate consumers to meet up - and hopefully shop - in real world venues.

Retailers with strictly online storefronts can leverage the mass mingling phenomena too, using social and mobile commerce tools to invite users to invitation-only product launch parties or to encourage customers to form their own events centred around a fun or seasonal theme. Offering discounts and promotions, contests, etc. to those attending these events can help encourage online purchases while giving these online brands the chance to create a "physical presence" with customers.