Before we had "social media" we had "social phenomena" like Pokemon. We have much to learn from Pikachu about bringing people together with technology. Credits: All product photos yanked from merchant sites. All art by me except for... Pokemon cartridge designs by this awesome guy: http://alforata.deviantart.com/

1. Everything I needed to know about social media I learned from Pikachu. an illustrated chat with Rachel Nabors @CrowChick RacheltheGreat.com

5. Ubiquity All your friends are doing it.

6. If people we like use something, we're more likely to use it, too.

8. Availability Everyone can access it.

9. The more ways we have to access something, the more likely we are to use it. Would Twitter be so revolutionary if you could only use it from Twitter.com on a computer?

10. Of course not! How would you be able to tweet while driving? Thank goodness you can twitter with your mobile phone!

11. Participation All together now.

12. *Not that this ever actually happened...

15. Camaraderie Friends by default. People like to feel like they're a part of an exclusive group of users, even is said group of users is very large.

18. Summation The bonds that people form over a product are strengthened and exercised when they come together over it.

19. The iphone huddle. Look familiar?

21. Thank you! Rachel Nabors @CrowChick RacheltheGreat.com