Social media will start to be seen as an essential service like the phone.

Sites like Facebook and blogs are to become an everyday essential, it is claimed, and may one day be seen as indispensible as the telephone or parcel delivery services.

The current generation of young people and future generations are going to view social media sites as a utility, according to Jennifer L Jacobson, director of public relations at Retrevo.com.

She said there has been a "recent explosion of Facebook adopters", making this a "real possibility".

One of the main hurdles yet to be overcome in social media becoming an essential aspect of everyone's lives, Ms Jacobson explained, is getting people who know a lot about and already use it to engage with it more often and at a "deeper level".

"I believe social media adoption will continue to grow, but that these specific areas will be where the largest hurdle lies," she added.

A recent study from BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, found that for people recently connected to the internet, social networking is the main thing adding to their quality of life.

Article Added: 28/09/2010 09:17:46