Dana Oshiro writes for villagerswithpitchforks.com and holds a position as the marketing director for peer-to-peer tech support site, FixYa.

In 2009, the year of the first connected US President, it's safe to say that user-generated content is firmly established in mainstream living rooms and offices. Not surprisingly, gadget and hardware manufacturers are encouraging the influx of content by incorporating sharing features and communities right into their initial launch plans.

Here are six gadget trends and their effects on social media. Have a social trend to add? Tell us about it in the comments.

1. Social TV

Tired of throwing sheep at your Facebook friends? Let your taste in TV do the talking. AppleTV has Boxee, Roku has Netflix, and the Slingbox has Sling.com. Major TV/Internet devices each have their complimentary social networking communities.







Love it or not, there is a social TV phenomenon. Buy the device, watch shows, and automatically broadcast your viewing habits to your friends. This is a great platform for discovery, but your unnatural love of Kurt Russell's early works will be exposed for all to see.

GADGET TREND: Internet television devices like AppleTV, Roku, SlingBox. SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECT: Boxee, Netflix and Sling become the social networking communities of choice for TV/film junkies.

2. High-definition geo-tagged content

This year a slew of PDA/phones have already been announced and launched including the Palm Pre, T-Mobile's Android G1, the BlackBerry Storm and the Motorola MotoZine. And each of them are built for the content-producer in mind.

The MotoZine alone holds a 5 megapixel camera and instant editing software. It's rumored that Samsung will be releasing a 12 megapixel camera phone in a few weeks. While the phone quality is questionable on many of these products, high resolution cameras and precise GPS navigation ensure that if Britney has a panty faux pas, even a trashed hotel heiress can map and tag it.

GADGET TREND: Hi-def media capture on Palm Pre, T-Mobile's Android G1, BlackBerry Storm, and the Motorola MotoZine. SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECT: Brightkite, Loopt and mobile Twitter clients that support TwitPic gain hi-def images.

3. Real-time uploading

If you're a purist and the idea of a cell phone photo shoot repulses you, you can insert Lexar's Shoot-N-Sync memory card into your existing camera and upload your photos instantly over any wireless connection.

For budding filmmakers, Eye-Fi's new Explore Card enables video uploading directly to YouTube. With the new cards live streamed images and video may permeate every network, rather than just JustinTV and Kyte. This trend is likely to add breadth and depth to breaking news stories, but it's an absolute nightmare for unsuspecting bachelor parties.

GADGET TREND: Real-time photo and video uploading. SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECT: Real-time uploading moves to the greater Internet, not just the life streaming destinations like JustinTV and Kyte.

4. Gaming immersion

With accelerometer-laden devices, OpenGL on phones, and portable avatars like Nintendo's Mii, now more than ever, gamers are wired and networked. And the bragging rights and challenges have become even more important. Enter Gamer DNA, Curse and the beautifully designed, Raptr. Now you can brag across guilds and games with a series of social networking tools that track your scores.

GADGET TREND: Networked Gaming SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECT: New social gaming tools like GamerDNA, Curse and Raptr spring up with built-in feeds to social networking profiles.

5. Pico projection

Handheld projection entertainment has officially arrived. The Optoma and the 3M MPro110 projector are just two of the projectors available on the market. Microvision's SHOWWX projector is set to launch in the upcoming year. These devices can be attached to smart phones and can pull up the web content of your choosing.

You're an online pundit, civil rights activist or budding filmmaker? Get noticed in real life by projecting your portable pitch, plight, or portfolio onto any white surface. My brain is going to explode under the weight of the sheer meta-ness of this. We're about to see videos of people streaming and screening web videos. Web video can be in elevators, bathrooms and even on ceilings. What's more, Samsung just announced its AnyCall Show phone complete with an integrated pico projector. It just shipped in Korea. Check out the MobileBurn CES demo here.

GADGET TREND: Pico Projectors. SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECT: SlideShare and Animoto web presentations hit the streets. Videos of impromptu film festivals emerge.

6. Pocket band







Whether it's software or hardware, hand held gadgets are ready for the coolest new music-making technologies. My favorite music making software is Smule's Ocarina iPhone app – an application that emits a pan flute-like noise when you blow over the phone's speaker. Smule also offers app users the opportunity to upload their songs and listen to budding players by scrolling over a global Ocarina map. Other popular software applications include DigiDrummer's iPhone drum pad and Guitar Hero 3 Mobile.

In the hardware arena, cell phone designer Au teamed up with Yamaha to produce a series of phone prototypes that break apart to form drumsticks, unfold to reveal keyboards and slide to mimic brass instruments. While the site is written in Japanese the demos are definitely worth the watch. If the people on your commute enjoyed your creepy acappella jam, imagine how much they'll love your new mobile Bollywood musical?

GADGET TREND: Mobile musical instruments. SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECT: Sharing sites like Guitar Hero Mobile and Ocarina let budding musicians score, play and share their music. Expect tech conference attendees to be serenaded by cell phone orchestras like this Mozart-inspired orchestral ensemble.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, erikreis