What is social media?

1. What is social media? The Central Office of Information (www.coi.gov.uk) said the following in its 2009 publication “Engaging through Social Media”: Social media is a term used to refer to online technologies and practices that are used to share opinions and information, promote discussion and build relationships. Social media services and tools involve a combination of technology, telecommunications and some kind of social interaction. They can use a variety of different formats, for example text, pictures, video and audio.

2. What is social media? Social media is much different than traditional forms of communication such as through newspapers, television, and film. As such, it has a strong influence on changing the social dynamic in either a positive or negative way. Potential advantages: Cheap – anyone with access to the internet (for example through public libraries) Accessible – the tools are easy to use Enabling – allows almost anyone to do things that previously were only the preserve of well-resourced organisations The use of the word “Social” implies a conversation. Social media is definitely not about one-way communication to a large audience from monolithic organizations. This is precisely why change might occur.

3. Megatrends 1 – the death of control The age of control The age of influence • Big organisations and companies had a monopoly on mass communication and got used to controlling the message • Anyone literate with an internet connection can self-publish for free • Hard to control, can only influence

4. Megatrends 2 – Fewer gatekeepers One to many Many to many • Manage the gatekeepers • One-way, broadcast model. • Managing reputation = managing the media. • Less reliance on media: people get information direct from the source, and from each other. • New-style comms must reach beyond media to a complex interactive model.

5. Megatrends 3 – Fragmentation A few centralised channels A huge cloud of interaction • People got most information from a handful of news media. • Organizations could efficiently manage (or at least monitor). • Conversations are distributed wherever people form opinions: blogs, social networks, YouTube • Separate provider for the content, and the platform for the content

6. Megatrends 4 – New web landscape Push communications Pull communications Web as distribution channel Web as community • The Web was a channel for pushing out information. • The Web was utilitarian. People felt neutral about it. • Sites were static e-brochures. • Now, people spend most time on interactive social media. • The social web is informal, immersive and emotive.

7. Megatrends 5 – New journalism This is likely the most important emerging phenomena Ordered and predictable Messy and opinionated • The world of press releases, news conferences and interviews was well ordered. • Journalists knew the rules of the game and were predictable. • Balance, professionalism, accountability • Huge and distributed. • Everyone can report. • Each sets his/her own rules. • No obligation to be balanced. • Complicated recourse for inaccuracy. • Opinion dominates content.

8. How big is social media in the UK? 10 million UK accounts > newspaper sales 5% of users write 75% of tweets 30 million+ accounts Almost half the UK population

9. Visualization of how social networks are formed Everyone within this network of interest is connected to each other based on one interest • Define your Interest Space (6 dimensions) • Career • Sport • Academia (not likely) • Politics • Pop Culture • Cats

10. Initial growth of interest network (epicenteric) Represented by the large yellow circle, I have links into a number of different virtual networks as represented by the small yellow circles: This gave a picture that looked something like this:

11. Expanded Network of 6 interests Accordingly, they may already have links to the same communities of interests that I have – represented by the green lines As people have multiple interests, some of those interests are shared:

12. More evolution – the central point (me) begins to be obscured There now is a very complex virtual web of people linked by mutual interests. The stronger each of those individual links is, the stronger the web is. Through the use of social networks, other people start linking up too - denoted by the blue lines,

13. Now we have a Web of Complexity Having a virtual web such as this can serve three key purposes: • For “support” (i.e. your interests are not weird) • For the search for greater knowledge  unclear if ever used in this way • To challenge those in authority (not happening yet)

14. 1) Support In order to return to the “steady state”, the trampoline responds accordingly – bouncing back. The same is true with those who are linked by a common interest to the individual who needs the support. What is difficult to predict is how others will react to such an individual being targeted. If, for example an individual finds themselves being criticised in the mainstream media, a “virtual network” of shared interests can respond accordingly. Think of the web below being like a trampoline. When pressure is put on the individual at the centre (i.e. the big yellow circle in the middle), it is felt not just by the individual, but also by others linked through the virtual network.

15. 2) Search for greater knowledge People – and now organisations are using their social media networks to crowd source information. Crowd sourcing is literally as defined – sourcing your information from a crowd of people using social media. Question: What sort of things could the following people use ‘crowd sourcing to find out?’ • An office worker organising the staff Christmas party • A journalist investigating a story • An academic researcher • A Member of Congress

16. 3) Challenging those in authority Some examples • A journalist investigating a story • An academic researcher • A Member of Congress More people from these backgrounds and beyond are now using their social networks to challenge those in authority. • Journalists are widening their social networks, in particular on Twitter, while at the same time receiving direct feedback on their articles • Academics are now able to bring their work to much wider audiences – but at the same time face greater public scrutiny on their work • MPs are now able to crowd-source parliamentary questions, but face scrutiny on how they vote in the Commons.