social media / university of oslo's summer school

Social Media

Ida AalenUiO

• July 22nd 2013

Social Media

Ida AalenUiOJuly 22nd 2013

Masters degree in Media, communication and ITfrom NTNUInteraction designer at Netlife Research

Hi, my name isIda Aalen

@[email protected]://idaaalen.wordpress.com

Questions?

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Agenda 9.15-10.00• What is social media?• How and why does social

media spread?• How does social media

affect our social networks?

10.15-11.00• Communication and

interaction in social media• How does information

spread?

Photo: Harald Bøhn CC-BY-NC-SA

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

All Norwegian Internet-users 9-15 years 16-24 years 25-44 years 45-64 years 67-79 years

Source: SSB

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

13

26

39

4751

58


Source: SSB

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

13

26

39

4751

58

18

37

5552 52

63


Source: SSB

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

13

26

39

4751

58

18

37

5552 52

63

30

65

70

83 83 84


Source: SSB

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

13

26

39

4751

58

18

37

5552 52

63

30

65

70

83 83 84

13

23

46

55

61

69


Source: SSB

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

13

26

39

4751

58

18

37

5552 52

63

30

65

70

83 83 84

13

23

46

55

61

69

25

13

22

30

40


Source: SSB

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

13

26

39

4751

58

18

37

5552 52

63

30

65

70

83 83 84

13

23

46

55

61

69

25

13

22

30

40

0 13

1511

17


Source: SSB

Twitter BlinkMyspace NettbyWindows Live Spaces LinkedInFacebook Google+Instagram

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Q1-07 Q2-07 Q3-07 Q4-07 Q1-08 Q2-08 Q3-08 Q4-08 Q1-09 Q2-09 Q3-09 Q4-09 Q1-10 Q2-10 Q3-10 Q4-10 Q1-11 Q2-11 Q3-11 Q4-11 Q1-12 Q2-12 Q3-12 Q4-12

Source: TNS Gallup

300+ peer-reviewed articles on social media

300+ peer-reviewed articles on social media

(Unfortunately: mostly US research)

Social media: Definitions and characteristics

Photo: Flickr-bruker D. CC-BY-NC-ND

Photo: Flickr-bruker postaletrice CC-BY-NC-ND

– What was once a sharp break between two styles of communicating is becoming a smooth transition.Clay ShirkyHere Comes Everybody, s. 86-87

• Telegraph• Telefax• E-mail and mailinglists• Forums

• Text messaging• Instant messaging• Blogging• Social networking sites

The speed and ease of communication has increased

A definition

– We define social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to...

boyd & EllisonJournal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2007

– (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system,


– (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection,


– and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system.boyd & EllisonJournal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2007

When did the first SNS appear?

When did the first SNS appear?

19971999

2000200120022003

2004

2005200620092010

SixDegreesLiveJournalLunarStormCyworldFriendsterLinkedInMySpaceFlickrFacebookYouTubeTwitterFourSquarePinterestPath

– Just as with the popular website Friendster, which Zuckerberg said was a model for his new website,The Harvard Crimson, 9. februar 2004

members can search for people according to their interests and can create an online network of friends.The Harvard Crimson, 9. februar 2004

How and why does social networking sites spread?

– It’s just that everybody else is on Facebook so you’re there tooBrandtzæg & Lüders, 2009: 51

– So now we have everybody gathered [...] almost everyone is on Facebook nowBrandtzæg & Lüders, 2009: 51

– So now we have everybody gathered [...] almost everyone is on Facebook nowBrandtzæg & Lüders, 2009: 51

Network e!ects

Diffusion theory

Network effects are not always that important

• People may read your blog, even if they don’t blog

• People may watch your video, with out being signed up for YouTube

• You can enjoy Wikipedia, even if you don’t contribute

Peer pressure?

Facebook• People suggested and

badgered friends to sign up• Parents wanted to keep an

eye with their children• Peer pressure is not

enough to make someone an active user

Domestication theory&Social Construction of Technology

Facebook every dayAn idle week30 minutes daily

A busy week30 minutes daily

InformationEntertainmentIntegration and social interactionPersonal identity

McQuail (1987)

• finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world

• seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and decision choices

• satisfying curiosity and general interest

• learning; self-education• gaining a sense of security

through knowledge

Information

• gaining insight into circumstances of others; social empathy

• identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging

• finding a basis for conversation and social interaction

• having a substitute for real-life companionship

• helping to carry out social roles

• enabling one to connect with family, friends and society

Integration and social interaction

• finding reinforcement for personal values

• finding models of behaviour

• identifying with valued other (in the media)

• gaining insight into one's self

Personal Identity

• escaping, or being diverted, from problems

• relaxing• getting intrinsic cultural or

aesthetic enjoyment• filling time• emotional release• sexual arousal

Entertain-ment

Technology changes quickly. People change more slowly.

How does social media affect our social networks?

Six degrees of separation?

Is our world getting smaller?

• 6 degrees between e-mail users in 2001

• 6,6 degrees between people chatting on MSN Messenger in 2007

• 4,7 degrees between two random Facebook users i 2011

• 3,4 degrees between two random, active Twitter users in 2011

Under 50 51-100 101-200 201-500 Over 5000

10

20

30

40 200820092010

Brandtzæg & Nov (2011) - check out @PetterBB on Twitter

How many Facebook-

friends have Norwegians

got?

Under 50 51-100 101-200 201-500 Over 5000

10

20

30

40 200820092010

Brandtzæg & Nov (2011) - check out @PetterBB on Twitter

How many Facebook-

friends have Norwegians

got?

How many Facebook-

friends have you got?

– You can’t refuse... it’s a complete ‘no-no’, a complete slap in the face to like deny anyone who wants to be your friendBritish studentLewis & West (2009:1220)

– You can’t refuse... it’s a complete ‘no-no’, a complete slap in the face to like deny anyone who wants to be your friendBritish studentLewis & West (2009:1220)

Is this true in your

country?

Accept Ignore

Accept Ignore

Norms vary between

di!erent social media

We communicate only with a minority of the people we are connected too.

Friends in the “real” world

• ≤ 5 in the inner circle• ≤ 15 that you’re close with• ≤ 50 people you

communicate with often enough to know whats going on in their lives

• ≤ 150 people you have relations to

• ≤ 500 that you would say hi or nod too

• ≤ 2000 faces that you can recognize

What does this mean for our social networks?

Strong tiesTwo people with a close connection, e.g. family or friend

Weak tiesAcquiantances

No ties...but might have ties in common

Social network theory

People with greater and more varied networks have greater social capital than people with fewer and less varied relationsGranovetter (1973)

Social capital are the ressources a person gain access to through their relations to other peopleBourdieu (1983), Ellison et al (2007), ++

Social media increases social capital.But you’re not likely to increase your number of close friends.

Three hypotheses of what this might entail


The rich get richerPopular people with become more popular



The poor get richerShy or insecure individuals will more easily connect with others in online-based communication



The poor get richerShy or insecure individuals will more easily connect with others in online-based communication

The poor get poorerInsecure people will use social media instead of socializing offline

What about people who doesn’t use social media?

What do we know about non-users?

Myths• Lacking technical

competence• Asocial, insecure or

introverted• Too busy


Research• Less interested in what

acquaintances are up to• Dislike smalltalk, gossip• Just as many close friends

as active users• See social media as wasted

time• More concerned about

privacy• More focused on utility in

their use of Internet


Research• Less interested in what

acquaintances are up to• Dislike smalltalk, gossip• Just as many close friends

as active users• See social media as wasted

time• More concerned about

privacy• More focused on utility in

their use of Internet

Do you think this is the case in your home country?

Life phase

Generation gap

vs.

Interaction and communication i social media

Why do people say so much to so many in social media? Why do they expose themselves?

Photo: Flickr-bruker jaime.silva CC-BY-NC-ND

This is more difficult in social media

• It’s more difficult to tell who your audience is

• It’s more difficult to determine what the social context is

• When you know neither your audience nor the context, it breakes down the boundary between private and public

Persistence

Searchability

Replicability

Invisible audiences

PersistenceSearchabilityReplicabilityInvisible audiencesSee danah boyd

Context collapseEven if you do know your audience, it can be hard to decide how to act appropriately. Can you expose yourself in the same way to grand parents, close and distant friends, colleagues, former sweethearts, cusins and people you don’t even really know?

– They have such hearty, eventful lives, and document it with pictures of children with jam around their mouth [...]Aftenposten (12.03.2011)

– Something happend to us. A silent transformation. When we logged on Facebook, we shook off the law of Jante and became superheroes. Aftenposten (12.03.2011)

Photo: Flickr-bruker sweenpole2001 CC-BY-NC-ND

Photo: Flickr-bruker SemperNovus CC-BY-NC-ND

Photo: Flickr-bruker Patrick Q CC-BY-NC-ND

Photo: Flickr-bruker SemperNovus CC-BY-NC-ND

Photo: Flickr-bruker Patrick Q CC-BY-NC-ND

Photo: Flickr-bruker jennandjon CC-BY-NC-ND

Photo: Flickr-bruker panavatar Q CC-BY-NC-ND

Photo: Flickr-bruker jennandjon CC-BY-NC-ND

We have a need for acceptance and companionship.

...but how pointless is so-called pointless talk?

– Although phatic communion is understood as “talk that is aimless, prefatory, obvious, uninteresting, sometimes suspect, and evenWang et al (2011:47-48) quoting Malinowski

– irrelevant”, it is “part of the process of fulfilling our intrinsically human needs for social cohesiveness and mutual recognition”

Wang et al (2011:47-48) quoting Malinowski

Social grooming on Facebook


Writing on the wallSay hi, congratulate, give compliments



Post photosReminisce and share experiences



Post photosReminisce and share experiences

Status updatesMoods, where we are, what we’re up to

Photo: Flickr-bruker LWY CC-BY

– I get anxious if my last wall post was from a week ago because it looks like you're a nerd. It really matters. Girl, second year in high schoolQuoted in “Alone together” by Sherry Turkle

– People know it is a way that people are going to judge you. Girl, second year in high schoolQuoted in “Alone together” by Sherry Turkle

Illustrasjon: Eva-Lotta Lamm

CC-BY-NC

Forsideillustrasjon til New Yorker november 2009

– In the new etiquette, turning away from those in front of you to answer a mobile phone or respond to a text...Sherry TurkleAlone Together, s. 160-161

– ...has become close to the norm. [...] A parent, a partner, a child glances down...Sherry TurkleAlone Together, s. 160-161

– ...and is lost to another place, often without realizing that they have taken leave.Sherry TurkleAlone Together, s. 160-161

Photo: Flickr-bruker Difei Li CC BY NC ND

How does information spread in social media?

Is our world getting smaller?

• 6 degrees between e-mail users in 2001

• 6,6 degrees between people chatting on MSN Messenger in 2007

• 4,7 degrees between two random Facebook-users i 2011

• 3,4 degrees between two random, active Twitter-users in 2011

What do people share?

Information that makes people feel

• angry• scared• astonished

spreads more widely than information that make people feel

• sad

What do people share?

Information that makes people feel

• angry• scared• astonished

spreads more widely than information that make people feel

• sadHow something is articulated

means a lot for how it is spread

News and social information spread in different waysMore social Twitter updates received a greater diffusion when they were positive, while news increased their diffusion if they were negative

Why retweet?

• Might be interesting for followers

• To comment on the original tweet

• Indicate that you are listening

• Show support or agreement

• Out of friendship, loyalty or tribute

• To help yourself

The message is changed when it is spread.

Are social media democratizing?

• More sources makes the information seem more trustworthy

• People you trust may give legitimacy to the actions

• Attitudes are spread more quickly in larger groups

• If more people take part, each individual has more to win and less to lose

Diffusion is more difficult when the stakes are higher

0

10

20

30

40

50

Face to face Facebook Phone Satelitte TV Other

How did you first hear about the protests on Tahrir square?

0

10

20

30

40

50

Personal contact Facebook Text message Mass media Other

When did you find information about the rose march?

vs.

Photo: Sjur Stølen/Aktivioslo.no by-nc-nd

Political protest groups on Facebook

Some findings from ISF:• Young people are more

likely to take part in political Facebook groups

• People who take part in protestgroups on Facebook believe that they have an effect

Birds of a feather flock together

• Both repulican and democrat students more Facebook friends who shared their political views

• Political groups and pages are often named in a way that take a stand

• The NewsFeed will show more information from the people you more often interact with

Social proof

• What other people do around us, affects what we see as the norm

• What we consider to be the norm, affects how we choose to act

Political debate online

Findings from ISF:• 1 in 3 discuss politics

online, Facebook is the most popular arena

• For youth, Facebook is one of the most important media for news and politics

(Almost) everyone can say something in social media, but not everyone will be heard

• Jens Stoltenberg (177 000)• Morten Ramm (99 000)• Steinar Sagen (76 000)• Tore Sagen (68 000)• Espen Eckbo (66 000)• Truls Svendsen (66 000)• Oddmund Harsvik (65 000)• Are Kalvø (63 000)• Bjørn Eidsvåg (63 000)• Jenny Skavlan (61 000)• HKH Mette-Marit (61 000)• Svein Tveitdal (53 000)• Tone Damli Aaberge (51 000)• Davy Wathne (51 000)• Odd Magnus Williamson (50

000)• Jonas Gahr Støre (50 000)

Social media for everyone?

Digital activism"

Slacktivisme

Thank you!

Ida [email protected] 24 24 12@idaAa

Thank you!

Ida [email protected] 24 24 12@idaAa

slideshare.com/idaiskald

social media / university of oslo's summer school

Technology

years source

social media spread

social networks

norwegian internetusers

social network sites

social media ida aalen

mediated communication

facebook people