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.

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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 useEnabling – 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.

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What is social media?

Megatrends 1 – the death 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 freeHard to control, can only influence

The age of control

Megatrends 2 – Fewer gatekeepers

Many to many

Manage the gatekeepersOne-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.

One to many

Megatrends 3 – Fragmentation

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

A few centralised channels

Megatrends 4 – New web landscape

Pull communications

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.

Web as distribution channel Web as community

Push communications

Megatrends 5 – New journalism

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.

Ordered and

predictable

This is likely the most important emerging phenomena

How big is social media in the UK?

30 million+ accounts

Almost half the UK population

10 million UK accounts

> newspaper sales

5% of users write 75% of tweets

Visualization of how social networks are formed

•Define your Interest Space (6 dimensions)- Career- Sport- Academia (not likely)- Politics- Pop Culture- Cats

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Everyone within this network of interest is connected to each other based on one interest

This gave a picture that looked something like this:

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Represented by the large yellow circle, I have links into a number of different virtual networks as represented by the small yellow circles:

Initial growth of interest network (epicenteric)

As people have multiple interests, some of those interests are shared:As people have multiple interests, some of those interests are shared:

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Accordingly, they may already have links to the same communities of interests that I have – represented by the green lines

Expanded Network of 6 Expanded Network of 6 interestsinterests

Through the use of social networks, other people start linking up too - denoted by the blue lines, Through the use of social networks, other people start linking up too - denoted by the blue lines,

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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.

More evolution – the central More evolution – the central point (me) begins to be point (me) begins to be

obscuredobscured

Having a virtual web such as this can serve three key purposes:Having a virtual web such as this can serve three key purposes:

1)1)For For ““supportsupport” ” (i.e. your interests are not weird)(i.e. your interests are not weird)

2)2)For the search for greater knowledge For the search for greater knowledge unclear if ever used in unclear if ever used in this waythis way

3)3)To challenge those in authority (not happening yet)To challenge those in authority (not happening yet)

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Now we have a Web of ComplexityNow we have a Web of Complexity

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.

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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.

1) Support

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

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2) Search for greater knowledge

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.

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3) Challenging those in authority