Why Do People Do It?

Unpacking the Motivation of Exposure

Jarred Cinman

• Why would an otherwise normal person spend countless hours and company resources making public their, and other people’s, private lives?

• Why do people consume this kind of content with such fervour?

• Is “social media” a positive or negative cultural force?

• Does social media deliver customers or other business value?

• Aren’t people worried about privacy?• Who cares anyway?

Who are they, and what are they doing out there?

YouTube StatisticsTotal videos uploaded as of March 17th 2008: 78.3 MillionVideos uploaded per day: over 200,000

A Video Interlude

Why?

Reasons for Using Social Media

Feel part of the community – 31%Recognition from Peers – 28%Participate with characters or brands you like – 9%Make Money – 6%Recognition from colleagues – 4%Others (share with family or for fun) – 22%

(Source: Techcrunchies)

Why Do People Blog?

From Sandhill Trek, sandhill.typepad.com

I started blogging some years ago largely to pass time and share experiences. A small part of me, however, was selfishly hoping for admiration and affirmation; a shallow attitude I've long abandoned. Eventually, I discovered the joy found via "invisible threads" and "sympathetic fibers" - those human connections made along the way.

... because I believe that there is only the particular and singular in life. It's that voice thing. I don't want to beat that to death, but I had this conversation with a blogger the other night…I mentioned to him - a new blogger - that one of the things I really enjoyed was watching someone new to blogging develop and emerge. Seeing their voice emerge…Peeling away the layers of clothing, the self-consciouness rising and dissolving, the tentativeness, the self-loathing, the self-pity and then BOOM - there she is! The naked Blog writer.

Short Answer: "To be heard“In my view, there are three regimes, roughly: One, few, many."One" == Diaries. Some people keep their diary on-line, and don't mind if others read it."Few" == Socializing, chatting. The intended audience is close friends, and events only of interest to that circle."Many" == Punditry. The goal is to reach as many people as possible with your ideas.

…it allows me to be famous and appear on CNN and also because I am asked opinions, interviewed by major newspapers and TV stations and I was quoted in NY Times twice. This is why I blog and of course the money is good too.

I am sorry I can't talk to you right now. I have two hot babes on my lap and they are making me very busy. I am showing them your blog and they just love it.

I blog to practice my writing, but often lose my focus and scream, and yell, and stamp my feet.

Having a blog is like having a column, a place to express myself, and in a forum in which others can respond in any number of ways. It also serves as a public method of keeping people up on what's going on or what I am thinking….Knowing I have some sort of regular readership keeps me at it.

So…

See me: The need to be famous

See me: The need to be famous

-•Fetishising of reality•Erosion of “the personal”•Clicks as self-worth

+•Breaking the tyranny of ‘The Man’

Typical Activities

• Blogging• Twitter• Photo Sharing• Youtube• Facebook

“Wisdom teeth are a %&#$% pain.I have had mine lurking in the background for the past four or five years. How

did that happen? Well, I never had the time to get it sorted. You know how it goes. If you don’t want to do something, you find as many excuses as humanly possible to avoid doing it.

Now, many years later I can’t ignore them any longer. They f***ing hurt. The top two have emerged, and have found space to develop into full-on teeth. The bottom two are not so lucky and are pushing on my back teeth.” (Expensive Mistakes and Cheap Thrills, Popular SA Blog)

“Eventually, after much urging on our part and the complete and absolute failure of her usual remedies of chocolate, evening primrose oil, femolene, prayer and counting to hundred, she went to get a prescription for some anti-depressants that are aimed at helping anxiety. Hallelujah and praise the lord. Eventually. Except she hasn't taken them yet. Because OMW! IT'S AN ANTI DEPRESSANT!!!!” (So Close, #4 Ranked Blog on Afrigator in SA)

“So, I have this tendency to do things on the spur of the moment. Crazy things. Dare-Twitter-to-dare-you-to-wear-your-pyjamas-to-work crazy. Yes, you heard right, tomorrow morning I will be going to work in my purple and blue stripy PJs and I will be twitpiccing it for the nation to see. Gorilla slippers and all. I got a bit bored tonight and tweeted that if I got 30 people @replying me on twitter, I’d wear my pyjamas to work.” (Snowgoose.co.za, Personal blog of a prominent Social Media industry personality)

Touch me: The need to be validated

Touch me: The need to be validated

-• I’m ok if you say I am• Externalisation of self-worth into the cloud

+• Community support• Deflating of “the weird”

Typical Activities

• Friending• Rating (of my content)• Visiting (of my content)• Discussion Forums• Chat

Hear me: A voice in the noise

Hear me: A voice in the noise

-• The rise of the global soapbox• Opinion is the new value• The commonising of the expert

+• A voice for the voiceless• Citizen Journalism

Typical Activities

• Blogging (& Citizen Journalism)

• Twitter• Podcasting• Video Podcasting• Social Network Marketing• Comments (incl. social

bookmarking)

Comments• “Do you guys not realise that our esteemed commie Govt and corrupt officials can lie and

do whatever we want and get away with it.”• “Nothing could be more graphically representative of useless but well-connected ANC

blacks than one Jacob Maroga. He truly caricatures the epitome of the most under-qualified yet highly placed USELESS Alabama Porch Monkey, siphoning cash off for his own gratuitous consumption, while destroying commercial value by his mere presence in the job”

• “Is the author (Michael Waddacor) who recently dissed capitalism and wanted more socialism/communism and who is now dissing socialism/communism and wants more capitalism. Bwa ha ha ha!!!”

• “I TOLLED yew already, that yew get NOTHING for yaw taxes! This month alone, The Munch has "donated" over R130,000 in taxes to our glorious government, but Munch expects nothing in return! They are buying CARS with yaw munney” – Munch

• “I sympathise DB. I'm no fan of the wANCers” – ‘Pockets of Competence’

Source: Moneyweb

Source: Moneyweb

Hello Peter (selected companies)

Banking Positive Negative % Negative Respond Y/N?ABSA 711 2397 77.1 YNedbank 588 1897 76.3 YStandard Bank 569 2797 83.1 YFirst National Bank 745 2600 77.7 Y

RetailPick 'n Pay 610 1095 64.2 YSpar 121 425 77.8 NWoolworths 138 732 84.1 NCheckers 28 231 89.2 N

ClothingEdgars 319 1120 77.8 YStuttafords 6 29 82.9 YMr. Price 57 146 71.9 Y

TelecommunicationsTelkom 170 922 84.4 NNeotel 114 833 88 YVodacom 798 5017 86.3 Y

GovernmentDept of Home Affairs 44 78 63.9 N

Average Negative for Companies Who Respond 77.7Average Negative for Companies Who Don't Respond 79.9

Tell me: The need to be in the know

Tell me: The need to be in the know

-• The new sense of belonging• Gossip as currency

+• No more hiding

Typical Activities

• RSS• Twitter (following)• Friending (cultivating)• Facebook

Ask me: Personal brand development

+/-• The new marketing• Business as a collection of individual brands• Opinion-makers and Influencers

Typical Activities

• Facebook, Linked-In, MySpace

• Blogging• Twitter• Earning money

Some Possible Conclusions

On the positive side…• More voices, more diversity• Unleashed talent• A more connected world• A more informed world

But…• A lot of content shared is

garbage• Truth becomes a matter of

popularity• Less quality, more crassness

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