Ad Hoc Innovation by Users of Social Networks: The Case of Twitter
-
Upload
axel-bruns -
Category
Economy & Finance
-
view
4.026 -
download
0
description
Transcript of Ad Hoc Innovation by Users of Social Networks: The Case of Twitter
Ad Hoc Innovation by Users of Social Networks: The Case of Twitter
Assoc. Prof. Axel BrunsQueensland University of Technology, Brisbane, [email protected] – http://snurb.info/ – @snurb_dot_info
Source: AllTwitter
Twitter Fundamentals
• Core features:– 140-character messages– Flat network structure: either public or private, following
public accounts is non-reciprocal and needs no approval– Any user can be publicly addressed by name– Public Twitter messages visible even to non-users
• Technological basis:– Relatively open and powerful API– Thriving ecosystem of third-party clients and applications
Twitter as User-Led Innovation
• Major user innovations on Twitter:– @replies – mentions of user by name
@snurb_dot_info Thanks for posting this paper! It looks great.
– Retweets – reposting of messages by other users:
OK. This is getting silly. RT @Telegraph: Welsh harpist ready for Royal Wedding http://tgr.ph/fXw62f
– Hashtags – tagging messages as belonging to a topic:
#socialnetworks Ad hoc innovation by users of social networks: The case of Twitter http://t.co/4XC690A
#qldfloods Tweets
Third-Party Innovation
• Helper Websites:– URL shorteners: bit.ly, j.mp, t.co; also nyti.ms, tgr.ph, …– Photo/audio/videosharing: twitpic, yfrog, twaud.io, …
• Client applications:– Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, Yoono, …
(also for multiplatform social media updates)
• Capture, tracking, visualisation:– Twittermap, Ushahidi Maps– yourTwapperkeeper, Streamgraphs, …
The Twitter Innovation Ecology
• Twitter and its API as a user toolkit:– Tools and rules which define an innovation space:
“Toolkits for users … can increase the volume of user innovation. They also can channel innovative effort into directions supported by toolkits.” (Eric von Hippel)
Collaborative, ad hoc, user-led development of solutions to address a wide and diverse range of needs
Emergence of a cottage industry of commercial and non-commercial developer groups and solutions providers
Social Innovation during the Floods
• Self-organisation:– Rapid establishment of #qldfloods hashtag– Ad hoc development of community structures– Highlighting of leading accounts, vigilant against disruption– Suspension of petty squabbles (e.g. state politics)
• Innovation and rapid prototyping:– Adjunct hashtags (#Mythbuster, #bakedrelief)– Sharing and gathering of online resources– Additional tools (Google Maps, Ushahidi Maps)– Emergency services rapidly adopting social media tools
(despite lack of established strategies)
Twitter and Third-Party Innovation
• Embedding of user-generated solutions:– Functions to send and track @replies and retweets– Functions to track hashtag feeds, trending topics lists– Functions to support embedded links and images
“Need-intensive tasks involved in developing a particular type of product or service are assigned to users, along with the tools needed to carry those tasks out. At the same time, solution-intensive tasks are assigned to manufacturers.” (Eric von Hippel)
Misunderstood User Innovations
• Flawed implementation of retweets:– User-created manual retweet format allows for comments:
RT @Telegraph: Welsh harpist ready for Royal Wedding http://tgr.ph/fXw62fOK. This is getting silly. RT @Telegraph: Welsh harpist ready for Royal Wedding http://tgr.ph/fXw62f
– Twitter ‘button’ retweets are verbatim only:
The Battle for the URL Shortener Market
• Twitter’s referrals ploy:– All URLs now automatically shortened to t.co links
(even bit.ly, youtu.be, nyti.ms…)
All link referrals now pass through Twitter’s URL look-upTwitter able to provide link traffic analyticsOverall demonstration of Twitter’s influence on traffic
Undermines third-party URL shortener ecosystemRemoves potential for ‘vanity’ URL shorteners
Increasing API Access Restrictions
• Original model:– Moderate API access for all developers and researchers– ‘Whitelisting’ of accounts for greater access on request
• New model:– Moderate developer access remains– Higher-volume access provided via official reseller Gnip– Volume pricing: US$1 per 10,000 tweets delivered– Unaffordable for non-commercial researchers and
independent developers?
Twitter Ecosystem under Threat?
• Corporate priorities:– Twitter forced to generate revenue and attract funding– Increasing focus on Twitter stars and celebrity culture– Twitter infrastructure changes geared towards promoting
message dissemination and tracking, not conversation
• User priorities:– Self-organised communication and information sharing– Effective interpersonal and group communication– Straightforward and user-friendly link and content sharing– Unencumbered third-party tools development
Image by Maproom Systems
Axel BrunsAssociate Professor
ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation
Creative Industries Faculty
Queensland University of Technology
Brisbane, Australia
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @snurb_dot_info
Blog: http://snurb.info/
Produsage: http://produsage.org/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/snurb
More Information
Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and Beyond:
From Production to Produsage (Peter Lang, 2008)