Intro to Social Media; Social Media Issues & Criticisms

Professor Matthew Kushin, PhDShepherd University | Department of Mass Communication | 2012

Teams!

Team sign up sheet will be passed around today Make sure you’re team is on there! Remember your team number!

Teams should sit near each other in class

What is Social Media?

Web 2.0 a “buzzword”

Defined: When we value an online network’s ability to tap

the participation of large groups of people These people collect & create information

In other words

Web 2.0 is all about fostering connections between PEOPLE

Web 1: A Mass Media Web

Individual - content consumer

Production - controlled by a few Ex: media, Government

• Interactivity - limited• Technology restricts richness & extent of

human interaction Ex: E-mail

Published

ContentUser-generatedcontent

Web 2.0

Production – many-to-many People produce majority of content for one

another.

Organizations - enable content sharing through services provided

Interactivity - fast, rich

But what is social media?

Social media is media that foster social interaction between people built on Web 2.0 principles

So…. social media is like a playground

On this playground:

Network providers create playground Infrastructure

We “play” on the playground, providing the experience for one-another We create the user-generated content that others

consume, and vice versa.

Why is this revolution in media production so

important?

Fundamental Shift

Media production differs from other kinds of production (ex: industrial, agricultural)

media have the power to persuade, inspire, educate, and direct human activity.

Fundamental Shift

Society is the result of humans working together to,

achieve tasks organized and coordinated,

via COMMUNICATION MEDIA.

Fundamental Shift

So: An evolution in our relationship with media

Means: A shift in POWER

The Ethos of Web 2.0

Social media & a new ethos

Ethos – the dominant assumptions of a people or period

Social media ethos

Key societal changes: Human-to-human relations Perspectives about human & info relationship Perspectives about ownership

Human-to-human Relations

Hyper-connectivity Now have ability to share and co-create with

virtually anyone, anywhere.

Human / info relations

We’re encouraged to create media and share creations

Human / info relations

People used to information being “free” and available

Ownership

Growing attitude that what is created belongs to all of us

Ownership

In some sectors of society, movement towards relaxing control over intellectual property

Recurring Problem

These changes in society present problems for organizations: Tension between

cultural desire for “openness” And, organization’s desire for control / profit

Example

Conventional Wisdom:

A company cannot make profit if doesn’t protect all its assets

Example: Business

Traditional Closed perspective Trade secrets – A company’s competitive edge Brand is proprietary

Example: Ownership

Consumers take “ownership” of brands

Example: Problem

In a social media age

Facing this tension

Many organizations have begun: Harvesting external ideas

Seeking input & innovation from customers, clients Sharing their brand

Loosening stranglehold on intellectual property rights

Allowing for customers to modify & improve products

Similarly

As people increasingly interact with brands and identify with them

New challenges & opportunities for public relations emerge Ex: Listening to publics through social media Responding to online sentiment Building relationships with online communities

Social Media Challenges & Criticisms

Criticisms of Social Media

Threatens Authority & Expertise “Dictatorship of idiots”

Authority is measured by power of mass consensus Mob overrides expertise and experience, independent

thinking and analysis. What is produced in social media may be unreliable

Criticisms

Negative effects on Culture Web 2.0 ‘dumbs down’ culture by enabling mass of

talentless amateurs to create low quality, culturally devoid works

Criticisms

Democratization Myth Fragments citizenry by enabling escape into niche

groups

How is social media changing strategic communication

(e.g., PR)?

Cliff hanger…..

Show up next class

And do tonight’s reading about film director Kevin Smith