New Media Malaise
I think I’m going to go through my various social networks with the “hack and slash” method of removing folks. I’m going to “un-friend” (Myspace and Facebook), “disconnect” (LinkedIn), “Un-follow” (Twitter), and generally shred the lists of connections I have made over the past year or so. Why would I do this? Because I’m annoyed. Annoyed and a slight bit disappointed.
Honestly, my annoyance stemmed from Twitter, of all things. I love Twitter, don’t get me wrong, but recently some circumstances opened my eyes to the presence of a social behavior (the “Chat room/Community Phenomenon”) that I honestly didn’t think I would encounter in the New Media world. Wow, naïve, huh? The irony of all of this is that if Social Networking didn’t work, I wouldn’t have cause to realize the issues that annoy me so much. I guess that it was bound to happen, though. Here’s the run down:
- Last night I was linked to a post by Jeremy Bray, aka “pcnerd37” on Global Geek News Blog entitled “Twitter Etiquette,” and it’s successor, “Twitter Etiquette Part 2.” For whatever reason, Bray decided to take it upon himself to pull together what are supposed to be “rules” for using Twitter. I say good for him. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. What they are not entitled to is forcing that opinion on thousands of other people without the authority to do so. Granted, these aren’t being put into effect by anyone but those who choose to adhere to them, but the fact remains that the very gesture presumes more influence than is possessed. (As my non-academic friends used to say regarding the “importance” of scholars, “If I haven’t heard of you, then you’re not as big a deal as you think. Being a big fish in the bowl only matters to the other fish in that bowl.”) There is a distinct difference between having influence and authority. Which brings me to point 2…
- Recently an “Egos” page was created on Alltop.com. Even writing that makes me cringe. This page supposedly collects the “Top Egos” involved in the sphere of new media and social networking. Some “Egos” cross platforms, and some are grounded in “old media.” The fact of the matter is, the “Egos” page is nothing more than a popularity confidence booster. It’s elitist, it’s snobbish, and it undermines the very principles of New Media being a function of a community, with every opinion, blog post, and Tweet theoretically having as much importance as the next. No, not all blog posts are created equal, and they certainly aren’t authoritative or “credible sources,” but the beauty of this medium is that everyone who has something to say can do it with a few clicks. Everyone. Some of the individuals on that list have genuinely earned their spots through expertise in a particular area. Others are there because they’re friends of those people, and then others are there because they managed to amass a following for whatever platform they are known for and they are friends of the friends of the experts. Some I’ll continue following because I appreciate their insight. Others, not so much. What a sordid web we weave, indeed.
- I’ve been a part of online communities since the 90’s. I’ve seen communities, software, platforms, and concepts come and go. I’ve moderated a good number of communities and chat rooms, and I’ve developed and been an Admin for more than my fair share of these large communities. None were as big as the Social Networking sites are today, true, but the same sociological and psychological principles apply to a community of 200 or 579 people as they do to 200,000. The “static” sites don’t have nearly as many issues as Twitter. Twitter is 100% about instant interaction. People complain that Twitter isn’t a chat room, or an IM program. I’ve got news for you. It is. It’s a means of connecting instantly with a group of people and getting a response. Blog posts and message board posts can receive replies months and years later. The Twitter stream of consciousness is just not that long. It has the staying power of…. Yes, that right, a chat room. It’s used differently, it’s a variant, but it’s still serving the same purpose.
- Along with constant interaction comes various personalities. With this variation in personality comes the “Chat room/Community Phenomenon.” When a new community is created it always looks the same way—people work together to make it work. They have fun, they have amazing insights and ideas, and they contribute. But invariably the dynamic changes. Popularity contests begin. This isn’t done with a poll, or casting your ballot for Twitter Prom Queen, but it happens. “Oooo, X number of people are following TwitEgoNumberOne! I better too. All the cool kids are doing it!” Or, “If everyone is following TENO, then maybe I should too. I don’t want to miss out on the overall conversation, and hey, I have important things to say, and they’ll hear me and broadcast it to the world…” I’ve got some more news for you, folks. That just isn’t the way the ball rolls. Don’t believe me? Check out Aaron Brazell’s recent post “Twitter Terminal Velocity.” If you are following hundreds, or thousands of people, there is just no way that you can pay attention to every post. You’d never have time for anything else. But to the point—without fail, personalities emerge in the community (and with Twitter, and the 6, but more often 1 or 2, degrees of separation, that a gigantic community) as those who are experts, or “known” for whatever reason. Usually this remains unsaid, but known nonetheless. The “Phenomenon” comes in to play when people start throwing around the “weight” they decide they have to “make a community more orderly” or “organized” or “less unruly.” Sometimes this is in the best interest of the community. Most times, it’s about self importance and wanting to be considered an authority among people they respect. This will lead to “Official Rules,” which will lead to “Moderators” of some kind, and we all know where that leads.
- The very act of raising these issues of Rules and Egos creates a sharp divide, or at least a series of stratifications, that weren’t meant to be present. Folks, I’ve been down that road. I’ve been a part of that process time and again, and I just don’t feel the need to contribute to it on any global scale. I had more faith in the pioneers of New Media than I probably should have. So I’m going to change things on my own terms.
How? I’m going to stick to the PGH New Media mentality. One of the reasons that I am continually surprised and pleased with the growing enclave of friends in the
Of course, this is just my own opinion, and you’re free to disagree. Then again, I’m cynical and I tend to see the “big” picture far too often. I hope I’m wrong and that the “Phenomenon” skips this “Mega Community,” but I’ll be very surprised if it does.
Write Well,
Dawn
