Weinberger keynote

David Weinberger Ph.D.self@evident.com

Harvard Berkman Center for Internet & Society

Senior Researcher

US State DepartmentFranklin Fellow

This talk does not represent the views of the State Dept.

June 3, 2010

Social Media

at the Crossroads

Why social media matter

The Web was always social

PlatformsEssential Information

Protocols

Hardware

Software

Social

Gift

Art

Scale

???

Who owns my content?

Who decides who can see it?

Will Mark let me post this?

When is Mark going to

change the rules again?

Are social media media?

Media stand between

Media aren’t media

Buy!!

content

(cc) Professor Bop @ flickr

If the Web were a medium…

(3 points)

We are the media

Transmit

GenerateTransformRecommend

Authenticate

AssimilateGive value to

Information

Communication

Sociality

We are the media

We take on the properties of

our medium

We are the media

Intermittent contact

Interruptive

Need reason to call

We are a network

We are taking on the

properties of our medium

Parents with sick kids

Parents with sick kids

Parents with sick kids

Next day

Advanced Droid Updaters

People angry at SNL

Always changing

Transient to Lifelong

Crazy-easy group formation

With social networks:

Non-interruptive, Constant

presence

Two Consequences of a linked

social world

1.

4 Types of Transparency

1. Transparent Sources

2. Transparent self

3. Transparent humanity

$

4. Transparent interests

Two Consequences of a linked

social world

2.

Echo Chambers

Does the Net narrow us?

Centralized News

Major Headline

Smaller

News

Feature

Story

Local

News

Quirky

Story

Eat Your Broccoli

Stories

If it’s important,

it will find me

Cass Sunstein

Echo Chambers further

convince us we’re right

…and move us to extremes

Are social networks

echo chambers?

Tough data

Look at links or behavior?

Does it vary by socio-

economics? Politics? etc.

Mythologized past?

Over-estimation of role of

diversity

Social role of echo chambers

It doesn’t matter

Echo

ChamberFestival of

Diversity

What this means for

marketersMarketers have liked echo

chambers

Echo chambers are bad for

democracy & culture

Resist Opportunities

Thank you.

David Weinberger

Blog: www . JohoTheBlog . Com

Email: self@evident . com

Twitter: dweinberger