Business Social Networks and Generations

Business social network:

an “age levelling”

service ?

Business social network:

an “age levelling”

service ?

Ivana [email protected]

Chiara [email protected]

Media+Generations

ConferenceUniversità Cattolica

del Sacro Cuore

Saturday 12 September 2009

Business social

networkNETWORKis something that is constituted of nodes (vertices) and ties (edges). Network NOT networking.

SOCIAL networkis a network, where the actors represent nodes and the ties represent the relations between them. They can be personal or professional.

BUSINESS social networkare services that focus on the building and maintenance of professional social network. They can be online or in person.

Business social network SITES (BSNSs)are web-based services that allow individuals to make visible their professional social networks

(some) Theoretical

AssumptionBusiness social networks:

• The strength of weak ties

(Granovetter 1973)

• Structural holes (Burt 1992)

• Social resources (Lin 2001)

• Appropriable/intentional social

organizations (Coleman 1990)

(Business) SNSs:

• Internet as a social space (Baym

2006)

• SNSs are primarily organized

around people, not interests �

egocentric network, not

communities (Wellman, 1988).

• SNSs are dynamic systems

(Haythornthwaite 2000)

• Public display of connection as

identity signal (Donath and Boyd

2004)

Our research

Approachexplorative analysis

Aimto analyse how social capital is intentionally created/mobilised in business social networks (on line and in person)

Methodparticipant observation + survey + semi-structured interviews

Business social networks Milan IN/LinkedIn + BNI, Xing

The survey

5387interviews

1674respondents( 31%)

Online

questionnaire

May 15th-22nd,

2009

60 questions

Threeresearch

questions

Does age influence

the choice to join a business social network?

Registration

Age

influence:

YES

Age

influence:

YES

InterviewsParticipants here tend to be more

experienced, which is not linked to age,

gender or ethnicity.

(LinkedIn Q&A, man, consultant)

I can't say that I've even thought about it,

so I'd say no. Social media is an equalizer

in that respect; what matters is what you

know, how you share, and the time you

put into it.

(LinkedIn Q&A, man, General Manager at

Web Industries)

With this tools age differences do not

exist. When you meet someone in

person, age is something that affects the

relationship, with LinkedIn the first

impression is not based on age and

even when you meet off line, age

continues to be irrelevant.

(Milan IN, man, temporary manager, 71

years old)

I do it on purpose: I dress in a way that

makes me appear older, I have grown a

beard for that reason. Because

otherwise you don’t work. Via internet

you don’t need it.

(Milan IN, man, entrepreneur, 22 years

old)

Other features

Personal79% men

80% graduated (39% of them have a post degree)

47% live and 58% work in Milan

Professional65% employed, 18% entrepreneurs, 18% self-employed, only 0,5% retired and 1% students

27% Ict, 19% consultancy

Only 5% are seeking a new job

82% exceed 40 working hours weekly

42% yearly gross income exceeds 60,000 €

Does age influence

the way to partecipate?

ParticipationLinkedIn65% access the site at least once a week

They have on average 224 contacts

77% have a “open strategy” (connect with

people unknown to them)

30% of connections are online only

Milan IN15% access the site at least once a week

27% attend meetings and events

44% choose the event according to the topic being dealt with

36% participate every time they have the chance to do so

Age influence:

NO

Age influence:

NO

Does age influence

the results achieved?

Results

Age

influence:

NOAge

influence:

NO

Conclusions

1. Business social networks are mainly used by

people born between 1966 and 1978.

2. The younger and older age groups use them to

avoid prejudices linked to age

3. Once they access, there are no generational

differences about the way they participate and the

results achieved

Business social network as an

“age levelling” service

� Control group: to compare the members of

business social networks with their collegues

who are not connected

�Social network analysis regarding

connections and recommendations: is there

any generational difference in their social

network structure?

Next steps

� Baym, N.K. 2006, “Interpersonal Life Online”, in Lievrouw, L.A. and S.

Livingstone (red.) 2006, The Handbook of New Media, p. 62-76, Sage

Publications Ltd, London, California and New Delhi.

� Wellman, B. (1988). Structural analysis: From method and metaphor

to theory and substance. In B. Wellman & S. D. Berkowitz (Eds.), Social

Structures: A Network Approach (pp. 19–61). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge

University Press.

� Haythornthwaite, C. 2000, “Online personal networks”, New Media and

Society, Vol. 2, N. 2, p. 195-226.

� Donath, J., & boyd, d. (2004). Public displays of connection. BT

Technology Journal, 22 (4), 71-82.

� Granovetter, M. (1973). "The Strength of Weak Ties", American

Journal of Sociology, Vol. 78, Issue 6, May 1973, pp. 1360-1380.

� Coleman J. (1990) Foundations of Social theory, Cambridge, Harvard

University Press.

� Burt R. (1992) Structural Holes, Cambridge, Harvard University Press.

� Lin, N. (2001), Social Capital: A Theory of Social Structure and Action

, New York, Cambridge University Press.

References

Thank you