Studying the impact of innovation on business and society

Tag: anthropology

Social Media is About Sociology and Psychology Not Technology

Social Media is About Sociology and Psychology Not Technology

An important reminder… Social media is about sociology and psychology, not technology. Original quote circa 2007. I’ve remixed it over the years to include anthropology and other social sciences.  The original idea is what helped to formalize my work into what would eventually become “digital anthropology.” The statement was true then and perhaps, truer now. Source: Google

Study: Will You Abandon Facebook in Favor of Google+?

The question seems premature or perhaps over dramatized, but I ask it with all sincerity. Whether the answer is yes or no or if the answer is not yet within grasp, think about the question at any level you wish and try to answer it. It is the process of thinking through the strengths and weaknesses of Facebook and Google Plus where you discover what each network means to you and why and how you will divide your time and…

Malcolm Gladwell, Your Slip is Showing

Solidarity Time is always limited, but in these historic times, I wished to add perspective in the hopes of moving this important conversation in a productive direction. Malcolm Gladwell continues his march toward dissension with his latest installment in the New Yorker about social media vs. social activism. Honestly, Gladwell is more than welcome to share his thoughts as it is a democratized information economy after all.  I do find it alarming however, that he is wielding his influence through…

Best of 2010: Getting to Know Your Friends, Fans and Followers

In 2010, we were introduced to the important distinctions between monitoring and listening. At the same time, we observed an emerging dichotomy between the social graph (your personal and professional connections) and the interest graph (those who share common interests, goals, and concerns). For business strategists, publishers, and marketers, windows into the world of customers and influencers were finally jarred open to reveal the people who define online markets. In 2011, we will place greater emphasis on listening as a…

Best of 2010: We the People

There’s an old saying that I think about more and more as I study technology and its impact on behavior…technology changes, people don’t. But nowadays, I’m not so sure. I think technology is indeed changing and us along with it. Whether it’s through social networks or digital lifestyle products such as iPhones and Kindles, we are adapting and perhaps evolving as a result. Through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, we are learning to live our lives online,…

How Twitter is Changing: A new study reveals Twitter’s new direction

2010 will be forever commemorated as the year Twitter matured from a cool but undecided teenager into a more confident and assertive young adult. While there’s still much room to mature and develop, Twitter’s new direction is crystallizing. With a new look, Dick Costolo as the new CEO, and an oversold new advertising platform, Twitter is growing into something not yet fully identifiable, but formidable nonetheless. At a minimum, Twitter is an extension of each one of us. It feeds…

Who are All of These Tweeple?

Twitter is not a social network. While Facebook is the digital equivalent to your online residence,  Twitter is your window to relevance, a network where individuals connect through fleeting interactions yet rooted in context and interaction.  How we embrace and invest our persona in this paradigm says more about the future of digital culture and ourselves than we might imagine. And, it’s only increasing in its societal prevalence. – More than 100 million Tweets fly across Twitter every day. –…

Social “Me”dia and the Evolving Twitter Egosystem

There’s a saying, “technology changes, people don’t.” Yet, when we consider the impact of technology on our daily lives, some very interesting observations surface… A pen now feels awkward to hold and as such, our penmanship is deteriorating. It’s now common to sit at a dinner table with family and friends where some are actively communicating with others, listening to music or gaming via mobile devices. We are redefining the perception, boundaries and thresholds for privacy as we once knew…

Video: The New Influencers, Does Old School Media Get It?

In part seven of a series of conversations exploring the state and future of social media, Chris Beck, founder of 26dottwo (@26dottwo) and I review the rise of the new influencers (you and me) and how traditional media can adapt to the democratization of content creation and curation. As new media creates a bottom up (r)evolution, the top-down methodologies of publishing are forced to adapt. Consumers are now in full control of defining their own experiences, with whom they connect,…

Video: Media Consumption vs. Usage and the New Role of Digital Sociologists

In part three of a series of conversations discussing the state and future of social media with Chris Beck, founder of 26dottwo (@26dottwo), we review media consumption and usage and how in social networks, individuals are in control of defining their own experiences. As such, organizations are now required to study the cultures of each community in order to learn how to best establish a presence to equalize the dynamics of engagement. The idea of a digital sociologist is discussed…

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