DIGITAL COMMUNITIES Chapter Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Objectives  What are the characteristics of online communities? How do ideas travel in a community?  In what ways do opinion leaders develop in communities? How do these influentials influence others?  What role does social capital play in the value of social media communities? What types of ties do we have to others in our communities?  How has social media leveled the playing field and created a source of power for consumers? Visit for an example of a community organized around a social objectVisit for an example of a community organized around a social object 2-4

Online Communities  Online communities are groups of people who come together for a specific purpose, who are guided by community policies, and who are supported by Internet access that enables virtual communication. 3-4

Networks: The Underlying Structure of Communities  A social network is a set of socially relevant nodes connected by one or more relations.  Nodes are members of the network.  Members are connected by their relationships with each other.  Interactions are behavior-based ties such as talking with each other or attending an event together.  Flows are exchanges of resources, information, or influence among members of the network.  Object sociality is the extent to which an object can be shared in social media.  Vertical networks are sites designed around object sociality. 4-4

It’s a Small World After All  Six degrees of separation is an observation that everyone is connected to everyone else by no more than six ties.  Based on the mathematical model of small-world network. 5-4 Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Play six degrees of separation by clicking here

Characteristics of Online Communities  The interactive platforms of Web 2.0 enable online communities to exhibit the following basic characteristics:  Conversations  Presence  Democracy  Standards of Behavior  Levels of Participation 6-4

 Conversations. Though social media provides an online space for digital conversations, these conversations are not based on talking or writing but on a hybrid of the two. 7-4 Characteristics of Online Communities

 Presence refers to the effect that people experience when they interact with a computer-mediated or computer-generated environment. 8-4 Characteristics of Online Communities

 Democracy is a descriptive term that refers to rule by the people.  Media democratization means that the members of social communities control the creation, delivery, and popularity of content. 9-4 Characteristics of Online Communities

 Standards of Behavior. Virtual communities need norms, or rules that govern behavior, in order to operate. Some of these rules are spelled out explicitly but many of them are unspoken.  Open access sites enable anyone to participate without registration or identification.  The social contract is the agreement that exists between the host or governing body and the members Characteristics of Online Communities

 Level of Participation. For an online community to thrive, a significant proportion of its members must participate. Otherwise the site will fail to offer fresh material and ultimately traffic will slow Characteristics of Online Communities

How Ideas Travel in a Community  Network structure and composition play a role in the community’s ability to support its members.  There is evidence of community culture in the memes that evolve within the community  A meme is a snippet of cultural information that spreads person to person until eventually it enters the general consciousness. 12-4

Group Influence and Social Capital  Opinion leader – a person who is frequently able to influence others’ attitudes or behaviors. 13-4

 Opinion leaders are extremely valuable information sources because:  They are technically competent  They prescreen, evaluate, and synthesize product information in an unbiased way  They are socially active and highly interconnected  They tend to be slightly higher in terms of status and educational attainment than those they influence  They are often among the first to buy new products 14-4 Group Influence and Social Capital

Social Capital  Social capital is accumulated resources whose value flows to people as a result of their access to others.  Reputational capital is based on the shared beliefs, relationships, and actions of those in the community such that norms, behaviors, and values held and shared by individuals ultimately support a community reputation. 15-4

Strong and Weak Ties  Emotional support is one form of social capital.  Core ties – those people with whom we have very close relationships  Significant ties – those individuals with somewhat close connections, but less so than core ties  Weak ties – those individuals with whom your relationship is based on superficial experiences or very few connections 16-4

 Power users are those others view as knowledgeable sources of information  Five characteristics help to describe them: (1) Activists (2) Connected (3) Impact (4) Active minds (5) Trendsetters 17-4 Strong and Weak Ties

 The Bases of Social Power  Reward power: ability to provide others with what they desire  Coercive power: the ability to punish others  Legitimate power: authority based on rights associated with a person’s appointed position  Referent power: authority through the motivation to identify with or please a person  Expert power: recognition of one’s knowledge, skills, and ability  Information power: one’s control over the flow of and access to information 18-4 Strong and Weak Ties

Node-to-Node Relationships  Your level of activity in a social network is based on:  The mix of people with whom you are connected  The artifacts (content) you create on the site  The feedback you receive from others  The distribution of the artifacts and feedback 19-4

Influence  Word of mouse – online word of mouth and a very strong influence on consumer decision making  Ad equivalency value - what would the value of the unsolicited online mention be if it had come through a paid advertising placement?  Social proof – works by encouraging consumers to make decisions that mimic those of people in their social network 20-4

The Evolution of Online Communities “Modern society makes it more difficult to connect with others….” Do you agree or disagree? Why? Is online culture different from ‘real’ culture? Are people different because of technology? 21-4