IS2210: Systems Analysis, Systems Design and Change Twitter: Website:

What is Social Media? O Social media is a term that has been used to describe a form of interacting among many users O It looks to challenge the values of traditional media O This is achieved by the characteristics

Is It New? O According to Standage (2013), social media can be traced back 2000 years O Before traditional media, the Romans used to communicate by sending messages to each other, where others could comment, copy, resend, etc. O Slaves can be seen as the internet of the time, delivering the messages in the users social network

Social Media Today O Built on the foundations of Web 2.0 O Many devices used to access it, in many ways O A global phenomena

Does It Matter? O 2 out of 3 of the global internet population visit social media platforms (Nielsen 2009)Nielsen 2009) O Time spent on social media is growing 3 times the overall internet rate, accounting for 10% of all internet time (Nielsen 2009)Nielsen 2009) O 90% of internet users know at least one social media platform (Browne 2010)Browne 2010)

O 1.4 billion people use social media platforms to post status updates, share photos and links, leave comments and engage in discussions (Standage 2013) O These platforms account for a quarter of all time spent online globally (reaching 40% in some countries) (Standage 2013) O Each month people collectively spend around 300 hundred billion minutes, or the equivalent of six hundred thousands years, on Facebook (Standage 2013)

Definitions from the Literature O “Social Media is an umbrella term for a variety of applications, tools and services on the internet that allow individuals to interact with one another” (Richter and Schäfermeyer 2011) O What does this mean?

O “Social media is defined as a group of internet-based applications which builds on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0 and allows the creation and exchange of User-Generated Content (UGC)” (Mansour, Abusalah et al. 2011) O What does this mean?

O “We define social media to be the set of connectivity-enabled applications that facilitate interaction and the co-creation, exchange, and publication of information among firms and their networked communities of customers” (Larson and Watson 2011) O What does this mean?

O What does it mean to you? O Are you one of the statistics? O How would you define social media?

Characteristics of Social Media O These are the characteristics inherent of social media (Doyle 2014): O Social Interactions O Collaborative Participation O Content Sharing O User Generated Content O Dissemination of Information O Social Connectedness

Social Interactions O Users interact with each other O This is achieved through discussions O Example: Posting a message on someone's wall

Collaborative Participation O Users working together towards a goal O This is achieved through discussions with each other, and having an outcome O Example: Wikipedia

Content Sharing O We can easily share content with other users O Content can be links, articles, videos, etc. O Example: Tweeting a link to a YouTube clip

User Generated Content O Content that is shared is often user generated O This can be shared by others O Example: creating a YouTube clip on how to turn 4G on, on your HTC One

Dissemination of Information O Information no longer comes from the top down O It is generated and disseminated from the bottom up O Example: News stories on Twitter

Social Connectedness O Each time we communicate with another user, a connection (tie) is made O These start as weak ties, but have the potential to become strong ties O Example: Creating a subreddit on Reddit

Another Definition O “Social media are a collection of platforms that allow participants to interact through online conversations, where relationships are formed by collaborating and sharing content, which is disseminated from the bottom up” (Doyle 2014) O What does this mean?

The Platforms of Social Media O Social media enables many different platforms O They all have the above characteristics in common O There is often a mashup of these platforms too

Social Networking Sites O Platforms that enable users to connect by creating personal information profiles, inviting friends and colleagues to have access to those profiles, and sending e- mails and instant messages between each other. O Examples: Facebook, MySpace, Google+

Virtual Worlds O Platforms that replicate a three dimensional environment in which users can appear in the form of personalized avatars and interact with each other as they would in real life. O Examples: Second Life, Habbo Hotel, World of Warcraft

Collaborative Projects O Platforms enable the joint and simultaneous creation of content by many end-users, where it is believed that the joint effort of many users leads to a better outcome than any actor could achieve individually. O Examples: Wikipedia, Reddit, Delicious

Microblogs O Derived from blogging, users create a profile and are then allowed to publish information about their activities, opinions and status, with a character limit on the message being between characters. O Examples: Twitter, Yammer, Weibo

Blogs O The earliest form of social media, which are special types of websites that usually display date-stamped entries in reverse chronological order. O Examples: Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr

Content Communities O Sharing of media content between users, including photos, videos, and presentations. Users are not required to create a personal profile page, but if they do, these pages usually only contain basic information, such as the date they joined the community and the number of videos shared. O Examples: YouTube, Flickr, Slideshare

Open Networks O Many of these platforms are “open”, in that other users of the network can see most activity O Are we starting to move to more “private” networks? O Snapchat, Viber, Whatsapp

Personal Use O We all use social media in some form to communicate O Some users are lurkers, others power users O We are building a digital profile, where reputation is king, and leaving many digital breadcrumbs

Organisational Use O Inevitably, with the interest from users, organisations have began to look at these platforms O Looking to gain some competitive advantages by bringing them into their organisations O What does this mean?

The “I have a Facebook Account” Syndrome O A lot of organisations adopting them for the sake of it O This leads to disappointment when there are no interactions O Change is needed – but will organisations adopt?

Flattening of the Organisation O Information no longer needs to come from the top down O A much more democratic way of doing business is needed O Hierarchies are demolished with the introduction of social media platforms

How Are They Using Them? O They are using them both internally and externally O Internally to get employees to collaborate with each other O Externally to interact with current and potential customers, as well as business partners

For Example O Airline organisations use Twitter to communicate with their passengers regarding flight times, and baggage allowances O Phone organisations use Twitter to answer any queries that customers might have O Football organisations use Facebook to deliver exclusive pictures and videos of their teams

Are They Information Systems?

Social Media Policies O More and more organisations are introducing social media policies O What impact do these have on social media use? O Are they necessary?

Thanks O Any questions?