balloons socialmediaandsocialpeopleweb

Balloons, Social Media + Social People

Zizi Papacharissi, PhDProfessor and Head, Communication

University of Illinois-Chicago

The beginning . . .DARPA launches the Internet

DARPA celebrates the 40 years of Internet in November 2009

The Experiment 10 Balloons Continental US Real time Grand scale Online network

Experiment Team building Mobilization

The Balloons

The Balloonistas

Students, bloggers, professors, facebook moms, people w/ nothing better to do, teenagers, professionals, technology geeks, EVERYONE in teams

The Top Balloonistas

Used:

Social networking

Web site

Variety of technologies

$$$$$

Online Social Networks,Social Network Sites,Social Media

Social networks have always been a part of everyday life and communication

Facebook etc technically not “networks” Platforms

Social network sites are Web sites that Allow members to construct a public or semi-public profile To connect with others And view and traverse connections between themselves

and others

Research on Social Network Sites (SNSs)

Multi-mediated self presentation

Public display of social connections

Electronically mediated social circles and status

Privacy and publicity of comm/multiple audiences

Social connections, local and remote

Strong and weak ties; social capital

The social become more social; less social have functional alternative

The premiseMore or less social people?

A networked self

More or less social media?A

ll media are social

More or less social places?S

ocial affordances of online spaces

Research Findings3 studies

Facebook use and social capital (Papacharissi & Mendelson, 2009, Media Perspectives for 21st Century, Papathanassopoulos-Ed.)

Look at us study – Visual Rhetoric of Facebook photo galleries (Mendelson & Papacharissi, 2009, Networked Self, Papacharissi- Ed.)

Architecture of online places and affordances of online social networks (Papacharissi, 2009, New Media & Society)

Study 1:Uses of Facebook and Social Capital

A different kind of sociability

The social couch potato Active? No. Passive? No.

Flexibility, mobility, and convergence of social behaviors (social multitasking)

Public Privacy of social ties Recognition of privacy risk; inability to react Reflexive understanding of privacy

Study 2 - Look at Us: Visual Rhetoric of Facebook photo galleries

Elements examined (Chalfen – kodak culture) Participants/Topics/Setting/Form/Code (aesthetics)

Participants/Topics/Setting Friends, physically close, mostly same sex groups,

even at parties, more women Popular events: Parties. Trips w/ Friends. Dances

and proms. School year holidays. Sporting events. Graduation (culture of documented/able festivity)

Mundane – hanging out Self portraits, numerous versions of (exhibitionism,

overt narcissism, celebrity culture)

Results – BehaviorOvert and exhibitionist articulations of play and

affection

Awareness of, interaction w/ camera

Smiling

Play: extreme expressiveness; broad gestures, open-mouths, tongue out; overt drinking Embarrassing shots remain up

Physical contact: hugging, arm-in-arm, heads together, cheek kissing

Results – AestheticsFocus on the self, self @ center (narcissism)

Centered, straight on

Medium to close distance, limited background

Self-shot

Posed

Bad composition ok

What’s not there?Family (Parents)

Small children

Landscapes

Animals

Older People

Sites/travel (w/out friends)

Overt sexual behavior

Results – Organization Mostly chronological – no structured narrative

Albums are collective – based on tags (Facebook architecture)

Deviations Based on posts by numerous people, can be out of

time order “Nostalgic” images – members of group in high

school or even younger

Results – Comments Reinforces closeness & in-group membership

Nicknames, inside jokes, statements of affection, compliments, changing looks

References to what happened: “OMG THIS IS SO SWEET! i remember this! We were

interviewedddddd!” References to longing

“aww I miss this” or “I miss you guys” References to group inclusion

“can someone please explain why no one tagged me in this!!!!”

“….it still means ur a.. needs to get the hellzz down there woman”

Comments tied to pictures & those tags, not to individuals

Conclusions

Visual self-presentation Photography integral to identity formation

Demonstration of group cohesiveness and independence from family

Events and relationships made real through use of camera

Majority of images demonstrate Awareness of camera Behaviors produced specifically for the camera Photos used as conversational pieces, contextual elements of

photos de-emphasized Images directed for closed group, reinforce group membership

and cohesion

Study 3: Architecture of SNSs

The architecture of online networks

Balance of public and private

Study 3: Architecture of SNSs

The architecture of online networks

Balance of public and private

Self-presentation in spaces publicly private and privately public

Study 3: Architecture of SNSs

The architecture of online networks

Balance of public and private

Self-presentation in spaces publicly private and privately public

Intricate performances of taste and class

Tight and loose structures

Thank you!

zizi@uic.edu