Day 5: “Power in Numbers, Power in Crowds, Power in Us” Friday, 8 February 2013 (NOTE: Download PPT for audio narration) Expanding on our discussions of “new” media, we discuss the sociological, communicative, and psychological bases of social media’s apparent success. We’ll highlight the role of “new” media in creating and cashing in on social capital, and how today technology is might be facilitating this process. We will also make special note to suggest that while the technologies might be new, the theories and human behaviors behind them are quite traditional.

1. #WVUCommMOOC
POWER IN NUMBERS

2. FOR TODAY
• Where’s my SideKick?
• Strength in Weak Ties
• Social Capital

3. I STOLE A SIDEKICK

4. I STOLE A SIDEKICK
• How was Evan able
to accomplish this?
We’ve always looking for social
networks, but we’ve only been able to
afford so much. Has social media
changed our “connection budget”?

5. I STOLE A SIDEKICK
• So, was it all worth it?
“I’m happy that Evan and Ivanna were able to
get their phone back, but was this really the
most ethical and “good” usage of our shared
social space?” What if we all used the „net in
this manner?

6. STRENGTH IN WEAK TIES
• Crowdsourcing is not a
new concept
• Milgram (1969) and the
“small world”
• How are (two) people
connected?

7. STRENGTH IN WEAK TIES
• Granovetter (1973)
• A tie is made up of:
– Time
– Emotional intensity
– Intimacy
– Reciprocity

8. STRENGTH IN WEAK TIES
Weak Ties Strong Ties
• Pro • Pro
– Novel information – Deep information
– Information spread – Personalized content
– Good for task information – Good for social information
• Con • Con
– No personal investment – Information overlap
– No source credibility – Norms can stifle sharing

9. STRENGTH IN WEAK TIES
• As we occupy this social space, which ties
are better to have?
“As with many of our discussions, often times
we have to look at the goals of each
communicator, and how they match up with
our own.”

10. SOCIAL CAPITAL
• There is (economic) value
in our social networks
• Information Economy is
– Useful information
– Useful connections
– Useful distribution

11. SOCIAL CAPITAL
• How do we increase our social capital?
“We increase our social capital by increasing
our role in the shared space, and we do this by
harnessing the connective power of our
communication technology tools!”

12. ENGAGE/CONCLUDING REMARKS
Embrace the machine…
Assistant
…because it‟s your tool, not your overlord

13. ENGAGE/CONCLUDING REMARKS
• One more chat! Share your answers and bring
your own questions and commentary:
– @bowmanspartan with #WVUCommMOOC
– WVUCommMOOC discussion forum
• 10 February 2013: Tweet-Up
– 1pm to 3pm EST (GMT +6)