I've posted before about the IPA Social initiative. Each of us involved has written up thoughts on what we think are 10 of the defining principles of this participative space. Thanks to the brilliant
Hugh McLeod I choose this one:
When the Wikipedia entry for Social Media contains in its opening
paragraph the phrase,"social media are relatively inexpensive and
accessible tools that
enable anyone (even private individuals) to publish or access
information", I think that we've got a problem on our hands.
So
much time, energy and attention seems to have been spent thinking and
talking about Social Media tools and technologies that in my opinion
many have missed the point. Without people none of that means anything.
Maybe a little more time thinking about the fundamentals of human needs
and behaviour and a little less time trying to second guess what the
new Facebook/Twitter/YouTube is the more interesting the end results
will be for all of us?
By nature human beings are relational
creature. We need each other. We co-operate, we fight, we find
ourselves through our relationships with others. The ancient Greeks had
a punishment that was considered more painful than death - banishment.
By removing a man from his network of friends and family you were in
essence condemning a man to certain death and an extended one at that.
In
1934 Abraham Maslow wrote a paper called A Theory of Human Motivation.
Maslow codified his research on the five essential human needs in his
his now famous Hierarchy of Needs (much be-loved by Planners the world
over) The basic most fundamental human need that lies at the foundation
of all of us he argued is Physiological (breathing, sleep, food, sex
etc), then Safety (personal, financial, health), next Social
(friendship, intimacy, family), then Esteem (self-esteem, self-respect,
belonging) and finally at the top of the hierarchy came
Self-Actualization.
It's the two middle levels which are the
most important to our discussion on Social Media. For what is the
behaviour demonstrated on Social Media platforms such as blogs, Flickr,
YouTube and Flickr but "Belonging/Social needs" and "Esteem needs".
"Belonging/Social needs" in as much as digital
technology platforms allows connections and enables people with
like-minded passions to come together, be it a passion for gaming and
the ARG that attract people from all around the world to play
(incidentally Prof Monica Whitty has written extensively on the
romances that blossomed in the alternate reality worlds, many of which
have ended in real-world weddings and families), or more disturbing
passions such as Armin Meiwes's who found a "well-built 18 to
30-year-old to be slaughtered and then consumed" through the website
The Cannibal Cafe. Social Media is merely the platform for connecting
and sharing, in essence finding your place in order to belong.
But perhaps more interestingly is the way in
which people gain self-esteem and self-respect through Social Media
channels. Also known as the esteem need, Esteem presents the
normal human desire to be accepted and valued by
others. People need to engage themselves to gain recognition and have
an activity or activities that give the person a sense of contribution,
to feel valued and accepted, often that is in a professional sphere but
it equally could come from the sharing of a hobby or skill online.
It is through the comments and links of others that individuals
online gain authority and influence in the social space and thereby
increase their own levels of esteem.
The need is belonging.
The behaviour is social.
The out-take is esteem.
The fundamentals of human nature remain constant.
.....................
Thoughts? Additions? Examples? Ideas?
All gratefully received.
Background to the project and all other 9 Principles housed here at IPA Social.