Learning in, with and for the Social Web

Learning in, with and for the Social Web

Dr. Jan-Hinrik Schmidt

Senior Researcherfor digital interactive media

and political communication

New York, 13th October 2011

Social Web

Agenda

• Starting with… the Digital Natives

• Social Web… key practices

• Social Web… changing public sphere

• Social Web… some consequences

• Outlook

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Social Web

What if there were no Internet?

[Statements from focus group discussions in Hamburg and Lingen]

• „I think I‘d be ok. But if you know that it existed and then it is turned off – I think I‘ll go nuts. [- Why? -] I would miss Youtube-Videos and stuff, they are funny. Or chatting.“ [14 years, female]

• „I use the Internet for communication a lot – Messenger almost 24 hours a day, and SchülerVZ is highly frequented of course. But I also use it to get the information I need.“ [17 years, male]

• „You can do without the Internet, you can always do things outside the Internet. Playstation for example, or Nintendo DS, there is a lot to do. You don‘t always have to rush online, otherwise you‘re an Internet-Freak.“ [13 years, female]

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Digital Natives?

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Social Web

Research at the Hans-Bredow-Institute

“Das neue Netz” “EU Kids Online““Heranwachsen mit dem Social Web”

Monography on web 2.0 and its consequences

Internet and everyday life of 12

to 24 yrs old in Germany

Pan-European study (9 to 16 yrs old and

their parents)

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Quelle: EU Kids Online (www.eukidsonline.net)

Some data on internet use in Europe

Total Female Male Low SES

Medium SES

High SES

9-10 yrs 11-12 yrs

13-14 yrs

15-16 yrs

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

57 58 56 55 58 60

24

48

72

81

% of 9 to 16 year old Internet users who have profile on a SNS

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Agenda





• Outlook

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Social Web

Three practices

The Internet, esp. the social web, lowers barriers for …– Identity Management (Presenting individual interests,

opinions, experiences, skills, etc., etc.)

– Relationship Management (Maintaining existing and building new relationships)

– Information Management (co-creating, filtering and re-distributing relevant information / knowledge / content)

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Social Web

Social Web in context

Social Web is framed by more general social trends

„networked individuality“ „information society / overflow“

Thus, by using the Social Web one also engages in more general social practices

Activity Example Social practice Key question

Identity management

Blogging about a concert

Constructing the Self Who am I?

Relationship management

Sending or confirming a facebook contact

Being Social What is my position in society?

Information management

Sharing a video on YouTube

Knowing about the world

What is relevant to me?

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Internet – a distinct world?• Myth #1: „The Internet is a „cyberspace“ where people leave their bodies behind

and create new identities.“

But: How is identity represented on the Social Web? of 26

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Representing Identity

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Articulated social networks

• Myth #2: „There are no real friendships on the internet, only ephemeral communication with strangers.“

• 12 to 24 year-old users of Social Network Sites [in DE; 2008] had …

• … on average: 130 friends• … of which they had personally met:

most: 85 percent

less than half: 5 percent• … of which they consider close friends:

most: 15 percent

less than half: 62 percent The social web affords maintaining social connections

grounded in „real life“ – the distinction between „virtual and real“ becomes obsolete

Data source: Schmidt/Paus-Hasebrink/Hasebrink 2009 of 26

Social Web

Agenda





• Outlook

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Social Web

Convergence of conversations and publications (I)

Social Web brings about a new type of personal public sphere, where people…

• (a) select information according to criteria of personal relevance,

[instead of journalistic news factors or general relevance]

• (b) address an (intended) audience of their social network,

[instead of the disperse, unknown and unconnected audience of mass media]

• (c) and communicate in the mode of „conversation“.

[instead of the mode of „publishing“]

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• Social Web is further blurring the separation between „senders“ and „receivers“ which is central to mass communication

Networked public spheres consist of „microcontent“ which might originate from all different sources, but is „de-bundled“ and filtered through social connections

„Re-bundled“ content comes not as issues, editions or linear programmes, but as constant flow of information in „streams“ and „feeds“

Convergence of conversations and publications (II)

Social Web of 26

Social Web

Convergence of conversations and publications (III)

+1, Fav-Stern, Retweet

• Myth #3: „Professional journalism will be replaced by Blogs, Facebook and Twitter.“

• Rather than being replaced, journalism looses its monopoly on selecting, filtering, bundling and distributing information to society, …

a) … because non-journalistic users provide information („user-generated content“)

b) … because users act as filters and multiplicators of information within their social networks

The convergence of conversation and publication will shape the way we communicate and inform ourselves – individually and as societies of 26

Social Web

Agenda





• Outlook

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Social Web

Responsibilities

Contrary to the „digital native“ narrative, a responsible and reflected use does not come automatically with age (or youth…)

Rather, adolescents and adults alike have to be empowered to…

1. e.g. keep control over personal information and privacy

2. e.g. use online tools in order to engage in social affairs and debates

3. e.g. participate in decisions regarding the shape of the social web itself

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„Attention parents!Dangerous area for

kids“

Social Web

(1) Architecture and Audience

a) Intended audience: Whom do I have in mind when using a particular online service or plaform?b) Addressed audience: Whom do I address particular information in a particular situation?

c) Empirical audience: Who is de facto noticing information or communication? d) Potential audience: Who might be able to eventually access the information or communication?

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Four characteristics of communicative architecture in networked publics(1) make control over information complicated

persistence replicability scalability searchability

(1) boyd 2008

Social Web

(1) On dutch windows

http://www.colinupton.com/illus/images/cyberillo1.jpg

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(2) Layered participation

• Social Web affords different modes of political participation (1)

– Positioning yourself: signal political beliefs or opinions– Engaging in debates: arguing about political issues with others– Activating others: Mobilizing other people for political action

of 26(1) Wagner, Brüggen & Gebel 2008

Most popular platforms and services are controlled by commercial organizations

Users are not „citizens“, but „customers“ and „product“ at the same time

Rights and responsibilities are governed by contract and software code

Formalized procedures for appeals or self-governing exist rarely or rudimentary

Most users lack awareness to engage in collective action

Convergence of media literacy and political literacy

(3) Designing tools and spaces

Social Web of 26

Social Web

(3) The naked gnome demonstration

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Conclusion and outlook

The Social Web is an integral and for large parts indispensable part of everyday life – not only for the „digital natives“, but for an ever-growing part of adults as well

Thus, the consequences of the Social Web touch not only on individual users, but also on societies as a whole It affords specific practices and a new type of „personal public spheres“ It blurs established distinctions between the „public“ and the „private“ It affords and calls for new modes of political and social participation

Learning in, with and for the Social Web is critical for inclusion in contemporary societies

How can we achieve this? Let‘s discuss – and come visit #mobilityshifts

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Thank you!

Dr. Jan-Hinrik Schmidt

Hans-Bredow-InstitutWarburgstr. 8-10, 20354 Hamburg

[email protected]

www.schmidtmitdete.dewww.dasneuenetz.de

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Image credits

Slide 10ff.: © Hapf2, http://www.flickr.com/photos/44029537@N00/12760664 CC BY-NC-SA-2.0, Myles!, http://flickr.com/photos/mylesdgrant/495698908 CC BY-NC-ND-2.0, Axel V, http://www.flickr.com/photos/axels_bilder/126700804

Slide 12: © Robbie Cooper; http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/06/15/magazine/20070617_AVATAR_SLIDESHOW_1.html

Slide 17: CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0, Dominic Dada, http://www.flickr.com/photos/ogil/274628990/ Slide 18: CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0, Toby Bradbury,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrlerone/2360572263/ Slide 20: Jan Schmidt

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Learning in, with and for the Social Web

Education

Transcript of Learning in, with and for the Social Web