Who needs friends when you can have followers?
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Information Science
http://andrew‐long.name@socialspace
Who needs friends when you can have
followers?
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“The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis"
http://xav‐drawordie.deviantart.com/
“You bought me a present? Why would you do such a thing? I know you think you're being generous, but the foundation of gift giving is reciprocity.”
-- Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory, season 2, episode 11
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“The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis"
http://xav‐drawordie.deviantart.com/
“You haven't given me a gift. You've given me an obligation.”
-- Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory, season 2, episode 11
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
There is no explicit support for reciprocity on Twitter.
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
Ties are directed; formation can be easy, organic, ad hoc and intimate (see ambient intimacy), but not necessarily reciprocal.
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
Friendship is reciprocal. Maintaining good relations over time, requires mutually beneficial exchanges and effort.
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
Embedded in these exchanges is a sense of obligation, in which participants can feel compelled to reciprocate, in kind.
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
Friendship also requires consent (amongst other things) from both parties to establish a potentially long lasting bond .
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
Twitter does not require consent nor reciprocity in order to play an active part in others’ lives.
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
Therefore, any sense of obligation is removed as a consequence.
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
If this is true, then why are people prepared to help others on Twitter, when their only connection is to follow them?
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
One answer I would like to suggest is that, it is the interwoven narratives that Twitter users share overtime.
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
People are motivated to help those to whom they feel apart of their stories, as they unfold in real-time.
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
The nowness creates a sense of urgency, inspiring action and providing social capital where only the weakest ties exist.
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
The point being, that the benefits of friendship can still be had with out the burden of reciprocity and therefore, obligation.
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
Is Twitter stripping friendship to its essentials, like its done to mediated communication?
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
I’m not sure, but I think it might be an interesting phenomenon to follow.
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socialspace
five hours ago from New Zealand
Thanks to Erika for showing the slides, danah and Stephanie for doing their thing, and to all of you for bearing with me.