Engaging with the social and cultural expectations online

Each community, particularly online, has its own cultural and social expectations. To be able to engage successfully, the international actor has to navigate not just the practical barriers, for example learning how to upload videos, but also these cultural and social barriers. (Options for Influence, p. 43)

Recognising the social and cultural expectations online will become increasingly important as organisations of many types seek to engage in social spaces to reach various social networks and virtual communities. The inclusion of buttons for Facebook, Digg and Newsvine by the New York Times demonstrated how seriously mainstream news organisations take these new spaces. In a similar vein, a few months earlier The New Scientist announced a tie up with MSNBC owned Newsvine offering ‘premium content’ for their science section.

So what sort of expectations are we talking about?

These social / cultural expectations can be as simple as typing with caps lock on being considered both shouting and rude, but can equally define the way individuals identify with their preferred social spaces. Discussions about the difference between Newsvine and Digg produce clear indications of the expectations these individuals have about the different sites.

Another example of the cultural and social expectations is the Cluetrain Manifesto. The authors argue that “[m]arkets are conversations”

As they put it:

Most corporations, on the other hand, only know how to talk in the soothing, humorless monotone of the mission statement, marketing brochure, and your-call-is-important-to-us busy signal. Same old tone, same old lies. No wonder networked markets have no respect for companies unable or unwilling to speak as they do.

This does not mean that messaging is redundant but highlights a growing community which refuses to be the recipient of direct messaging. For this audience a different approach needs to be adopted. Rather than messaging, the Manifesto argues that to be successful in networked world companies, and by implication, an international actor engaged in public diplomacy must speak with a human voice. It highlights that “the human voice is unmistakably genuine. It can’t be faked”.

Eric Raymond has described the ideas and expectations of this type of network as “anarchic, messy, rude, and vastly more powerful than the doomed bullshit that conventionally passes for wisdom” in his review of the Cluetrain Manifesto. Tech wreck also gives a perspective on this.

This may not be palatable but it is a clear message from one group of potential participant, and collaborators. To be successful an organisation engaging in international communication, like any other actor must recognise the particular social and cultural barriers to entry and conform to the expectations of the community.

While these expectations, which include language, tone and a judicious use of Caps Lock may be difficult to follow (some more than others), there are rewards for being able to tap into specific networks. Viral Marketing has benefited greatly from the ability to produce material which conforms to certain social / cultural expectations. For example, Dynamite Surfing (most versions of which carry the Quicksilver Logo) appeals to a particular audience – and as a result has been viewed (across the numbers postings) millions of times. Mythbusters went to the trouble of making a show arguing that it couldn’t be done – however, the comments on the mythbusters video, along with the large number of views just goes to show how much this video resonated with some of some of its viewers; a benefit of adhering to their social and cultural expectations.

In many ways this approach echoes the changing power dynamic within listening exercises. The participants set the tone through which the international actor must engage. With large networks, social spaces and virtual communities finding, recognising and adhering to these expectations may seem a tall order. While it is definitely a challenge, as I’ve highlighted before, encouraging (rather than discouraging) staff to use social spaces in their work time would help develop an understanding of these environments in the workplace. However, there are other things which can help. One possibility which has the potential to help in developing an understanding of these environments is data mapping / network analysis – which I’ll touch on next time.