David Weinberger's keynote presentation from MassTLC's social media summit on June 3, 2010 at Microsoft NERD, Cambridge

1. Social Media
at the Crossroads
David Weinberger Ph.D.
self@evident.com
Harvard Berkman Center
for Internet & Society
Senior Researcher
US State Department
Franklin Fellow
This talk does not represent the views of the State Dept.
June 3, 2010

2. Why social media matter

3. The Web was always social

6. Platforms
Essential Information

7. Software
Hardware Social
Protocols

8. Scale
Art ???
Gift

9. Who owns my content?
Who decides who can see it?
Will Mark let me post this?
When is Mark going to
change the rules again?

10. Are social media media?

11. Media stand between

12. Media aren’t media
content
Buy!!

13. (cc) Professor Bop @ flickr

14. If the Web were a medium…
(3 points)

15. We are the media
Transmit
Generate
Recommend Transform
Authenticate
Assimilate
Give value to

16. Information
Communication
Sociality

17. We are the media
We take on the properties of
our medium

18. We are the media
Intermittent contact
Interruptive
Need reason to call

19. We are a network
We are taking on the
properties of our medium

20. Parents with sick kids

21. Parents with sick kids

22. Parents with sick kids
Next day

23. Advanced Droid Updaters

24. People angry at SNL

25. Always changing
Transient to Lifelong
Crazy-easy group formation
With social networks:
Non-interruptive, Constant
presence

27. Two Consequences of a linked
social world
1.
4 Types of Transparency

28. 1
. Transparent Sources

30. 2
. Transparent self

31. 3
. Transparent humanity

33. 4
. Transparent interests
$

34. Two Consequences of a linked
social world
2.
Echo Chambers

35. Does the Net narrow us?
Centralized News
Major Headline
Smaller Feature
News Story
Local Quirky
News StoryIf it’s important,
Eat Your Broccoli
Stories
it will find me

36. Cass Sunstein
Echo Chambers further
convince us we’re right
…and move us to extremes

37. Are social networks
echo chambers?

38. Tough data
Look at links or behavior?
Does it vary by socio-
economics? Politics? etc.
Mythologized past?
Over-estimation of role of
diversity
Social role of echo chambers

39. It doesn’t matter
Echo
Festival of
Chamber
Diversity

40. What this means for
marketers
Marketers have liked echo
chambers
Echo chambers are bad for
democracy & culture
Resist Opportunities

41. Thank you.
David Weinberger
Blog: www . JohoTheBlog . Com
Email: self@evident . com
Twitter: dweinberger