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Why People Participate in Social Media

Posted by Josh Bernoff on April 5, 2008 3:42 PM

We continually get asked by our corporate clients: why do people participate in social activity online? What drives them?

In Groundswell we tried to collect as many reasons as we could, to reflect the diversity that drives all this participation. In this post I'll list as many as I can. But this is just a start -- participation is as varied as the people who participate.

  • Keeping up friendships. Facebook is about connecting with people you know, to find out what's going on with them.

  • Making new friends. We’ve all heard stories of people hooking up on social networks. According to Forrester's consumer surveys, one in five online singles has viewed or participated in online dating in the past year.

  • Succumbing to social pressure from existing friends. People in the groundswell want their friends there, too. Your friends, your daughter, or your golf buddies are emailing you right now, asking you to join them.

  • Paying it forward. Having seen that a site is useful, you may be moved to contribute.

  • The altruistic impulse. This is Flickr cofounder Caterina Fake's "culture of generosity." It's what made Wikipedia possible. People just want to help.

  • The prurient impulse. People are sexy, entertaining, and stupid. All that is on display in an endless parade of exhibitionism.

  • The creative impulse. If you're a photographer, a writer, or a videographer, the Web is the perfect place to show your work.

  • The validation impulse. People who post information on Yahoo! Answers, for example, would like to be seen as knowledgeable experts.

  • The affinity impulse. If your bowling league, your PTA, or your fellow Red Sox fans have connected online, you can join and connect with people who share your interests.

Respect this diversity. Keep it in mind as you set up your social applications. Assuming everyone wants the same thing as you do -- or as each other -- is a big mistake.

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I would think exposure is also a reason people are using social networks. I sure see a lot of people pushing their brand, blog, position in Twitter or Facebook. I am not talking about traditional online advertising, but participating in the social aspect while pushing their agenda. This seems as a new way to "network" advertise products and services without being intrusive. If the social network provides can find ways to monetize this activity it could provide a big revenue stream.

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http:/twitter.com/patrick_r_jones

- Posted by Patrick Jones
April 8, 2008 4:45 PM

I really liked what you wrote Josh. Especially the last line. "Respect this diversity. Keep it in mind as you set up your social applications. Assuming everyone wants the same thing as you do -- or as each other -- is a big mistake."

I reposted it on www.insocialmedia.com

I hope that is ok with you.

With respect,

Nelson Bruton

- Posted by Nelson
April 22, 2008 11:03 PM

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About the Authors

The Groundswell EffectJosh Bernoff, a vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, has risen in thirteen years to become one of America’s most frequently quoted research analysts. Josh’s analysis, which aims at a deeper understanding of people and how they use technology, has been cited by sources from The Wall St. Journal to “60 Minutes.”

Charlene Li is a vice president and principal analyst at Forrester. She is the driving force behind Forrester’s Social Computing and Web 2.0 research, examining how companies can use technologies like blogs, social networking, RSS, tagging, and widgets for marketing purposes.

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