Katie Salzmann

Final Research Brief

New & Emerging Media Theory

Evolution
According to Michael Haenlein and Andreas M. Kaplan, social media is defined as a
group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations
of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content (Kaplan). That
being said, the start of the social media evolution can be marked by the creation of the idea of
Web 2.0. The concept of social media, however, started way before the idea of Web 2.0. In 1980,
Usenet was created by Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis. Usenet was a worldwide discussion system
that allowed Internet users to post public messages (Kaplan), similar to posting a status today.
Not long after, the first [actual] social networking site (SixDegrees) was launched in 1997
(Kuss), followed by the creation of Open Diary in 1998 by Bruce and Susan Abelson. These sites
marked the start of raw User Generated Content. On top of that, Six Degrees could be considered
a prototype of Myspace or Facebook as it consisted of personal profiles, instant messaging and
friends lists (Plymale). The year 2004 brought along the concept of Web 2.0, it was one year post
the introduction of Myspace and the same year Facebook was launched. This concept of a truly
interactive web encouraged people, not only to participate, but to create a presence online. This
also encouraged the development of User Generated Content as blog sites, such as WordPress,
Youtube, and many other sites became popular. These networking sites allowed average people
to create original content and post it to the web for everyone to see. The consumers had now
become the producers, giving User Generated Content a whole new meaning, or rather, how we
know UGC today.

Katie Salzmann
Final Research Brief

Theory
The concept of collective intelligence is very intriguing. Not only can you take advantage
of the intelligence unique to each individual, but you can combine each of these intelligences to
predict future behaviors. In one case study, Sitaram Asur and Bernardo Huberman observed
communities on Twitter that would consistently post about upcoming movies. From these
observations they would make predictions about the success of each movie, and surprisingly,
[they] discovered that the chatter of a community can indeed be used to make quantitative
predictions that outperform those of artificial markets (Asur). Their predictions were
consistently better than those of the Hollywood Stock Exchange, an information market that
would predict box-office revenue (Asur). From this, we can predict that the future of new media
will include a tool that will thrive off of collective intelligence to predict future behaviors.
The idea of collective intelligence presents us with great opportunities. However, it also
presents an obstacle for the amateur web user as they may suffer increasingly from information
overload and an inability to find or absorb the information sought (Biocca). This is where the
idea of social sorting becomes important. Although David Lyon references social sorting in terms
of surveillance, I believe we can apply it to the future of new media. Social sorting is the
classification and organization of individuals and communities. In terms of surveillance, social
sorting would potentially be used to determine the likelihood that an individual would commit a
crime. If we reference social sorting in terms of new media, it would be used to determine the
likelihood that an individual would read a certain article or click on a certain link. Social sorting
is an existing practice used by marketing agencies, In processes known variously as digital
redlining or weblining, customers are classified according to their relative worth (Lyon). This
process could be transferred to new media platforms to sort through the information available to

Katie Salzmann
Final Research Brief

different users, and present only the information deemed valuable to that specific user. For
example, your Google searches are tailored to your previous activity online. In the future, I
believe this form of social sorting will continue transforming the way we find information and
will dictate the functions of new media.
Issue
Following the creation of the World Wide Web and social media came the addiction to the
Internet. Internet addiction can be broken down into five different categories: computer
addiction (i.e., computer game addiction), information overload (i.e., web surfing addiction), net
compulsions (i.e., online gambling or online shopping addiction), cybersexual addiction (i.e.,
online pornography or online sex addiction), and cyber-relationship addiction (i.e., an addiction
to online relationships) (Kuss). Cyber-relationship addiction is where we find social media
dependence as the purpose of social networking is to create and maintain relationships. Social
media dependence is a real issue that will affect a large number of media users to some degree
at various times (LaRose). Although the majority of those that are affected by this are able to
manage the symptoms, there are a select few that will suffer a great deal from this dependence.
The popularity of social media grew so quickly, users didnt have a chance to catch their
breath. In just one year, 2007 to 2008, the overall time spent on Facebook increased by 566%
(Kuss). That big of a jump facilitates the want, or need, to be on all social platforms at all times.
Such as the case of the 24-year old female who used [social networking sites] to such an extent
that her behavior significantly interfered with her professional and private life. As a result, she
ended up being fired from her job as she would be checking her social media accounts rather
than working (Kuss).

Katie Salzmann
Final Research Brief

One potential cause that has been linked directly to this type of dependence is
egocentrism. According to Giffiths and Kuss, the egocentric construction of [social networking
sites] may facilitate the engagement in addictive behaviors and may thus serve as a factor that
attracts people to using it in a potentially excessive way (Kuss). Social media encourages users
to focus on themselves. This is the one place where it is acceptable to brag about oneself on a
daily basis. For those that experience desolation, these online communities allow them to cater to
themselves and draw attention to their presence, making them feel wanted and included.
As social media continues to gain prominence in our world, I think its very plausible that
social media dependence will continue to affect those prone to behavioral addictions. The idea of
social sorting will only add to this dependence. Ones interactions online as well as on
smartphones and other devices will be tailored specifically to each users unique preferences and
regular behaviors, in turn, making it harder and harder for one to exit these virtual worlds.
Blog, Cross-platform & Community Strategy & Tactics
Throughout this semester, my blog did not gain a huge following. This is in part due to
the substantial amount of social media blogs already available on the internet, and also due to the
fact that I am still figuring out how to condense my thoughts into a shorter post, while
incorporating links, pictures, and audience engagement. I used personal experiences to generate
blog ideas. My Dos and Donts lists were inspired by friends on Facebook, as well as what Ive
learned in terms of creating a professional digital presence. A few ideas were offered up by
friends who knew about my blog. I also wanted to provide real life examples of profiles and
analyze them for my audience, which turned into my Featured posts.
To create my strategy, I really focused on following the guidelines provided for us, as
well as referencing our first research brief. My main focuses included keeping my posts short,

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Final Research Brief

creating attractive content by using easy to read lists, linking to multiple other websites to add
value to my content, including graphics supporting my arguments and engaging my audience.
After creating posts, I would share them on Twitter to create awareness of my blog and alert my
audience of each new post. I could have also used Facebook, Instagram, or email to gain
awareness.
The main strategy I would use to reach a bigger audience and expand
readership/interaction would be to not only consistently post, but to share posts across all social
media platforms. I would make sure our best content has been posted to Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and Pinterest. I feel the most important way to catch your audiences attention is to be
available to your audience. If I promote our blog on Twitter but I dont attach the link, the
likelihood of our followers searching for our blog is very slim. The idea is to have the content
ready, available, and easily accessed, driving our incentives for our followers to go check out our
blog posts.
On top of the intensive distribution of content, I would reevaluate our content to make
sure what we are posting is valuable to our audience. One way I could do this would be to ask
our audience what troubles they are having or what topics interest them most, so that we can
create our content based off the needs and wants of our followers. Once I have established what
our readers want, I would take a step further and reach out to related influencers. I would interact
with their posts and link our blog in comments to gain awareness from their followers and
redirect traffic to our blog. I would reach out to these influencers asking them to link to our blog
to help us gain awareness.

Katie Salzmann
Final Research Brief

An Emerging Media on the Horizon

Facebook Mentions is an app solely for public figures that basically allows for PR
management all in one place. Some features include: live video streaming, using hashtags to
keep up with the latest news and following other public figures to see whats happening.
Facebook Mentions is compatible with Instagram and Twitter allowing you to update all of your
fans across three of the main social media platforms today. Facebook Mentions could potentially
create competition for Periscope as it incorporates the same feature of live video streaming, but
also incorporates the management of ones Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts in one
easy-to-use app.
Because Facebook Mentions is not open to the general public, its ability to grow as an
app could be significantly affected. Although it is a great tool for PR, they have cut out a large
percentage of Facebook users that would utilize this app. Because of this, the popularity of
Periscope may grow faster as it does not limit its user base. These limitations may also lead to
the creation of alternate apps that will offer identical features and will be available to everyone.
The exclusivity of Facebook Mentions could significantly harm its success in the future.
Social sorting would work as a complementary tool for Facebook Mentions. If Kevin
Harts followers interact with him on a regular basis, the more likely his posts will be sorted into
their newsfeeds. The convenience of posting to three separate platforms from one app, and social
sorting boosting ones posts would lead to the success of this app. Although, social sorting could
potentially counteract its success based on the interaction, or lack thereof, of ones followers. I
think the convenience of Facebook Mentions will lead to its success in the future, but its
exclusivity will shorten the lifespan of the use of the app.

Katie Salzmann
Final Research Brief

My Future
The first questions I would ask an organization in order to develop a plan for new media
would be: What type of organization are you running? Which social platforms are the most
important to you and your audience? Who is your audience (target market)? How much time do
you want to dedicate to your digital presence? What type of content would you be sharing on
these sites?
After gathering this information I would encourage the use of Instagram, YouTube, and a
blog. A lot of businesses are unaware of the opportunities available to them on Instagram. If the
nature of this organization was compatible with Instagram, I would strongly encourage the use of
this platform. YouTube is also a very valuable platform as the use of videos to promote ones
business is growing rapidly. And of course, blogging is very important to keep your audience
updated and build relationships.
My main goal would be to add value to this organizations name. It would be important to
track the behavior of current followers in order to create the most effective strategy. Posting
content regularly to a blog linked to their website would increase their SEO as it would increase
the activity on their website. I would want to make sure this organization understood the time
commitment involved with creating a digital presence. Creating content and maintaining a
consistent online presence is very time consuming. In order to be successful, this organization
would need to be ready to put forth the time and effort to create and upkeep these platforms.
Before this class, I was unaware of the impact blogging could have on a companys
digital presence. When I used to think of blogs, I would think of Tumblr. I never connected the
idea of a blog adding value to a business. Convergence and participatory culture are also theories
I had never considered before. Participatory culture is largely affecting news outlets and the way

Katie Salzmann
Final Research Brief

we utilize new media. I feel I have a better understanding of what makes for good content and
how important cross-platform communication is. I also understand how important it is that a
business listen and respond to its followers to maintain a trusted reputation, and create strong
relationships.

Katie Salzmann
Final Research Brief

Works Cited
Asur, Sitaram, and Bernardo A. Huberman. "Predicting the Future With Social Media."
International Conference on Web Intelligence and Intelligent Agent Technology (2010): n.
pag. IEEE Xplore. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?
tp=&arnumber=5616710>.
Biocca, Frank. "New Media Technology and Youth: Trends in the Evolution of New Media."
Journal of Adolescent Health 27.2 (2000): 22-29. ScienceDirect. Elsevier. Web. 19 Apr.
2016. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X00001361>.
Kaplan, Andreas M., and Michael Haenlein. "Users of the World, Unite! The Challenges and
Opportunities of Social Media." Business Horizons (2010): 59-68. ScienceDirect.
Elsevier. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. <http://michaelhaenlein.com/Publications/Kaplan, Andreas Users of the world, unite.pdf>.
Kuss, Daria J., and Mark D. Griffiths. "Online Social Networking and AddictionA Review of
the Psychological Literature." International Journal of Environmental Research and
Public Health (1996): n. pag. MDPI. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. <http://www.mdpi.com/16604601/8/9/3528/htm?hc_location=ufi>.
LaRose, Robert, Carolyn A. Lyn, and Matthew S. Eastin. "Unregulated Internet Usage:
Addiction, Habit, or Deficient Self-Regulation?" Media Psychology (2003): n. pag.
Research Gate. Lawrence Erlbaum. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
<https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Carolyn_Lin/publication/232977145_Unregulated_
Internet_Usage_Addiction_Habit_or_Deficient_SelfRegulation/links/0deec52b5dce471cff000000.pdf>.
Lyon, David. "Computer Codes and Mobile Bodies." Surveillance as Social Sorting: Privacy,

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Final Research Brief

Risk and Digital Discrimination. New York: Routledge, 2003. 13-28. Web. 6 May 2016.
<file:///C:/Users/Katie/Downloads/1.Surveillance as Social Sorting. Privacy, risk, and
digital discrimination.pdf>.
Plymale, Sam. "A Forefather of Social Media: Andrew Weinreich and SixDegrees.com." Eastern
Michigan University PRSSA Blog (n.d.): n. pag. Eastern Michigan University PRSSA. 26
May 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. <https://emuprssa.com/2012/05/26/a-forefather-of-socialmedia-andrew-weinreich-and-sixdegrees-com/>.