The Global Rise of Social Networks: Brave New World or the Same Old Thing?

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Context

History and Evolution

What People are Doing

Identity and Self – the Psychological Implications

The Sociology of Networks

Implications for Business and Marketing

Conclusions

Summary 1 Opportunities and Threats in Social Networking

INTRODUCTION

Chart 1 The Inter-Connected Nature of Social Media
Chart 2 Most Popular Websites in Major Markets (August 2010)

SOCIAL NETWORKS

Chart 3 Social Medial andscape

A Brief History of Internet-enabled Social Networks

In the beginning: BBS, AOL and CompuServe
The internet goes public
Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace: Networking networks
Facebook – the game changer?
The loneliness of a long-term blogger
Twitter and microblogging
Chart 4 Twitter facts
Table 1 Top 10 on Twitter (October 2010)

WHAT’S CHANGING NOW

The Internet Goes Mobile

The rise of social gaming
Branded virtual goods
Facebook goes geo and Apple goes Ping

People - Who’s Doing What?

Layers of connection
Chart 5 Map of Real World Social Connections

The Underlying Technology

Global and national internet access
Chart 6 Possession of Broadband Internet Enabled Computer 2009
Chart 7 Broadband and Dial-Up Internet Access – Household Penetration (%), 2009
Chart 8 Growth in Broadband Access, 2010-2014
Chart 9 Mobile Phone Subscriptions Per Household, 2009

The Americas

US surfers embrace Facebook and Twitter
Brazil: a natural route towards social networks

Europe

Table 2 European Access To and Use of Internet Technology, 2008
VKontakte

Asia

South Korea
China
India
Table 3 Top Five Networking Sites in India, July 2010
Africa and the Middle East: Access but not universal

PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF NETWORKS

Identity and Self

Identity exploration
Trials of relationship breakdown

Who Am I?

Public and private selves
Trial by image
Social networks show us to ourselves
Editing your life

Return to ‘Village Life’

Where Am I? New Views of Privacy

Public or private?

New Boundaries and Etiquettes

Being polite
Gaps between companies and customers
Mores and misunderstandings between friends
Defriending

Real Reality at a Premium

Changing technology, unchanging needs

Mobile Lives

Apps and Apple
Enter the iPad
It is a communication device, not a phone

Maintaining a Distance – The Complex Checks and Balances of Trust

The Applification of Life

Confectionery pricing models
Open source creates value

New Jobs and Money

Brand ‘Me’ - profile managers and identity consultants
The twitterteam
Data miners, cleaners and brokers
Network life support
Content kings and queens

THE SOCIOLOGY OF NETWORKS

Social Implications

McLuhan’s global village comes to life
Moving from a hierarchy to a network – is this the paradigm shift?
Chart 10 Dramatic Events Relate to Network Effects

150 – The Magic Number for Networks

Social networks influence everyone

Technology is Transforming our Perceptions of How Things Work

Global and Local

The potential power of second-tier networks

IMPLICATIONS FOR BUSINESS AND MARKETING

Where is Your Brand? The Move to Popularity

New Models of Communication

Privacy is Not Just Personal

Integrating all aspects of the brand
Global reach for small companies

Moving to the Cloud

Who pays to store the data?

Old Media, New Media – Who Cares?

‘Word of mouth on steroids’

Build Your Social Media Strategy in Line With Your Brand Strategy

Personal links mean brands need to be careful

Branding is Everyone’s Responsibility

Brand Advocates

CONCLUSIONS

Growth accelerating, the names may change
Two-tier networks and convergence
Need to know everything. Really?
Connecting means everything in an unconnected world
Power in the network
But how can companies respond and adapt?
Rules of engagement will be clearer; etiquette and respect for relationship boundaries are key

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

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