Technology

Social media represents an evolution in human communication capabilities but the behavioural change it has prompted typically tend to be around particular kinds of messages, especially advocacy, experts observed during a panel discussion on the concluding day of the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit.

Faisal Abbas, Editor-in-Chief, AlArabiya.net, was hosting a discussion on The Hidden Power of Social Networks with Dr. Nicholas Christakis, Sol Goldman Family Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University and co-author of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives.

Dr. Christakis said that social media is a matchless medium to exchange information, but cannot be seen as a driver of behavioural change. I would draw a parallel to the telephone just because someone calls you on the phone to sell you something, you will not buy it. However, if your close friend calls to recommend a product, a film or book, you may consider it more seriously. Through this logic, social media itself can be layered into two: the layer of weak ties, which includes all acquaintances, celebrities, brands that you follow, and the layer of social connection, which has your intimate connections that can actually influence your decisions.

Since social media took significant credit for the success of the Arab Spring in recent times, the session focused on whether controlled environments or networks could actually drive desired behavior. Agreeing that consistent exposure to tragedies via social media could numb the viewer towards global causes, Dr. Christakis defended the role of traditional media in understanding news.

Social networks are a great way to get breaking news, but for the full story, one would be better informed via traditional media. Seeing one image or video on breaking news may not provide the full information needed to truly understand the news.

Dr. Christakis said that since social networking tends to follow the typical real-world networks and connections that an individual would make. It is the message that is being heeded, and social media is the vehicle on which these messages are delivered to the right people at the right time.

The key to effective social engagement is in the message. Without a clear message that could initiative behavioural change, the medium itself is immaterial. Growing a network inorganically by buying followers would typically have zero value, and Im almost certain it will do nothing to influence any behavior, Dr. Christakis said.

The humanizing element of social media is in its capacity for good. There are multiple experiments around the world whereby connected humans are being used as sensors so that bigger data is captured. For instance, a concentration of mobile subscribers at a particular point on a highway could indicate a traffic jam, and mobile users heading in that direction can receive notifications to take an alternate route, he explained.

Dr. Christakis said that he success of social networking can be tied to a basic human need to have friends. This is fairly unique in the natural world, and humans have evolved this to an unmatched degree. There is a significant amount of social learning that has benefited humanity purely by its sharing. For instance, every human now doesnt need to get burnt to understand that fire is hot. It is now in our collective knowledge, and this leads to the social capital that humans have built, where the whole is larger than the sum of its parts.

According to research by Dr. Christakis, social media tends to follow basic human communication and interaction principles. Technology has only changed the ways that people access their networks, and how the core network can be geographically distributed it hasnt really changed the way people build a network or how they interact with them.

The behavioural modifications that social media has prompted include enormity, marked by the sheer volume of people interacting on social networks which allow messages to be echoed quickly across a broader audience, and specificity, whereby it can help access a very specific profile of a person or a very focused piece of information

Social media also allows for small bits of information to be brought together to create one whole that is larger in value than the sum of its parts, he said, citing the example of Wikipedia, which now represents one of the greatest endeavours in capturing human knowledge across diverse topics in one place. Another key facet is virtuality, which can allow traditionally marginalized individuals or communities to find their voice and support online.

Social media can be a great way to earn trust, when the network begins to believe that there is credibility in the message and the messenger. This is cited as a reason for the emergence of unlikely celebrities on social media, he said. Real world persona does not necessarily need to have a bearing on ones online persona. The mass of people online, however, may not entirely represent the mentality, preferences, and priorities of the entire community, when the offline community is included as well.

Organised under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit brought together more than 1500 social media experts from Arab countries and across the world. As many as 38 leading speakers and influencers inspired young Arabs to employ their innovative ideas to serve the Arab community through optimal use of social media channels.

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