Describing Social Relationships

Creating a Social Taxonomy

This is a follow up to my post "Social Taxonomy: Alpha" published on November 12, 2014. In that post I promised to:

1. Define each element of the taxonomy to allow real world application, and,
2. Describe how each self-effect-affect grouping relates to the other self-effect-affect grouping.

The purpose of a social taxonomy is not to advance new theories about social content, but merely to describe what is happening when we use social media. If we can arrive at a way of cataloging how content creators and their chosen networks impact consumption, then we can seek to improve content creation and build better relationships.

The first part of this post will offer definitions and descriptions of how these groupings inter-relate. The second part will offer an example of how this construct might be applied.

The model is as follows:

Let's review the three different groupings of the taxonomy and provide definitions for each. The three grouping are "Self," "Effect," and "Affect;" and may be defined as follows:

• "Self" is who you really are.
• "Effect" is how you choose to project yourself in social media. For example, your photo / avatar, posts, and other interactions are all part of the "effect" you choose to make upon the digital world.
• "Affect" is how other people perceive you via your social presence.

This whole construct is simple to put into practice. Let's use the model to describe what happens when I post a new profile picture.

1. I ( my "self") decide to I want to put a new profile picture on LinkedIn.
2. I decide that a picture taken while hiking in New Hampshire projects the right kind of image, one that is interesting, but suitable for business. I post the picture to my LinkedIn profile ("effect").
3. My LinkedIn connections have a reaction to the picture ("affect") which hopefully changes their perception of me for the better.

This example not only helps describe the self - effect - affect model, it also illustrates the first elements of each category: "People," Avatar," and "Mental Construct."

The Self - Effect - Affect model has five different layers.

The first layer of the model is comprised of People - Avatar - Mental Construct. This layer is focused on people.

• "People" (self) simply means you, me, and our connections.
• The "Avatar" (effect) is a digital representation of "People"
• The "Mental Construct" (affect) is how we are viewed by "People" who know us through "Avatars" and other effects.

The second layer of the model is comprised of Create - Content - Purpose. This layer is focused on content creation.

• "Create" is the drive to make a statement, which is made manifest by content.
• "Content" is that which we choose to post / share on social platforms.
• "Purpose" is both 1) the reason we actually post content and 2) what our audience perceives our reason to be for posting content.

The third layer of the model is comprised of Act / Interact - Action - Cognition. This layer describes the channel and actual mode of posting / sharing. For example, I send a DIRECT MESSAGE through TWITTER.

• "Act / Interact" means a set of steps I will take to contribute content. e.g. write an article.
• "Action" is the specific manner in which I share content in social. e.g. I POST an article on LinkedIn.
• "Cognition" is simply the perception that content is available. If I don't see a post, does that post really matter to ME?

The Fourth layer of the model is Time - Schedule - Attention. This layer describes the importance of timing and attention.

• "Time" is simply that which is allocated to create content. In order for content to created, I must expend time, i.e. the weeks I have spent thinking about this post and the 90 minutes writing it.
• "Schedule" is that point in time at which content is actually posted. I can share content, i.e. schedule it for posting at different points in time. I tactically post content during specific days and hours to gain the most attention.
• "Attention" is the time allocated by my audience to actually consuming my content. Attention may a good proxy for value. Low attention means relatively low perceived value.

The fifth and final layer is Relationships - Connection - Emotion.

• "Relationships" are the actual personal, mutual interactions we have as human beings.
• "Connections" are the digital representations of real relationships. Interactions on social networks are merely a proxy for what is really happening between two human beings.
• "Emotion" simply means those feelings we experience when we encounter a Connection's avatar or other digital representation of that other person's "self."

Example: Posting to LinkedIn

What happens when I post to LinkedIn is actually a complex set of thoughts, actions and perceptions. [Self] I choose to write an article with a focus on my first degree connections. [Effect] I post content within the guardrails of my chosen social network. [Affect] My content is eventually perceived and hopefully consumed by my connections.

One action is thereby described from three perspectives: 1) me, 2) the framework of the social network, and 3) my audience. If my audience decides to interact with my content, by liking, sharing or commenting, my audience takes on the role of "self" with the same restrictions and perspectives as the original content creators.

I am still working through these ideas and welcome your thoughts!