Ad Hoc Innovation by Users of Social Networks: The Case of Twitter

Assoc. Prof. Axel BrunsQueensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australiaa.bruns@qut.edu.au – http://snurb.info/ – @snurb_dot_info

Source: AllTwitter

Twitter Fundamentals

• Core features:– 140-character messages– Flat network structure: either public or private, following

public accounts is non-reciprocal and needs no approval– Any user can be publicly addressed by name– Public Twitter messages visible even to non-users

• Technological basis:– Relatively open and powerful API– Thriving ecosystem of third-party clients and applications

Twitter as User-Led Innovation

• Major user innovations on Twitter:– @replies – mentions of user by name

@snurb_dot_info Thanks for posting this paper! It looks great.

– Retweets – reposting of messages by other users:

OK. This is getting silly. RT @Telegraph: Welsh harpist ready for Royal Wedding http://tgr.ph/fXw62f

– Hashtags – tagging messages as belonging to a topic:

#socialnetworks Ad hoc innovation by users of social networks: The case of Twitter http://t.co/4XC690A

(news.com.au)

#qldfloods Tweets

Third-Party Innovation

• Helper Websites:– URL shorteners: bit.ly, j.mp, t.co; also nyti.ms, tgr.ph, …– Photo/audio/videosharing: twitpic, yfrog, twaud.io, …

• Client applications:– Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, Yoono, …

(also for multiplatform social media updates)

• Capture, tracking, visualisation:– Twittermap, Ushahidi Maps– yourTwapperkeeper, Streamgraphs, …

The Twitter Innovation Ecology

• Twitter and its API as a user toolkit:– Tools and rules which define an innovation space:

“Toolkits for users … can increase the volume of user innovation. They also can channel innovative effort into directions supported by toolkits.” (Eric von Hippel)

Collaborative, ad hoc, user-led development of solutions to address a wide and diverse range of needs

Emergence of a cottage industry of commercial and non-commercial developer groups and solutions providers

Social Innovation during the Floods

• Self-organisation:– Rapid establishment of #qldfloods hashtag– Ad hoc development of community structures– Highlighting of leading accounts, vigilant against disruption– Suspension of petty squabbles (e.g. state politics)

• Innovation and rapid prototyping:– Adjunct hashtags (#Mythbuster, #bakedrelief)– Sharing and gathering of online resources– Additional tools (Google Maps, Ushahidi Maps)– Emergency services rapidly adopting social media tools

(despite lack of established strategies)

Twitter and Third-Party Innovation

• Embedding of user-generated solutions:– Functions to send and track @replies and retweets– Functions to track hashtag feeds, trending topics lists– Functions to support embedded links and images

“Need-intensive tasks involved in developing a particular type of product or service are assigned to users, along with the tools needed to carry those tasks out. At the same time, solution-intensive tasks are assigned to manufacturers.” (Eric von Hippel)

Misunderstood User Innovations

• Flawed implementation of retweets:– User-created manual retweet format allows for comments:

RT @Telegraph: Welsh harpist ready for Royal Wedding http://tgr.ph/fXw62fOK. This is getting silly. RT @Telegraph: Welsh harpist ready for Royal Wedding http://tgr.ph/fXw62f

– Twitter ‘button’ retweets are verbatim only:

The Battle for the URL Shortener Market

• Twitter’s referrals ploy:– All URLs now automatically shortened to t.co links

(even bit.ly, youtu.be, nyti.ms…)

All link referrals now pass through Twitter’s URL look-upTwitter able to provide link traffic analyticsOverall demonstration of Twitter’s influence on traffic

Undermines third-party URL shortener ecosystemRemoves potential for ‘vanity’ URL shorteners

Increasing API Access Restrictions

• Original model:– Moderate API access for all developers and researchers– ‘Whitelisting’ of accounts for greater access on request

• New model:– Moderate developer access remains– Higher-volume access provided via official reseller Gnip– Volume pricing: US$1 per 10,000 tweets delivered– Unaffordable for non-commercial researchers and

independent developers?

Twitter Ecosystem under Threat?

• Corporate priorities:– Twitter forced to generate revenue and attract funding– Increasing focus on Twitter stars and celebrity culture– Twitter infrastructure changes geared towards promoting

message dissemination and tracking, not conversation

• User priorities:– Self-organised communication and information sharing– Effective interpersonal and group communication– Straightforward and user-friendly link and content sharing– Unencumbered third-party tools development

Image by Maproom Systems

Axel BrunsAssociate Professor

ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation

Creative Industries Faculty

Queensland University of Technology

Brisbane, Australia

Email: a.bruns@qut.edu.au

Twitter: @snurb_dot_info

Blog: http://snurb.info/

Produsage: http://produsage.org/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/snurb

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