Who needs friends when you can have followers?

Information Science

http://andrew‐long.name@socialspace

Who needs friends when you can have

followers?

“The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis"

http://xav‐drawordie.deviantart.com/

“You bought me a present? Why would you do such a thing? I know you think you're being generous, but the foundation of gift giving is reciprocity.”

-- Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory, season 2, episode 11

“The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis"

http://xav‐drawordie.deviantart.com/

“You haven't given me a gift. You've given me an obligation.”

-- Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory, season 2, episode 11

socialspace

five hours ago from New Zealand

There is no explicit support for reciprocity on Twitter.

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Ties are directed; formation can be easy, organic, ad hoc and intimate (see ambient intimacy), but not necessarily reciprocal.

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Friendship is reciprocal. Maintaining good relations over time, requires mutually beneficial exchanges and effort.

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Embedded in these exchanges is a sense of obligation, in which participants can feel compelled to reciprocate, in kind.

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Friendship also requires consent (amongst other things) from both parties to establish a potentially long lasting bond .

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Twitter does not require consent nor reciprocity in order to play an active part in others’ lives.

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Therefore, any sense of obligation is removed as a consequence.

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If this is true, then why are people prepared to help others on Twitter, when their only connection is to follow them?

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One answer I would like to suggest is that, it is the interwoven narratives that Twitter users share overtime.

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People are motivated to help those to whom they feel apart of their stories, as they unfold in real-time.

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The nowness creates a sense of urgency, inspiring action and providing social capital where only the weakest ties exist.

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The point being, that the benefits of friendship can still be had with out the burden of reciprocity and therefore, obligation.

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Is Twitter stripping friendship to its essentials, like its done to mediated communication?

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I’m not sure, but I think it might be an interesting phenomenon to follow.

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Thanks to Erika for showing the slides, danah and Stephanie for doing their thing, and to all of you for bearing with me.

Education

Who needs friends when you can have followers?