on social computing

Social computing is an umbrella term for technologies and virtual spaces that allow users to create, describe and share content, and for the communities that arise around them.

The term "computing" in social computing is problematic because it indicates that the users are only using computers, which they may not be. The introduction of the iPhone in US has brought a "do-it-all" phone trend that started much earlier in Asia; individuals can upload photos to Flickr, videos to YouTube or type replies to blogs using their phones or other personal digital assistants. While yes, these objects technically are computers or the vague "technologies" of the definition, the term "social computing" itself is misleading as our computers get smaller and smaller, and fall into the "phone" category.

Speaking of the social in social computing - just who are the "users"? Tenopir expresses fear over an anarchist information world, where we never know who we're talking to or what their expertise really is. Dibbell confirms the problem in the tale of Mr. Bungle: the Lambda MOO thinks there is one person behind that keyboard, but it is truly a number of undergraduates, turning serious online community matters into offline fun in their character's behavior. Users tend to behave with a semblance of how they behave in real life on Facebook and MySpace if they use their real name, whereas on other Web 2.0 applications they may act differently or engage in activities they would not tell their real life contacts about under a pseudonym.

We think that just because a blog or a content sharing site can be social, that it is social. Nardi, Schiano, and Gumbrecht found that most informants used their blogs to keep in touch with family, friends, fellow academics or the odd visitor, but a few had half-private or all private blogs. Herring's data indicates that most blogs do not receive comments, marking a lack of social interactivity and making it very much like the radio analogy mentioned in Nardi, Schiano, and Gumbrecht, where a few dictate the information and a very select few are able to respond. Today LiveJournal - which I count as a hybrid blogging-social networking service, even if Herring does not - has a "private" function - you can make your entire blog only accessible by you if you wish. You can add games, notes, and photos on Facebook that are only accessible by you as well.

In terms of other phrases that may be conflated with social computing - Web 2.0, social software, social networks, and social computing all share aspects in common. Beer and Burrows defines Web 2.0 as a "cluster of new applications and related online cultures". The term tends to define web applications that rose during and after the more popular social networks. Social networks where people post profiles of themselves and friend other people (example: Facebook). Social networking is relatively new, and as boyd and Ellison point out has an offline component as friending generally occurs between users who already know each other offline. Social networking shares other aspects of Web 2.0 as lately, at least Facebook and MySpace have added video and/or photo sharing components and MySpace allows aspiring musicians to stream their songs. Boyd and Ellison claim that last.fm, YouTube, and flickr have become social network sites due to their friending capabilities, but I would disagree as the three of the sites' primary capabilities are still related to content (music, videos, and photos), not friending or profiles, and are instead a hybrid content-presentation/social networking site. Second Life is often included inside the Web 2.0 umbrella, although it is a standalone program and not browser-based at all other than links to places in Second Life.

Social software, a new term to me, seems to be analogous to social computing and indicates a place where users exchange or create any sort of information, including social networking. It includes Massively Online Multiplayer RPGs, or MMORPGS, such as World of Warcraft and many others.

Social computing and social software are a somewhat older phenomenon than Web 2.0, as pre-Web 2.0 users were already chatting on message boards, over IRC, over AIM, downloading content over Napster and Audiogalaxy, roleplaying on MOOs and MUDs and creating personal webpages before that. Certainly, the group of new contenders such as YouTube and Facebook have thrown Web 2.0 into real life, with such examples as Barack Obama's change.gov with videos, and forums and the online Rickrolling phenomenon reversing with a live surprise Rick Astley at the Macy's Day parade. Truly, of all these terms, social computing is the umbrella term - but its name exclusion of mobile phones and other small digital assistants is troubling, as that seems to be an area where social computing is expanding.

My revised definition of social computing would therefore be:

Social computing is a term for technologies (including mobile devices) and virtual spaces that allow users to create, describe and/or share content, and for the communities that sometimes arise or already exist around such content.