I have been thinking about this: What do you think is the need that drives the "social" media? Is it the feeling of charity, or something more personal, or do these users (who submit and filter content) expect others to return the favor?
Ask YC: Why do people share on social websites (like Youtube, Digg, Reddit, YC)?
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Re: Ask YC: Why do people share on social websites (like Youtube, Digg, Reddit, YC)?
#2I enjoy taking short breaks from life responsibilities (coding, family, chores, etc) and see what similarly minded people are thinking about, ruminate about it and perhaps offer my own thoughts. The better YC topics and discussions have a Socratic feel I don't generally encounter in other places.
Re: Ask YC: Why do people share on social websites (like Youtube, Digg, Reddit, YC)?
#3It's a positive type of social interaction that is different than real world interactions. For me, it's a way of feeling more connected to a culture that does not exist in Pittsburgh.
I contribute to news.yc because I find it more entertaining than TV or video games. I should really pick up Rock Band though, that could get me to quit news.yc for a couple days.
Re: Ask YC: Why do people share on social websites (like Youtube, Digg, Reddit, YC)?
#4A lot of the big users of social media seem to view it as some type of game - who can get the most karma, votes, diggs, etc. That's not to say they are the most wanted users, but usually the most prolific.
The best users of social media have always looked like the ones who are just showing something 'cool' that they have done or understand that involvement in the social platform can bring great benefits back in the form of an active community.
At least that's what my guess is.
Re: Ask YC: Why do people share on social websites (like Youtube, Digg, Reddit, YC)?
#5When it comes to things like YC, Digg (Not so much YouTube).. for me, it's about information. I'm something of an information junkie. I need to be in the know.
And of course, I then like to pass that information on, so that it can be further disseminated.
Re: Ask YC: Why do people share on social websites (like Youtube, Digg, Reddit, YC)?
#6According to a survey from McKinsey[1], in answer to the question 'Why do you upload videos?':
* 65% seek fame/want the world to see their videos
* 59% do it for fun
* 41% want to share experiences with friends
* 29% want others to benefit from their videos
* 12% do it for other reasons
[1] - http://www.aedipenavarra.es/include_asp/fichero.asp?id=35
Re: Ask YC: Why do people share on social websites (like Youtube, Digg, Reddit, YC)?
#7It's a positive type of social interaction that is different than real world interactions. For me, it's a way of feeling more connected to a culture that does not exist in Pittsburgh. I contribute to news.yc because I find it more entertaining than TV or video games. I should really pick up Rock Band though, that could get me to quit news.yc for a couple days.
I actually just wrote about this today. I was going to use Pittsburgh as an example, but I chose LA and Jacksonville instead. http://daniellefong.com/2008/01/28/third-places/
Hacker News is an example of a third place. I hang out here, as I've hung out in many other netspaces. It's creative here, it's intelligent, and it's fairly diverse. People make things and write things and converse, and for many people, certainly me, that's a fundamental need.
Re: Ask YC: Why do people share on social websites (like Youtube, Digg, Reddit, YC)?
#8Difficult to say what exactly it is, easier to say what it is not:
"do these users (who submit and filter content) expect others to return the favor?"
That would be the classical economic explanation and it would be wrong (for the typical user).
Re: Ask YC: Why do people share on social websites (like Youtube, Digg, Reddit, YC)?
#9Difficult to say what exactly it is, easier to say what it is not : "do these users (who submit and filter content) expect others to return the favor?" That would be the classical economic explanation and it would be wrong (for the typical user).
Vanity and a lot of other possible causes fit into economics quite well.
Re: Ask YC: Why do people share on social websites (like Youtube, Digg, Reddit, YC)?
#10Social networks are like nightclubs: http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com/2007/11/facebook-apps-faceb...