Competing for attention in social communication markets

We investigate the incentives for social communication in the new social media technologies. Three features of online social communication are represented in the model. First, new social media platforms allow for increased connectivity; i.e., they enable sending messages to many more receivers, for the same fixed cost, compared to traditional word of mouth. Second, users contribute content because they derive status- or image-based utility from being listened to by their peers. Third, we capture the role of social differentiation, or how social distance between people affects their preferences for messages. In the model, agents endogenously decide whether to be a sender of information and then compete for the attention of receivers. An important point of this paper is that social communication incentives diminish even as the reach or the span of communication increases. As the span of communication increases, competition between senders for receiver attention becomes more intense, resulting in senders competing with greater equilibrium messaging effort. This in turn leads to lower equilibrium payoffs and the entry of fewer senders. This result provides a strategic rationale for the socalled participation inequality phenomenon, which is a characteristic of many social media platforms. We also show that social differentiation may enhance or deter sender entry depending on whether it can be endogenously influenced by senders. Finally, we examine how the underlying network structure (in terms of its density and its degree distribution) affects communication and uncover a nonmonotonic pattern in that increased connectivity first increases and then reduces the entry of senders

Designing Effective Performance Feedback Notification Systems to Stimulate Content Contribution: Evidence from a Crowdsourcing Recipe Platform

This study investigates whether and how a platform’s provision of performance feedback to users about their prior content contributions can help to stimulate users’ subsequent contributions. We draw on social value orientation theory to hypothesize how different framings may impact users’ likelihood of producing additional content. We partnered with a major mobile crowdsourcing recipe platform based in China to conduct a randomized field experiment involving the delivery of feedback messages with randomly determined framings, via mobile push notifications. We find that feedback framed either pro-socially or pro-self has a positive effect on content contributions, whereas feedback framed competitively has no such effect. Additionally, we observe differences across genders, such that the positive effects of pro-socially framed feedback are significantly stronger for female users. In contrast, competitively framed feedback is only effective for male users. Our findings provide implications for the design of platform-provided performance feedback to stimulate users\u27 content contribution

Stakeholder engagement in green place branding:a focus on user-generated content

The purpose of this research is to investigate how the green image of a city can affect potential visitors' attitude toward the city in the context of user‐generated content. The study adopts a 2 × 2 experimental design in which the greenness of the city image and the social distance between the users and the authors of social media content are examined. The results demonstrate that green image has a significant effect on attitudes toward cities. Moreover, the effects of social media content vary according to the perceived social distance between the author of the post and potential visitors. This study contributes to the literature by assessing the role that social media content plays in place branding and communication. Furthermore, it provides relevant insights on how institutions should enhance the sustainable resources of cities with their environmental policy and encourage the generation of content from various stakeholders to contribute to the development of a city's image

Platforms: The First Amendment Misfits

This Essay explains why previous First Amendment precedents that allowed government to require a private entity to host the speech of others have limited applicability to online platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Moreover, the backdrop of an open internet makes platforms sufficiently vulnerable to competition and responsive to “listener” preferences that the dominance of some firms like Facebook and Google is not really a chokepoint: aggressive changes to content curation will lead to user dissatisfaction and defection, whether those changes are made by the government or the companies themselves. As a result, there are no close analogies in First Amendment precedent for internet platforms. We identify the similarities between social media platforms and more traditional venues for speech (like mail, malls, and television) but ultimately conclude there are critical differences that break the analogies. We then compare the role of social media platforms to basic internet service providers to better understand how the line between speech participants and mere conduits should be drawn in an online context. We find that First Amendment caselaw and the reasoning that flows through it would categorize platforms like Twitter and Facebook as speech participants. Next, we consider whether public perception of platforms standing in the role of a “public square” should significantly alter the First Amendment protections afforded to platforms, arguing that it should not. Finally, we argue that online platforms are their own free speech creature that deserve strong protection from government intervention in hosting and curation choices. However, they may be good targets for transparency requirements

ANALISIS PEMETAAN PERSEPSI PENGGUNA SITUS MEDIA SOSIAL DI KOTA BANDUNG (STUDI KASUS FACEBOOK.COM, TWITTER.COM, YOUTUBE.COM, TUMBLR.COM DAN PINTEREST.COM

ABSTRAK Jumlah pengguna internet yang sangat besar dan terus mengalami peningkatan telah mewujudkan budaya internet. Keberadaan internet memberikan kontribusi bagi masyarakat, perusahaan, industri ataupun pemerintah. Internetpun berpengaruh pada ilmu pengetahuan dan cara pandang dunia meskipun penyebaran internet belum menjangkau pelosok desa, teknologi ini sudah tidak asing lagi dikalangan manapun. Hampir semua masyarakat mengenalnya. Tidak ada batasan lokasi, akses, profesi, usia maupun tingkat pendidikan. Apalagi pengaplikasian layanan internet juga membantu berbagai aktivitas penggunanya. Dengan layanan internet cakupan jarak dan batas negara tidak lagi menjadi kendala untuk mencari dan mendapatkan informasi. Menurut Andreas Kaplan dan Michael Haenlein (2010), media sosial adalah sebuah kelompok aplikasi berbasis internet yang dibangun atas dasar ideologi dan teknologi web 2.0 yang memungkinkan penciptaan serta pertukaran “user-generated content”. Positioning suatu situs media sosial merupakan salah satu faktor penting dalam mengetahui dan menilai kemajuan situs media sosial sesuai dengan keinginan perusahaan tersebut dalam merepresentasikan brand image mereka kepada pengguna. Positioning sendiri dapat dinilai berdasarkan persepsi konsumen atau user. Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT) adalah salah satu faktor yang dapat memotivasi user dalam memilih suatu media. Menurut Zolkepli dan Kamarulzaman (2014) UGT media sosial dapat diukur melalui beberapa faktor yaitu, Personal needs, Social needs dan Tension release needs. Sementara itu Multidimensional Scalling (MDS) adalah metode yang memungkinkan peneliti untuk mengolah penilaian penggunaan persamaan atau preferensi suatu objek menjadi sebuah peta persepsi. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui positioning serta pemetaan kelima situs media sosial terpopular di Indonesia, yaitu facebook, pinterest, tumblr, twitter dan youtube berdasarkan persepsi pengguna di Kota Bandung, Jawa Barat. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode deskriptif dengan pendekatan kuantitatif. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada lima situs media sosial terpopular di Indonesia pada tahun 2013-2014 dengan jumlah sampel 400 responden dan dilaksanakan di Kota Bandung. Sampel dalam penelitian ini ditentukan bedasarkan non-probability convinence sampling dimana sampel dipilih berdasarkan keinginan peneliti. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa facebook merupakan situs media sosial yang paling digemari secara keseluruhan atribut dan memiliki positioning yang kuat berdasarkan Uses and Gratification Theory, disusul oleh twitter, youtube, tumblr dan pinterest. Kata kunci: pemetaan, positioning, multidimensional scalling, uses and gratification theory</p

An Equilibrium Model of User Generated Content

This paper considers the joint creation and consumption of content on user generated content platforms (e.g., reviews or articles, chat, videos, etc.). On these platforms, users&rsquo; utilities depend upon the participation of others; hence, users&rsquo; expectations regarding the participation of others on the site becomes germane to their own involvement levels. Yet these beliefs are often assumed to be fixed. Accordingly, we develop a dynamic rational expectations equilibrium model of joint consumption and generation of information. We estimate the model on a novel data set from a large Internet forum site and use the model to offer recommendations regarding site strategy. Results indicate that beliefs play a major role in UGC, ignoring these beliefs leads to erroneous inferences about consumer behavior, and that these beliefs have an important implications for the marketing strategy of UGC sites. We find that user and site generated content can be either strategic complements or substitutes depending on whether the competition for existing readers exceeds the potential to attract new ones. In our data, the competitive effect substantially dilutes the market expansion effect of site generated content. Likewise, past and current content can also be either strategic substitutes or complements. Results indicate more durable content increases overall site participation, suggesting that the site should invest in making past information easier to find (via better search or page design). Third, because content consumption and generation interact, it is unclear which factor dominates in network growth. We find that decreasing content consumption costs (perhaps by changing site design or via search tools) enhances site engagement more than decreasing content generating costs. Overall, enhancing content durability and reducing content consumption cost appear to be the most effective strategies for increasing site visitation

Color over content? : the impact of color temperature on brand engagement in Instagram

When Social Media meets Marketing, endless possibilities become available for brands. Although the wide reach of these platforms provides a suitable channel for Marketing Managers to promote interaction with their customer base, little is known about the best practices for brands channeling their Marketing efforts to Social Media. Instagram is one of the fastest growing platforms and a highly potential one, with emphasis on visual content, known to perform better in terms of engagement. However, its usefulness for brands and the impact of image features, like color, on consumer engagement is not documented yet. This dissertation analyzes the relationship between Color Temperature and Engagement Rate on Instagram to understand if color influences engagement and, if so, which color hues perform better. To this end, 450 Instagram posts were analyzed, from brands in 3 different product categories - Women’s Fashion, Travel, and Food & Snacks. Results showed Color Temperature directly impacts the engagement as Cool and Neutral colors overperform Warm colors regarding Engagement Rate. Additionally, a moderator effect for Product Category was found as the best performing colors differ with the category of the brand. These findings suggest that Marketing and Social Media Managers should contemplate the impact of color on their Digital Content strategy, by coordinating their content with the color temperature that drives the higher engagement for the respective product category.Quando as Redes Sociais e o Marketing se unem, surgem inúmeras possibilidades para as marcas. Embora o grande alcance destas plataformas garanta um canal apropriado para promover interações Marca-Consumidores, pouco se sabe sobre as melhores práticas nestes meios, para marcas que se focam nas Redes Sociais. O Instagram é uma das plataformas com maior crescimento e potencial, tendo como core um conteúdo visual à base de imagens, que gera um maior envolvimento. No entanto, a utilidade do Instagram para as marcas, e o impacto de detalhes visuais como a cor no Envolvimento do Consumidor, é pouco discutido. Esta dissertação analisa a relação entre a Temperatura de Cor e a Taxa de Envolvimento no Instagram, com o fim de compreender se existe um impacto direto entre as duas variáveis, e, nesse caso, que cores geram um maior envolvimento. Com este fim, 450 publicações do Instagram, de marcas em 3 categorias diferentes – Moda de Mulher, Viagens e Bens Alimentares - foram analisadas. Os resultados demonstraram que a Temperatura impacta diretamente a Taxa de Envolvimento: publicações com tons Frios e Neutros geram um maior envolvimento do que os tons Quentes, em termos gerais. Além disso, foi encontrado um efeito moderador ma Categoria de Produto, sendo que a cor com melhores resultados varia com a categoria. Estas conclusões sugerem que os gestores de Marketing e/ou Redes Sociais devem considerar o impacto da cor no planeamento das estratégias de conteúdo digital, tendo em atenção os tons que geram maior envolvimento na sua categoria

Social Media, Content Moderation, and Technology

This paper develops a theoretical model to study the economic incentives for a social media platform to moderate user-generated content. We show that a self-interested platform can use content moderation as an effective marketing tool to expand its installed user base, to increase the utility of its users, and to achieve its positioning as a moderate or extreme content platform. The optimal content moderation strategy differs for platforms with different revenue models, advertising or subscription. We also show that a platform's content moderation strategy depends on its technical sophistication. Because of imperfect technology, a platform may optimally throw away the moderate content more than the extreme content. Therefore, one cannot judge how extreme a platform is by just looking at its content moderation strategy. Furthermore, we show that a platform under advertising does not necessarily benefit from a better technology for content moderation, but one under subscription does. This means that platforms under different revenue models can have different incentives to improve their content moderation technology. Finally, we draw managerial and policy implications from our insights