"Mapping" my social media use (notes from BB#2)

Device specific map

Event specific map

Emotion specific map

Notes on Tracking

Screen Dump of my 48-hour Social Media Tracking

What is 'social'? (defining matter)

I decided to track my own social media use for 48 hours from Friday 18th October at 9 AM to Sunday 20th October at 9 AM. Before starting to track I chose what types of sites I would include. I wanted to note and track all social media use, which is why I haven't noted any activity besides that (e.g. web radio, search results on Google or visits to weather stations online). In retrospect this clear distinction maybe shouldn't have been made while tracking but instead afterwards. Simply because it can be difficult to decide, what sites are "social" - and since I haven't gotten around to defining what 'social' is yet, this selection of tracked sites might exclude some interesting notes on (social) activity online. I did however go by the criteria of 'interacting with others' when trying to define, what sites I should include in the tracking (these sites being: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Hotmail, Skype, blogs and pbworks). On all of these sites I define 'interacting' as writing, posting, commenting and liking. To some extend I would also include 'Lurker' functions such as reading and browsing as interaction (cf. Coleman in Hello Avatar on 'Agency' "[...] that needs to include positions such as listening and being present and not exclusively actions" - p. 33). 

Facebook takes the lead (numbers of visits, duration and order)

It turns out that Facebook is the social media site I visit the most - by far. Almost half of my logins within the 48-hour data collection were on to Facebook (out of a total of 57 logins). When it comes to duration, Skype overtakes Facebook on the inside - 47 % of the time spent online Friday through Sunday was on Skype. However, 35 % of the time was on Facebook.

When turning the attention to the order of social media, I engaged in, there is a certain sequence that repeats itself. (Presumably) because of the way I have sorted out the bookmarks in my browser, it seems that I 'obeyed' a specific order quite a few times during the tracking. The order of Facebook-Twitter-LinkedIn-Pinterest-Instagram-Hotmail is the order I turn to on both Friday and Saturday - it's in fact the first thing I do on both days. The order of Facebook-Twitter-LinkedIn/Instagram is the second most 'obeyed' order of checking up on and engaging in social media. What is interesting about this 'obeying' of orders is whether it is caused by habit, ritual, instance, convenience or something entirely different. Also it's quite obvious that Facebook - once again - is the leading social media when it comes to in which order I prefer to visit the social media sites.

Circle diagram of number of times logged on to Social Media (%)

Circle diagram of duration in % (time used on Social Media)

Not only 'what', but also 'why'? (purpose and 'result')

As I was tracking myself, I decided to not only note the numerical facts. I also wanted to note why I logged on to the social media. Also I wanted to know: Did I get what I came for?

The absolute frontrunner when it comes to purposes is 'checking up on updates'. The next most common purpose is one of direct interactive character; checking up on responses to messages, comments and alike. In some (probably most) cases I got what I came for (typically getting updated on new information or getting answers to my questions or requests). But in other cases, I logged on without there being any updates at all. Also I managed to log on a few times by reflex - with no deliberate purpose.

The interesting thing here is not the frequency of having a 'social' (interactive or updating) purpose. The interesting thing is how this checking up on social updates, comments, messages etc. makes me feel - and even more interesting; how checking up on unanswered or ignored posts, comments, messages, pictures etc. affects me - 'offline'. This specific observation is one that I will be returning to later on in my project. 

'Always On'? (a question of duration or mindset)

Out of all the time tracking myself (48 hours), I was only online for 6 hours and 51 minutes. Converted into percentages I was online 14.3 % of the time within the selected time frame. And this actually surprises me, since I consider myself 'always on'. Within the 48 hours of tracking I also felt as if I was always on, since I had the opportunity to go online - and I also did frequently. I might not have been online continuously, but I checked up on updates on e.g. Facebook relatively often, which made me feel as if I was online most of the time. The consciousness that came with tracking my every move online did however affect my social media use, I believe. Also I had plans (outside of the digital realm), which most likely also had something to do with my social media use at the time. Likewise the weekend presumably also had an effect on my social media use as I tend to check up on social media more frequently during the week due to practical matters (such as planning presentations with my classmates, updating on readings for classes, work related emails etc.)

My Tracking Plan

The purpose of this blog entry is to create an estimated tracking plan of my social media use. The point is to plan and explain how, when and why I will be tracking my own social media use. Also this entry serves as 'checkpoint' as I will be listing both the overall and the more specific plan for tracking my social media use this fall.

In general (long-term plan):

• Brain Dumps. These will serve the purpose of getting 'raw data' to work with later on in the course. Also the Brain Dumps serve as inspiration and 'pacemakers'. 
• Screen Dump(s). These in-the-moment still frames will serve the purpose of trying to grasp my user experience of engaging in social media (i.e. 'how did it look at the point of engaging?')
• Vlog will be executed in order to visually track and discover social media use patterns, routines and habits. The vlog will also be part of my 'raw data collection'.
• Fasting for 24 hours (radical media diet): Since I use social media on a daily basis, a fasting would be a (great?) way to distance myself from the social practice I engage in every day. From a distance it might be easier to discover and analyze patterns and twitches towards one thing or the other.

 

More specifically (48-hour plan):

• I will be tracking my social media use closely for 48 hours from Friday 18th October at 9 AM to Sunday 20th October at 9 AM.
• In order to do this I will be noting all social media use for 48 hours (including all activities on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Skype, blogs etc.)
• I will be having an Excel document open and available at all times, while tracking myself. Within this document I will be noting:
• The social media engaged in (e.g. Facebook, Twitter).
• The exact time of day (e.g. 20.34).
• Duration (e.g. 14 minutes).
• Purpose (e.g. 'checking up on pbworks for updates on readings').
• Result (fulfillment of the purpose, e.g. 'I came to get updated and I did' or 'I came to get updated but nothing had happened since the last time I checked').
• I will not be editing nor censoring the document while tracking. 
• I will be carrying around my pen-and-paper research journal, in case I check social media on other devices than my stationary PC. I will then be transferring the notes into the Excel document in order to get all of the notes gathered.

Why Do I Bother!? (About Online Social Situations)

In order to describe what I think characterizes a successful online social situation, I think it will be somewhat easier to start with the characterization of an unsuccessful online social situation. Both because the human brain seems to pay more attention towards the negative and also because it's my response to unsuccessful online social situations that have been the starting point for getting myself thrown into this ethnographic exploration of my social media use in the first place.

So what characterizes an unsuccessful online social situation?
Let me try and answer that by describing the last time I engaged in an online social situation - and actually felt it affect my mood and made my stomach hurt (in an emotional sense).

Last night I posted a comment on a post inside a closed group on Facebook. The content of both the post and the comment was about something work related and is in fact not that important. However what is important is that from the moment I posted the comment, I was expecting a response. In fact I was expecting several responses from the other group members. The comment was both relevant, important and questioning (at least that's how I felt about it when posting). But as it turned out, no one in the group seemed to think the same. No one has responded to my comment yet (and it has been 22 hours by now), although several comments have been made referring to the overall post. Every time a red flag lets me know about activity in the closed group, I rush to check whether the new comment or like is a response to my contribution. It wasn't. It isn't. And perhaps it never will be. My comment stands alone; unanswered. And the interesting (yet frustrating) fact about it is that I'm actually a bit upset about it. My lonely comment represents me and the fact that no one cares to respond, reminds me of being rejected in a social setting as a child. It reminds me of getting picked last for football in 3rd grade and not getting invited to the girls' slumber parties in the 6th grade. It feels like talking - but then second-guessing whether my words actually translated into audio (or text), or if they just stayed inside my head. It in fact makes me think about not belonging (cf. Maslow 1987)

This all sounds very dramatized, performed and overreacted, but I've chosen to be totally honest about it, since this actually affects me. And the whole point of paying attention to my social media use is to be straight-forward about both my activities and my reactions towards the activities (or in this case: the lack of activities). So I guess that is what this post is. A piece of diary-like honest-to-the-bone, social confession.

Brain Dump #2

• When was the last time, I engaged in social media? 
• Meaningful/not meaningful? 
• How do I feel about that? 
• How was it related to my life? 
• What was the last thing I did?
• Motives for doing it?

The last time I interacted on social media was about two minutes ago. It was on Twitter and my intention was to scroll down the Twitter 'Home Deck' in order to get updated. This didn't last long though. I got bored and clicked away. Before (being idealistic about) catching up on news, links, pictures and possibly a few retweets, I was online at Facebook; interacting with my sisters. Next week we are getting together and the conversation was about planning our get-together. We were talking about when, where, for how long, what and why (not). I often do this on Facebook; I use it as a platform for planning and organizing meetings, get-togethers and alike. I 'Facebook plan' with my classmates, whenever something changes in relation to the lectures at the University, for instance. Every time I engage in a new constellation, such as the newly created Book Club in the MA course Digital Identities, it is just easier to create a closed group on Facebook rather than texting each other separately. On Facebook everyone involved is able to see, what you write - and it is easier to make plans when having a planning tool as Facebook at hand. I do the same in work relations; on-going conversations, closed groups and Facebook friendships. It is all about connecting, networking and being able to get in touch with one another - quickly and easily.

Enough about planning. I do this every day, all day - in all kinds of groups and relations. Although I do find it both practical and smart, it is kind of a drag talking about it, since it is so trivial and 'everyday life' to me. It seems there is nothing special or extraordinary about it. It is just part of my everyday routine, just like checking my analogue 'Time Reminder', brushing my teeth or taking off my coat when I come home and walk in the front door. It is just something that I do and something that I actually do not give that much thought or credit.

Even though I just wrote that I felt like I had written enough about planning, perhaps there is a reason why I started writing about it in the first place. Perhaps there is a point in letting it be a blog entry by itself. It somehow is a considerate part of my online (inter)actions and the triviality of it could be a sign that in a sense I feel like a digital native; I interact with social media on a daily basis - and I am non-reflective and easygoing about it. Doesn't that say something about me?

The Personal Aspect of Blogging About Digital Identity

Ever since I got introduced to the task of building a blog as part of the MA course Digital Identities, I have been skeptic. For starters I do not feel like 'sharing' more than I already do on several social media (I mean: What do I need to share more of with the world?) Secondly I had a hard time building a blog without any overall purpose: What should the blog be about? How often should I post? Who would be my readers? Would there be any readers? And if not, I was back to the overall question of the purpose of the whole thing.

When creating this blog, I decided not to allow search engines to be able to find it. I did this because I did not want the fragmentary, unpolished, unfinished and messy blog to be part of my digital identity (i.e. Google search results for my name). That was my first thought anyway. But since then I have realized that I do not want the blog to be searchable because of the personal aspect of it. I have come to realize how personal this sharing of digital identity is. Being online, building myself an online alter ego(?) is part of me - and writing about the history of my online social self is like telling someone about my childhood memories. It actually felt that way.

This got me thinking: Is the 'digital social me' any less real than the 'analogue social me'?

Brain Dump #1

• When was the last time, I engaged in social media? 
• Meaningful/not meaningful? 
• How do I feel about that? 
• How was it related to my life? 
• What was the last thing I did?
• Motives for doing it? 

The last time I interacted on social media was on Facebook. Or in fact: I should not be talking in the past tense, since I am still online right this moment. On top of this browser window, I have a Facebook tab open with an ongoing conversation with three other members of the non-profit organization, UNGKOM, in which I am volunteering. I am waiting for a response, since I have suggested to post a picture to our public Facebook page. I want to keep an eye on the response, because the earlier the post gets out there, the more viewers will see it. And I care about viewers. Readers. People. I want them to see the post. The reach is important - and I am partly responsible for this.

Before this interaction I was scrolling through my News Feed. Did anyone post anything of my interest? Did anyone post something worth liking? Something that deserves or demands my comment(s)? Does anyone expect a response from me? It is important to me to be up to date and to know whether something has happened since the last time I checked in. It is important to me to know how many (or if anyone) liked, commented on or noticed my last upload (a picture of me and the musician, Yoav). I was attending a concert of his last Saturday and since I got the chance to meet him afterwards (Meet&Greet), I decided to not only get my picture taken with him - I also wanted to post it on Facebook. So I did. It was a very special experience to me - both the concert and the following Meet&Greet. Yet it seems, as soon as I decided to post the picture on Facebook, it became almost as important to me, as the concert itself, that others commended me on the experience. If I did not get likes and comments on the picture, I most certainly would feel less excited about the whole thing. And this is crazy. There is no doubt about the fact that I truly enjoyed my Saturday night, the concert and the Meet&Greet, so why is it so important that others (who did not attend the concert) give me their approval or like? I find that rather disturbing. Am I insecure? Am I addicted to approving likes of others? Why do I even care so much? How much 'caring and concerning' is too much?

I wonder: Is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on part of my daily life ritual? It seems I cannot get started on my day (e.g. reading for class, taking a shower, eating breakfast) without the mandatory 'social media check-up'. All of the social media sites, my email and so on are linked as book marks in my preferred browser, so that I can easily get to them. This also results in some unplanned visits to e.g. Facebook - since it is right there (as in 'easily accessible). The more platforms, the more information. The more information, the better and faster I need to be in order to catch up on all of them. This blog adds to the stream of online media, I need to check up on. Everything needs to be updated or at least attended to every once in a while. If not, I might be missing vital, interesting information.

How do I feel about my social media use? Well, mostly I feel good about it. But I do reckon that I have somewhat addictive pulls towards being 'always on'. The question is, whether this is an ultimately bad thing? Perhaps it is fine as long as I am the one in control of my social media usage (spoken by a true abuser?!). As soon as it becomes a stress factor, perhaps then it is not healthy anymore. Even if I am in the middle of a paper - deeply focused and on the right track - one little red notification can get me thrown out of 'the zone' and straight into the deep blue sea of Facebook. No matter the importance, notifications seem to scream 'ASAP' to me (and to my reflexes, it seems). As I am very often online, responding quickly - I tend to expect the same from others. I get somewhat annoyed or offended when a person doesn't answer me - especially if he/she has seen my message but chooses not to response.

The Facebook tab on top of my browser (finally!) starts blinking. One of the members in the conversation has answered and now I cannot wait to get done with this exercise so that I can check up on the newly received message. "Tine messaged you", it says. I am curious and want to know whether her message is something I need to respond to. Can I post the picture, I asked them about? Is the time right? Will it get any likes? Any comments? How high will be reach be?