Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Social Networking in the Arts Community
Social Networking has become a buzz word in recent months--and years. It was original coined back in the 50's before anyone had a clue that the Internet even existed. Social networks tend to run between 120 and 150 individuals--sometimes known as Dunbar's number. In a social network, each person is a node--just like in the parlance of computer networks.
Recently, social networks have eased into use on sites like LinkedIN where extended networks have become ridiculously large. My personal network on LinkedIN is roughly 25 people--but because of those that THEY are linked in, my extended network numbers in the millions. Do I REALLY have meaningful connections to all these people? Right. They don't know me from a hole in the wall. However, the LinkedIN community recently had me back in touch with a lost friend from University--a graduate from the Fine Arts program I was enrolled in who now works for a computer gaming company. While the extended network is virtually meaningless, real dealings can be had with those who are perhaps as far as two links removed. People who were connected to you in past lives may find themselves reconnecting to you.
Other social networks have been getting bad reputations lately. Networks like MySpace have ended up being pedophile stomping grounds. They've been doing a lot to clean up that reputation. Interesting collaborations might be found on such networks. For Example, standard search protocols on MySpace include: Music, Movies and Books. If you do a search for "artist" using "Music Interest" as the filter, you come up with vast numbers of records.
Social networks, blogs, podcasts, these are all normal modes of communication and socialisation for the current young generation.
The arts need to immerse, engage, embrace these technologies. The technologies in turn can give the arts a new voice in an environment where the classic sense of an "Arts Organization" seems to be dying slowly but surely. The models of the 60's, 70's and 80's are failing.
So lets get to work.
Recently, social networks have eased into use on sites like LinkedIN where extended networks have become ridiculously large. My personal network on LinkedIN is roughly 25 people--but because of those that THEY are linked in, my extended network numbers in the millions. Do I REALLY have meaningful connections to all these people? Right. They don't know me from a hole in the wall. However, the LinkedIN community recently had me back in touch with a lost friend from University--a graduate from the Fine Arts program I was enrolled in who now works for a computer gaming company. While the extended network is virtually meaningless, real dealings can be had with those who are perhaps as far as two links removed. People who were connected to you in past lives may find themselves reconnecting to you.
Other social networks have been getting bad reputations lately. Networks like MySpace have ended up being pedophile stomping grounds. They've been doing a lot to clean up that reputation. Interesting collaborations might be found on such networks. For Example, standard search protocols on MySpace include: Music, Movies and Books. If you do a search for "artist" using "Music Interest" as the filter, you come up with vast numbers of records.
Social networks, blogs, podcasts, these are all normal modes of communication and socialisation for the current young generation.
The arts need to immerse, engage, embrace these technologies. The technologies in turn can give the arts a new voice in an environment where the classic sense of an "Arts Organization" seems to be dying slowly but surely. The models of the 60's, 70's and 80's are failing.
So lets get to work.
