HIGH FIDELITY

The myth is that we have but one; in reality, each of us navigates several social graphs on a daily or weekly basis. They may overlap a little or not at all; they serve different purposes and needs; they can be transitory or semi-permanent — most certainly, they are mutable. Some can accomodate a commercial presence, others are strictly off-limits to brands, but in all cases, you can be sure that someone will try to monetize the relationships and activities contained therein.

Here is my rough attempt at a “social graph taxonomy”, a phrase that would seem pretentious were it not already highly in vogue. This is based on my personal and professional experience:

Foundational:

• The core graph upon which much else – key relationships, data, accessibility to other services – rests;
• Semi-permanent & denoted by high repeat usage;
• Focuses on established relationships;
• Allows a presence for 3rd parties – most notably, brands and app developers;
• Facebook is the obvious example.

Broadcast & Dialogue:

• Main purpose is to allow the quick broadcasting of short, headline-style messages designed for easy pickup and further transmission;
• Two-way dialogue is possible, but more than that becomes unwieldy;
• Often used as a means of referral to other content, whether text, video, audio, or image;
• In the case of brands, affords the opportunity to: i) get direct feedback from customers, ii) put a human face on things, iii) establish a style;
• Relationships are i) more anonymous than personal, ii) ever-shifting, and iii) usually dominated by a small % at the top with large followings;
• Like in high school, power is based on popularity: the more followers one has, the greater the influence and status (if you detect an edge of bitterness here, it’s completely accidental);
• Yes, I am talking about Twitter.

Closed conversational:

• Closed spaces for group texting, generally invite-only;
• Most present on mobile devices, although don’t have to rely on native SMS;
• Augment the textual experience by making use of public APIs to bring in Location services (Google Maps, Foursquare) and allow the sharing of media, such as photos;
• Key examples are GroupMe and Beluga.

Location-based:

• An especially interesting, mostly mobile-based, group — these apps enable a kind of augmented reality by allowing data and media to be layered onto real places, making those places more “meaningful” by connecting the participant to the experience of others at or near that same space;
• One of the most shifting, transitory social graphs possible, since participants are connected mainly by geographical locations, which are by definition highly variable and numerous;
• There may be no overlap whatsoever with the Foundational social graph, nor is any necessary for the experience to be interesting or rewarding, although importing contacts through FB or Twitter authentication can add another dimension;
• Important examples are Foursquare, Color (for images) and Soundtracking (for music).

Taste-based:

• Main connective tissue is a shared interest in a particular cultural artefact, such as a song, photo, or video;
• The social connections can be transitory, but also very meaningful, since people with similar tastes have a higher liklihood of getting along than those with divergent tastes. This is the essence of homophily (“love of the same”) which is at the core of all strong social networks;
• Main examples of taste-based graphs are Jango (the other people you see in your music player listening to similar music), Last.fm (the concept of “neighbor radio”) and YouTube.

Creative & Generative

• A graph based on a shared creative endeavor – whether pursued professionally or just passionately – such as photography, music, writing, or video;
• The bond is based on the creation of original content, as well as the user’s need for i) an audience response to his/her work — a need shared by all creative people, irrespective of monetary considerations; ii) constructive feedback on the work itself by other professionals;
• There is much overlap with the Foundational and Broadcast social graphs, since both serve as important promotional outlets for the works created. Indeed, it is hard to imagine SoundCloud without the ability to embed; or Flickr or Vimeo without the ability to share;
• Key examples: Flickr, Vimeo, SoundCloud.

(I didn’t bother to include LinkedIn anywhere above, because it seems to have evolved into a job site / DIY Hoovers hybrid).

My next task, once I’ve gotten some feedback on this, will be to represent the above taxonomy visually.