Forrester, a leading technology and market research company, describes social computing as: ‘A social structure in which technology puts power in communities, not institutions’.
It may not come as a surprise to hear that many people believe social computing is changing the way society does things, in terms of enterprise, workplaces, personal and professional relationships, education and the advancement of science.
It is changing the way people shop online, develop relationships and even persuade government organisations and other official bodies to alter the way they behave and interact.
Most people are probably already Social Computing aficionados
Think for a moment about how much the internet is used.
Most people already employ the sysytem to interact with other people, even if what takes place doesn't initially appear to be a social activity. Shopping on ebay is a good example. The success of ebay is almost completely reliant on the feedback tool; even when sellers are not individuals, individual opinions count.
On Amazon there are reviews from purchasers and many companies are finding that their reputations can be strongly affected by other social computing tools, such as blogs and chat forums. More and more, people are making purchasing decisions based on what individuals and online communities are saying, not what institutions are telling them.
Changing perceptions of business through Social Computing
So strong is this shift that a recent article in the New York Times outlines how WalMart has attempted to influence independent bloggers to improve their damaged reputation. Even multi-billion dollar businesses are noticing the effects that blogs can have on public opinion. Of course, many companies (including General Electric and Microsoft) have used blogs as a way to drum up awareness of, and enthusiasm for, new products, but WalMart stands out because it set out to change the general perception of the company.
Some people think that the rise social computing is to do with the technologies that are now available, but it’s more than that. Social computing is changing the way people make decisions, the ways in which people meet and how they interact.
Communities are being developed in completely new ways and many believe that this shift of power from institutions to individuals and online communities is here to stay. As Charlene Li, a principal analyst for Forrester, says: ‘Technologies will come and go, but the power built on the relationships created by social computing will endure.’
Find out more about the Phenomenon of Social Computing
There is a wealth of information available online about Social Computing, but a good start to get the ball rolling would be to visit sites such as wikipedia, MySpace and Facebook to see how it is changing the way people operate.
 |
