A lecture breaking down the pyramid of engagement and explaining online behaviour in terms of Power Law distribution. This lecture is intended for 3rd media student and serves as an introduction to anyone interested in behavior of new media audiences.

1. New Media: New Audiences
New Modes of Participation in the Post Digital Age
Digital Media Production
Dr Lance Dann

2. One Way Media

3. Media Gatekeepers
• Media production
expensive
• Hard to transmit
• Easy to receive
• Controlled by a limited
number of people.
It was received by many
• This made the
gatekeepers powerful.

4. New Media Revolution
Cheap to produce. Easy to transmit. Easy to reach you
audience. Easy to consume. Easy to find. Hard to be
noticed.

5. Utopian View of the
Net
Everyone can create as
an equal.
Everyone can contribute
as an equal.
Everyone can access
everyone else’s work.
The gatekeepers have
lost their power.

6. People though are the problem
• People don’t behave
online as you might want
them to.
• Old behaviour is not
unlearnt fast.
• New opportunities are
not always grasped.

7. Pyramid of EngagementPyramid of
Engagement

8. LEVEL 1 - Observing
• Sporadic, indirect
communications.
• Basic web traffic.
• Do not actively or
consistently contribute.
• Lurkers…

9. LEVEL 2 - Followers
• Regular, direct
communications.
• Twitter followers,
Facebook fans.
• Will track down events
online.
• Still mostly one way
communication.

10. LEVEL 3/4 Endorses/Contributors
• Either single or multi-
step participation.
• V. important.
• Public endorsers.
• Pay for content.
• Actively engage in
conversation.
• Post to forums and sites.

11. LEVEL 5: Owners
• Will start conversations.
• Will set up fan pages.
• Will instigate events.
• Will contribute very
actively.

12. LEVEL 6: Leaders
• These people set up
sites.
• They instigate projects.
• They will run events.
• They are the drivers of
online activity.

13. Engage the audience
• Take into account all
tiers.
• Make sure projects will
capture the attention of
the people at the top.
• Let the leaders and
owners do the work for
you.
• Make sure your call to
action is strong.

14. Call to Action
What draws the audience in. What makes them get off the ass and
do something. What makes them bothered.

15. People just won’t do what you want!!
Online audiences don’t act in predictable ways.
They hack. They infiltrate. They abuse. The turns things on
their head. They won’t do what they are told!

16. “Give your telly that
YouTube feel by
sellotaping some
semi-literate racial
abuse on the bottom
of your screen.”
Viz Top Tips (2012)

17. Godwin’s Law
"As an online discussion grows
longer, the probability of a
comparison involving Nazis or Hitler
approaches.”
In other words Godwin said that given
enough time, in any online discussion
– regardless of topic or scope –
someone will inevitably makes a
comparison to Hitler or the Nazis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q
wdgHOGgTc

18. Adam Buxton - Bug
Adam Buxton reads YouTube comments

19. How do people really interact?
• The pyramid of engagement suggests
a clear and even hierarchy.
• The people at the top have more
influence than those lower down.
• Those lower down are in the majority
but there are still sizeable numbers
above.

20. Welcome to the
Mermaid Parade
• Clay Shirky took a single
event and looked at how
many people uploaded
photos of it to Flickr.
• 2007 Mermaid Parade in
New York
• Free to upload.
• No demand that people
did so.
• Very even ground for data
• He charted number of
photo uploaded by each
user

21. According to the pyramid
you’d expect this…
Photos
Uploaded
Flickr User

22. What he found was this…
1st= 238, 2nd = 158 Average= 26 Median= 10

23. This is an example of
Power Law Distribution
The most active
people are FAR FAR
more active than the
majority.
They are also in the
minority.
They are responsible
for a vast amount of
traffic.
They are you power
users.
Top 10% contribute 75%
of content
Top 5% contribute 60% of
content
Top 1% contribute 24% of
content

24. Most users of the Internet
are below average
• The average level of
use is more than the
mean.
• Most people are below
average.
• Example:
What is the average wealth of
everyone in this room?
Then imagine Bill Gates walk in.
On average we are all million airs.
All of us other than Bill become
below average.

25. • The any interactive
project has to be
aimed at Power
Users.
• They drive activity.
• They are your fans.
• They are a
minority.
• You have to
include people
further down the
pyramid.