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c h a p t e r10: SOCIAL OBJECTS■What Is a Social Object?
A social object is something that is inherently talkworthy, something around which
people will naturally congregate and converse. In the current context of social media—
after all, social objects have existed since humans began socializing—a social object
forms the link between participants at the center a conversation. Social objects anchor
the online communities in which its conversations take place. Simply put, the social
object is the “what” that people talk about.
Social objects include things that are as small or as granular as a blog post, a
photo, or similar piece of content. People will certainly discuss any of these in a social
setting. Think of Twitter and Flickr, for example, both of which are applications built
around basic social objects such as short posts or photos, respectively. On Twitter, for
example, one member posts something and then ten others talk about it. There are also
larger social objects—the big things that people are interested in, such as the environ-
ment, politics, and art. These types of social objects can also sit at the center of com-
munity, drawing people together based on their shared interests in these kinds of topics
or themes.
“Definition: A Social Object is some ‘thing’ we share with others as part
of our social media experience on the social web.”
Glenn Assheton-Smith, 2009What are some examples of the kinds of social objects that will pull large groups
together? National pastimes and sports like baseball, cricket, NASCAR, and Formula
1 are just the sorts of activities that tens or hundreds of millions of people around the
world will readily associate with and talk about. They’ll form fantasy leagues—clearly
a social construct—in order to extend their own level of participation. Fans gather
around celebrity sites to share stories and feel a part of the excitement, while retirees
readily join up with others in the same life stage in AARP’s online community (www.
aarp.org/online_community/) to talk about what the future may hold. Social objects
extend to the more ordinary as well—a new mobile phone, a programming language,
and a vacation destination can all be viewed as social objects. Oh, and did I mention
pets and babies? They’re both good candidates too!
More so than the granular elements—the posts and photos and videos—this
chapter focuses on the larger social objects around which a community has been built,
or could be built. This is because the larger social objects are generally more useful as
the central elements that ultimately tie back to a cause, brand, product, or service.
Twitter, as an example, is built around short posts. This is great for individuals
who want to share thoughts. So, Twitter is really useful as a place to participate and
learn about what people are saying about your firm or organization, and to maintain a
conversation with them. Twitter is great for building outreach, support, or information