Research Post #2 - Birds of a Feather

Li, Jamy, and Mark Chignell. "Birds of a Feather: How personality influences blog writing and reading." International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 68.9 (2010): 589-602. Web. 26 Sep 2010.

I chose this article as part of my continuing exploration of whether it is possible to impart a sense of self through written digital media and the ability of the audience to detect or connect to that digital self.

Li and Chignell conducted a small, controlled, and very interesting study. The authors identify a key attractor of blogs as their social nature. Blogs can assist in the formation of communities through subject, networking of links, comments from readers, etc. Li and Chignell’s study was designed to investigate how an author’s personality is expressed in blog text through an examination of linguistic characteristics, and how well readers could judge the writer’s personalities based solely on the blog entries.

Prior to the start of the experiment Li and Chignell administered a “Big Five” test to measure participants impressions of their own personalities. A controlled environment was created in which eight blog authors used identical equipment, were limited in their choice of blogging interface, and were given equal time to compose a minimum number of entries in two different blogging genres. A group of twelve participants then read the blog entries and were asked to rate interpersonal attraction, using a two-item measure, and the perceived personality of the blog author using the same scale that was delivered to both authors and readers in the preliminary questionnaire.

Blog readers agreed among themselves about the personalities of the bloggers and results suggested that blog text presents a consistently decodable version of an author’s personality. Interestingly, while readers agreed about an author’s personality, their construction did not always match the author’s self-reported personality. This suggests, to me, that the digital personas created by authors may have a web presence that is different than that intended and that, due to the permanence of digital records, the unintended personality may have considerable longevity.

Readers were better able to assess personality traits in journal blog entries as compared to commentary entries. The small nature of the sample suggests a need for further study. The study did offer support for the concept that readers are more attracted to writers who they think are similar to themselves in personality. This finding is consistent with earlier studies.

The controlled environment in which the study was conducted is one of its strengths and also one of its greatest weaknesses. By removing other elements of a “true” web experience the authors were able to make a stronger argument that their findings were the result of the blog texts rather than other environmental conditions. The same situation, however, makes it hard to translate the results into generalized statements about personality presentation and audience reception in a larger and messier reality. The length of entries used in this study was shorter than average web entries. Since readers were able to perceive personality traits here, it would be interesting to study whether the same holds true for even shorter messages, such as those on Twitter. More study is clearly necessary. 

Metaphor Post - Parisian Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnsSUqgkDwU

Google, without a tangible product or fixed physical location, is a company that particularly needs to remind consumers of the benefits of its use. The company’s 2010 Superbowl ad Parisian Love does this by promoting two central ideas; “Google helps you create your life” and “Google is essentially feminine”.

Parisian Love is, on the surface, a very simple advertisement. An unseen user types a series of searches into Google’s signature plain interface. The computer and keyboard are not shown and the only other elements included in the ad are music and a few background noises. No voiceover. No arguments or explanations of benefits. How, then, does the ad convey its two central themes?

The typed searches follow a dramatic arc, from tentative initial engagement with a greater world, through discovery, and onward to a new and better future. The lack of hardware in the commercial creates immediacy. There are no barriers between the search engine and the user; they are operating together as a unit. Google is presented as an active partner designed to increase the human partner’s agency rather than as a passive receptor of input. It offers suggested search terms, corrects spelling (from louve to Louvre), offers quick basic information (translating “tu es tres mignon”), and concrete directions with visual clues (the map with a photograph of a church). The collaboration is so integrated that Google seems able to read the human user’s mind. The result is that the user is able to successfully navigate a confusing and uncertain world to construct favorable outcomes. We, as viewers, take away the idea that making a life is better and easier with Google than without it. The power of Google is our power.

This message is reinforced by the music, the dominant audio element in the ad. As the ad starts the search box is empty and the flashing cursor keeps time with hesitant, repeated piano notes that are strongly reminiscent of a heartbeat. As the user asks more and more from Google the music quickens, becoming more complex and melodic. The connectivity established at the beginning allows faster paced and more confident life choices.

The second theme promoted by Parisian Love involves the nature of this active and apparently indispensible partner. To understand the devices used to position Google as a feminine embodiment of technology it is important to remember that this commercial made its television debut during the 2010 Superbowl. During the game Anhueser-Busch ran 11 different beer commercials. Other major campaigns were for Doritos and the annual onslaught of “too hot for TV” Go Daddy commercials. Google’s ad is designed to be very different from these notably masculine and aggressive commercials. Traditional Superbowl ads rely on broad humor, beautiful women, and over the top special effects. Parisian Love gives, instead, a forthright presentation of sentiment, relationships, and the pleasures of conversation and food. Traditionally feminine themes replace predominantly masculine ones.  

After viewing Parisian Love there can be no doubt in the viewer’s mind that Google is different.  Where Bud Light ads are slapstick Google is charming. Where Go Daddy is assertively sexual Google is yearningly romantic. Google’s ad is warm and familiar, careful to eliminate any reason for feelings of intimidation or fear of technology use. Any wish you have is Google’s wish, from understanding French films to locating the nearest source of chocolate. By promoting itself using these kinds of motifs Google presents itself as inherently feminine.

Google’s professed corporate philosophy has always included a focus on ease of use and social responsibility. Parisian Love operates to exemplify those core values.

Research Blog Post #1

Papacharissi, Zizi. "The Presentation of Self in Virtual Life: Characteristics of Personal Home Pages." Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly 79.3 (2002): 643-660. Web. 8 Sep 2010.

As a research focus I am primarily interested in how creative fiction writers use digital technologies in identity performance. I chose this article as a starting point for my research because it contains a general discussion of identity performance and demonstrates application of theory to a digital environment.

Papacharissi posits two main research questions: (1) What are Web page characteristics through which visual actors pursue self-presentation online, and (2) How are the characteristics of personal home pages related? Papacharissi conducted a content analysis of a random sample by using coders to investigate the homepages of previously surveyed homepage owners. The coders noted the number and variety of pages making up each site, classified them into categories, recorded the number of feedback mechanisms and links, and attempted to measure the interactivity of each home page. Papacharissi used dimensions of interactivity previously suggested by Ha and James for use in analyzing commercial sites. These dimensions are playfulness, availability of choice, connectedness to the audience, ability for information collection, and reciprocity. Additionally, the concept of vividness as presented in the work of Jonathan Steuer was used to measure successful online identity performance.

Results indicated that homepage owners used a combination of design elements to construct a “front”, as defined by Goffman in The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. A front is comprised of elements used to background an identity performance in the same way that scenery and stage props are used in theater. In the case of personal homepages those include Web templates and publishing elements such as color, font type, and space. Feedback mechanisms were seen as indicating a desire for interpersonal communication and social approval. A need for affiliation was indicated by membership in Web page communities.

The strength of Papacharissi’s study lies in demonstrating that it is possible to express and perform identity without traditional elements such as verbal and visual clues, and in suggesting that the ability of the individual to orchestrate elements of the performance in advance may benefit overall effectiveness. Additionally, the study shows that dimensions used to evaluate commercial sites are equally appropriate for personal ones. This is important for my own research because my initial theories suggest that creative fiction writers are likely to use digital media in a hybridization of public and private; presenting seemingly personal information for commercial reasons.

The study’s weakness is a failure to clearly demonstrate that personal homepages are constructed consciously and intentionally to perform a specific identity. The choice of site elements could be as easily influenced by the technical capabilities of the user or options offered by the host as by deliberate user design.  The study is also limited to homepages whereas I am interested in how individuals use multiple forms of digital media.