Respectance.com

All trends follow a cyclical pattern, wherein they evolve into another trend, which in turn follows its own path. Often the new trend is very similar to the previous one but more sophisticated, modern, specialized or refined. Emosocial media is the next pattern appearing.

The Web 2.0 cycle began a couple of years ago. Some even contend that it may have begun as early as 2001 with the advent of products like KaZaA, where users were determining and sharing the content themselves. This social media cycle has given us many new sites like Youtube, Last.fm, Flickr, MySpace, etc. Most of these endeavors were concentrated around certain technologies (video, music, photos, etc) and linking them with the needs of users, thereby allowing them to share their lives.

As this first cycle of Web 2.0 winds to a close, the new cycle begins with a more sophisticated and evolved approach. Users no longer continue within one big environment in which they amalgamate all their content into one space. The user is now demanding a more personal space, something more specific to the individual user or use. It’s no longer about the underlying technology: the individual user has become the focus.

This has allowed for emotion to enter as a center point of the new cycle. Rich media combined with relevant content delivered at an impactful moment will yield emotional expression. This combination is what we refer to as emosocial media.

Emosocial media is characterized by relevance and connection. A search for “dog” in Flickr returns almost 2 million photos. The chances are that none of these photos had any relationship or relevance to you–or to anyone you know. But if someone creates a Respectance Tribute to Grandma, when family and friends upload copies of their favorite photos they essentially create a pool of content richer than any one person’s collection. Individuals can then select the photos that really mean something to them, choose background music that evokes a specific feeling, add captions that recall particular thoughts and then create a video of their personal memories that speaks precisely to them. This personalization makes content relevant.

Timing is also important. Though people may know the Bette Midler song ‘The Rose’, played at a store (preceded by countless other songs and followed by more) it’s only noise. But played at a funeral in remembrance of a loved one–in a room of friends and family–it becomes a powerful, emotional song charged with linkages. Like the ‘first dance’ song at a wedding, it will be forever linked to the people because of the occasion of its playing.

Thus, a photo of grandma on Flickr tagged as ‘old lady‘ becomes emotionally charged when presented within Respectance as ‘grandma’s last birthday with the family‘. It takes on emotional value, which is easily translated, to all users. Beyond this, as visitors come to Respectance they know why they have come. They are fully aware of the emotion behind the Tributes.

An article in the London Times points where things are going: “Sites that try to be too general won’t work. The clever ones are aiming to be more niche.” The future of social media isn’t about the platform–that’s already there. It’s about communities that can provide their members with an identity. It’s the emotion that makes us human: it helps provide and define our identities. With Respectance we think emosocial media will help foster those communities.

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Posted by Richard Derks

8 Jun