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Social Objects and Public Relations

The science of word-of-mouth.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

Social objects are powerยญful pubยญlic relaยญtions tools.

As a PR proยญfesยญsionยญal since 2005, Iโ€™ve helped organยญisaยญtions of all sizes get their audiยญence to talk about their brands, spokespeople, serยญvices, and products.

This post will give you an in-depth overยญview of social objects and learn how to clasยญsiยญfy them. Along with examples of social objects for each clasยญsiยญficยญaยญtion, you will also get a recipe for runยญning a powerยญful word-of-mouth workshop.

Here we go:

What are Social Objects?

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Social Objects Meaning, Definition, and History

A social object is what people talk about with each othยญer. A social object could be a thing, a perยญson, an event, or a concept. It could be the latest Star Wars movie or what you had for dinยญner last night. It could be anyยญthing, but that speยญcifยญic anyยญthingโ€‰โ€”โ€‰thatโ€™s the social object.

Social object = an agreed-upon conยญcepยญtuยญalยญisaยญtion that people comยญmuยญnicยญate with each othยญer about as an object. A social object could be a thing, a perยญson, an event, a concept, an idea, etc.

In 2005, the Finnish entreยญprenยญeur Juri Engstrรถm disยญcussed social objects to argue that Silicon Valley formed social netยญworks around social objectsโ€‰โ€”โ€‰and not vice versa. 

Engstrรถm was the founder of the social netยญwork Jaiku, a much-loved meetยญing place for early adopยญters of social media, and this qualยญiยญfied him as a thought leadยญer at the time. 1Jaiku was a social netยญworkยญing, micro-blogยญging and lifestreamยญing platยญform founยญded in February 2006 by Jyri Engestrรถm and Petteri Kopon. The serยญvice was made availยญable for pubยญlic beta testยญing on March โ€ฆ Continue readยญing

Social object theยญory served as a valuยญable frameยญwork to explain why some netยญworks seemed to thrive and othยญers didnโ€™t.

Social netยญworks have evolved draยญmatยญicยญally, and today, we know more about dopamยญine-induยญcing gamiยญficยญaยญtion, the mathยญemยญatยญics of virยญal loops, and the inner workยญings of social algorithms that make netยญworks tick.

The Actor-Network Theory (ANT)

Thinking of conยญcepts as objects is deeply rooted in genยญerยญal sociยญology and phenomenology. 

Approaching conยญcepts as objects is domยญinยญant in the Actor-Network Theory (ANT), which focuses not on why a netยญwork takes a speยญcifยญic shape but on a methยญod or proยญcess for underยญstandยญing the relaยญtionยญships withยญin a network. 

ANT is a theยญorยญetยญicยญal frameยญwork developed by John Law and Michel Callon in the 1980s to extend studยญies by scholยญars such as Bruno Latour. The theยญory explores the netยญwork of relaยญtionยญships between groups and organยญisaยญtions, emphasยญising conยญnecยญtions that are not hierยญarchยญicยญal or linear. 

In ANT anaยญlysยญis, objects become objects of meanยญing when transยญmitยญted throughยญout the netยญwork. They gain or lose meanยญing as they pass through the netยญwork and change the netยญwork as they do. For instance, โ€œfake newsโ€ sudยญdenly becomes more than just two conยญjoined words; it becomes a social object with addiยญtionยญal meaning.

Learn more: Social Objects and Public Relations

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Social Objects: Principles

Social-Objects-Diversity-Cartoon
Everyone wants to be unique; no one wants to be different.

Social Objects: Principles

In 2007, carยญtoonยญist Hugh MacLeod (gapโ€‹ingโ€‹voidโ€‹artโ€‹.com) starยญted disยญcussยญing social objects more pracยญticยญally. It made sense since MacLeodโ€™s carยญtoons were funny and acted as a free-to-share social comยญmentยญary of the times; his carยญtoons were disยญtinct social objects.

MacLeod went on to outยญline nine prinยญciples of social objects. In his words: 2The list sumยญmarยญises points MacLeod made at a semยญinยญar in 2013.

  • Make meanยญing. The marยญket for people wantยญing someยญthing to believe in is infinยญite; make your products โ€œworth it.โ€
  • Create/โ€‹find a purยญpose. People often conยญfuse purยญpose with meanยญing, but the purยญpose relates to why you get up in the mornยญing and do what you do.
  • Create play. Humans innately like to play; itโ€™s how we start negoยญtiยญatยญing the world, so give people a reasยญon to want to interยญact with your product.
  • Create a new lanยญguage. To evolve your product, you must evolve marยญketยญing. You have to talk to people in a way they have nevยญer been talked to before.
  • Create share-abilยญity. Donโ€™t make it easy for people to share your product; Make it easy for them to share themselves.
  • Push boundยญarยญies of design. Design matยญters! It can difยญferยญenยญtiยญate your product.
  • Facilitate comยญmunity. Turn your product into a place where people gathยญer rather than things people that people buy.
  • Create a new conยญtext. Allow people to see your brand in a new light.
  • Enable โ€œMeatspace.โ€ Bring people togethยญer to facilยญitยญate disยญcusยญsions around your product.

Learn more: Social Objects and Public Relations

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Types of Social Objects

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Types of Social Objects

To proยญmote word-of-mouth for your brand, you need ideas about what social objects to creยญate conยญtent around.

โ€œThe first and most basic rule is to conยญsider social facts as things.โ€œ
Source: The Rules of the Sociological Method 3Durkeim, E. (1982). The Rules of the Sociological Method. New York: The Free Press. p. 60.

There are difยญferยญent types of social objects:

  • Curiosity objects. What do people seem curiยญous about withยญin our brandโ€™s sphere of influence?
  • Fear objects. What do people seem afraid of withยญin our brandโ€™s sphere of influence?
  • Gap objects. What conยญcepts or vocabยญuยญlary is missยญing withยญin our brandโ€™s sphere of influence?
  • Mystery objects. What do people find mysยญterยญiยญous withยญin our brandโ€™s sphere of influence?
  • Inspirational objects. What do people find inspirยญaยญtionยญal withยญin our brandโ€™s sphere of influence?
  • Envy objects. What do people seem to envy withยญin our brandโ€™s sphere of influence?
  • Conflict objects. What do people seem to be fightยญing about withยญin our brandโ€™s sphere of influence?
  • Ego objects. How do people express their indiยญviduยญalยญity withยญin our brandโ€™s sphere of influence?
  • Anger objects. What do people seem angry about withยญin our brandโ€™s sphere of influence?

Workshop idea: In the first half of the workยญshop, spend a few minutes on each type of social object. Write each idea as one senยญtence on a Post-It startยญing with, โ€œHave you heardโ€ฆโ€. In the second half of the workยญshop, run through the ideas, disยญcussยญing, โ€œIs this someยญthing real people would say?โ€

Learn more: Social Objects and Public Relations

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Book: Contagious

Contagious

Jonah Berger, a marยญketยญing proยญfessยญor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, proยญposed six key conยญcepts in his book โ€œContagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Ageโ€ (also known as โ€œContagious: Why Things Catch Onโ€) that make ideas or products go virยญal or โ€œstick.โ€ 4Berger, J. (2014). Contagious: How to build word of mouth in the digitยญal age. Simon & Schuster.

Jonah Berger - Contagious
Contagious by Jonah Berger.

These conยญcepts are:

  • Social curยญrency. People share things that make them look good or help them comยญpare favourยญably to othยญers. It has social curยญrency if a product or idea can make someone appear brightยญer, more relaxed, or more in the know.
  • Triggers. Ideas that are top of mind spread. Things easยญily memยญorยญable and regยญuยญlarly triggered in everyยญday envirยญonยญments are more likely to be discussed.
  • Emotion. When we care, we share. Messages that evoke strong emoยญtions (posยญitยญive or negยญatยญive) are more likely to be shared.
  • Public. If someยญthing is built to show, it grows. The more pubยญlic someยญthing is, the more likely people will imitยญate it.
  • Practical value. People share informยญaยญtion to help othยญers. Useful informยญaยญtion gets shared because the sharer wants to assist others.
  • Stories. People do not just share informยญaยญtion; they tell storยญies. Stories are the vesยญsel through which informยญaยญtion travels. If people are engaged in the narยญratยญive, theyโ€™re more likely to share.

These conยญcepts can be used to craft mesยญsages and camยญpaigns more likely to be shared and spread, leadยญing to more effectยญive comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion and marยญketยญing efforts.

Learn more: Public Relations Books

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Thank you. Please supยญport my blog by sharยญing artยญicles with othยญer comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions- and marยญketยญing proยญfesยญsionยญals. Please also conยญsider my PR serยญvices or speakยญing engageยญments.

PR Resource: Six Principles of Influence

Influence

Robert B. Cialdini pubยญlished โ€œInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasionโ€ in 1984, and his prinยญciples of influยญence are widely cited. They provide a frameยญwork for underยญstandยญing how people are perยญsuaded, and pubยญlic relaยญtions, advertยญising, and sales proยญfesยญsionยญals often use them. 5Cialdini, R. B. (2009). Influence: The psyยญchoยญlogy of perยญsuaยญsion (Rev. ed.). HarperCollins.

Influence-New-and-Cialdini-Expanded-The-Psychology-of-Persuasion
โ€œInfluenceโ€ by Robert B. Cialdini.

Here are Cialdiniโ€™s six principles:

  • Reciprocity. This prinยญciple is based on the idea that people feel obligยญated to give back when they receive it. If a comยญpany gives someยญthing to its cusยญtomยญers (like a free sample or a disยญcount), those cusยญtomยญers may feel comยญpelled to purยญchase in return.
  • Scarcity. People tend to want things that are limยญited or hard to get. Marketers often use this prinยญciple by creยญatยญing a sense of urgency around a product or serยญvice, such as a limยญited-time offer or a limยญited-ediยญtion product.
  • Authority. People tend to folยญlow the lead of credยญible experts. In PR and marยญketยญing, this can be achieved by havยญing an expert endorse a product or demonยญstrate expertยญise and credยญibยญilยญity in the field.
  • Consistency (or Commitment). People like to be conยญsistยญent with the things they have preยญviยญously said or done. This prinยญciple is often used in marยญketยญing by getยญting a small iniยญtial comยญmitยญment from a cusยญtomยญer, which increases the likeยญliยญhood that they will make a more sigยญniยญficยญant comยญmitยญment later.
  • Liking. People are more likely to be perยญsuaded by people they like. Physical attractยญiveยญness, simยญilยญarยญity, comยญpliยญments, and coรถperยญaยญtion can influยญence this.
  • Consensus (or Social Proof). People often look to the actions and behaยญviours of othยญers to determยญine their own. If a product or serยญvice is popยญuยญlar or endorsed by othยญers, people are likeยญliยญer to deem it good or trustworthy.

These prinยญciples are powerยญful tools for perยญsuaยญsion and can be used indiยญviduยญally or in comยญbinยญaยญtion to influยญence perยญcepยญtions and behaviours.

Learn more: Public Relations Books

Annotations
Annotations
1 Jaiku was a social netยญworkยญing, micro-blogยญging and lifestreamยญing platยญform founยญded in February 2006 by Jyri Engestrรถm and Petteri Kopon. The serยญvice was made availยญable for pubยญlic beta testยญing on March 27, 2007. It had over 1 milยญlion users worldยญwide at its closยญure on March 18, 2009.
2 The list sumยญmarยญises points MacLeod made at a semยญinยญar in 2013.
3 Durkeim, E. (1982). The Rules of the Sociological Method. New York: The Free Press. p. 60.
4 Berger, J. (2014). Contagious: How to build word of mouth in the digitยญal age. Simon & Schuster.
5 Cialdini, R. B. (2009). Influence: The psyยญchoยญlogy of perยญsuaยญsion (Rev. ed.). HarperCollins.
Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Kaufmann, Whispr Group, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Cover Photo

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