bolin-velkova-2020-audience-metric-continuity-approaching-the-meaning-of-measurement-in-the-digital-everyday

Abstract

  • Examines metrics in digital environments to understand audience responses.

  • Utilizes the Facebook Demetricator to explore user reflections on metrics.

  • Discusses disorientations related to temporality, sociality, and value in user experiences.

  • Aims to connect these findings to the historical context of audience measurement.

Introduction

  • Digital media life is increasingly quantified by metrics on social media and personal gadgets.

  • Metrics serve as environments influencing value and social behavior.

  • New business models for media companies hinge on algorithmic audience monitoring.

  • Emergence of terms like big data, social profiling, and gamification.

  • Historical context is necessary to understand contemporary audience metrics.

Approaches to Metrics in Digital Media

Historical Context

  • Standard measurements have evolved since early writing and statistics in the 19th century influenced societal behavior.

  • Digitization has advanced real-time, algorithm-based metrics driven by vast datasets.

Existing Research Methods

  • Distinction between:

    • Platform-centered studies: Analyze technologies and their impacts on user behavior.

    • User-centered studies: Focus on user experiences and interpretations of metrics.

  • Emphasis on ethnographies and qualitative interviews within the user-centered approach.

Methodological Innovations

  • New methods include:

    • Digital methods (e.g., analyzing digital platforms).

    • Interface methods (e.g., studying interaction designs).

    • Walkthrough methods (navigating app functionalities).

  • Research on social effects of metrics through disruption, such as abstaining from connectivity.

Pilot Study Methodology

Facebook Demetricator Experiment

  • Conducted a pilot study using Facebook Demetricator to remove numerical metrics from user experience.

  • Aimed to understand reflections triggered by the absence of metrics through semi-structured interviews.

  • Recruited social media users aged 20-30, with a diverse range of experiences.

Research Design

  • Interviews explored:

    • User interactions with social media

    • Experiences of using the Demetricator

    • Perceptions of missing out due to the absence of metrics

    • Willingness to continue using the Demetricator

Findings: User Disorientation

Temporal Disorientation

  • Removal of timestamps affected users' understanding of content freshness and relevance.

  • Users highlighted confusion over the timing and order of posts as crucial for news consumption.

Social Disorientation

  • Absence of metrics like likes and comments impacted users' perceptions of social feedback and engagement.

  • Some users felt that without metrics, social interactions on the platform seemed meaningless.

Value Disorientation

  • Users struggled to assess the value of content without numerical indicators guiding their interactions.

  • The removal of metrics forced users to seek alternative methods to evaluate content worth.

Discussion: Implications of Findings

Role of Metrics

  • Metrics serve as tools for user engagement, participation and value assessment.

  • Offer a sense of continuity and guidance in navigating social media content.

Continuities in Social Media Use

  • Contemporary social media metrics retain historical functions seen in traditional media, such as audience engagement and programming.

  • Users perceive metrics as essential for a meaningful social media experience, illustrating a blend of sociality and quantification.

Conclusion

  • The study combines traditional and digital methods to reveal insights into the significance of metrics.

  • The absence of metrics may disrupt standard practices and encourage deeper reflections on their roles in digital interactions.

  • Future research should consider the historical evolution of metrics to better understand their place in digital culture.