The blend of social media digital influencers through the multichannel network model for public service media

1. The University of Sydney Page 1
Understanding Public
Service Media Value
Beyond the Fifth
Estate:
The significance of social
media in a networked
society
Presented by
Dr Jonathon Hutchinson
Department of Media and Communication
@dhutchman
www.jonathonhutchinson.com

2. The University of Sydney Page 2
‘Generation
Notification’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S6FekN1l5w

3. The University of Sydney Page 3
Connor Franta
– Aged 23
– ‘American Entrepreneur,
writer & YouTuber’
– +2m Facebook Likes
– +5m Instagram Followers
– 4.8m Twitter Followers
– 5.5m YouTube
subscribers
– ‘coming of age’ videos?

4. The University of Sydney Page 4
Troye Sivan
– Aged 21
– ‘Australian singer,
songwriter, actor and
YouTuber’
– 4.6m Instagram followers
– 4m Twitter followers
– 2.2m Facebook fans
– 4.2m YouTube
Subscriptions
– Vlogger

5. The University of Sydney Page 5
Who cares about ‘Generation Notification’?
– These people talk to enormous audiences
– The audiences are incredibly engaged
– The engaged contribute content, insights, trends
– In terms of fandom, this audience is the upper level
– Conversations are influential, to and from these
audiences
– Disposable income
– Typically not engaging with broadcast content

6. The University of Sydney Page 6
Social Talent

7. The University of Sydney Page 7
Social Talent & Digital Influencers
– Digital influencers
– Fashion bloggers
– Content creators
– Brand ambassadors
– Musicians
– Humorous people
Louis Cole, ‘Fun for Louis’

8. The University of Sydney Page 8
Stampy Longnose – Minecraft video influencers
Who are these people?
– Cultural intermediaries
– Community managers
(social media producers,
moderators, etc.)
– Microinfluencers
– Change Agents

9. The University of Sydney Page 9
Vidcon
How do they do it?
– Consistent message
– Understand the language
– Work the platform
conventions
– Conversation first,
branding second
– Increased exposure
through intermediaries
(MCNs for example)

10. The University of Sydney Page 10
Network Making Power Switchers
“(a) the ability to constitute network(s)
and to program/reprogram the
network(s) in terms of the goals
assigned to the network; and (b) the
ability to connect and ensure the
cooperation of different networks by
sharing common goals and combining
resources while fending off
competition from other networks by
setting up strategic
cooperation”(Castells, 2011, p. 776).
– 1st characteristic: Common goals
– 2nd characteristic: Switchers
“control the connecting points
between various strategic
networks” for example “the
connection between the political
networks and the media networks
to produce and diffuse specific
political-ideological discourses”
(Castells, 2011, p. 777).

11. The University of Sydney Page 11
Scripted Comedy TV

12. The University of Sydney Page 12
The ABC
– Public Service
Broadcasting
– Not ‘crowding-out’
– Rather ‘distinctive
innovation’ (Cunningham,
2013)
– The broader media
environment can learn
from ABC

13. The University of Sydney Page 13

14. The University of Sydney Page 14

15. The University of Sydney Page 15
Digital Influencers for #7DaysLater
1. @7DaysLaterTV
2. @Daley_Pearson
3. @HarrisonTheFan
4. @Mwhalan
5. @henry_and_aaron
6. @bajopants
7. @ABC2
8. @WASHINGTONx
9. @JordanRasko
10. @tomandalex

16. The University of Sydney Page 16
Generation
Notification and
Public Service Media

17. The University of Sydney Page 17
What do digital influencers mean for PSM?
– Production was a closed (gated) process
– Web 2.0, ‘here comes everybody’
– We thought audiences should take over the producer
role
– That was never the case, but there was a shift in the
production model
– Some brands still engage audiences, e.g. House of
Cards & data-driven programming
– These is the cultural intermediation model – professional
with enthusiast

18. The University of Sydney Page 18

19. The University of Sydney Page 19
@mentions > 56

20. The University of Sydney Page 20
Digital Influencers in @ABCTV
– Analysis for Cleverman
– @tasmawalton
– @rove
– @sundancetv
– @nickysloss
– @tillywillynilly, nearly 1K
– @spacedaisies

21. The University of Sydney Page 21
#gameofthrones (top 500, tracked for 30
minutes)
– @rukhshan – 3900
followers
– @isuzax – 4k followers
– @justinthomas97 – 5k
– @rubencarrito

22. The University of Sydney Page 22
What do digital influencers mean for PSM?
– Decrease the audience size to those who are most
active and influential
– These are the people to target with social media strategy
– They also represent the broader audience: indicative of
their likes/dislikes
– Direct channel of communication between content
production and consumption
– Emerging production model between media orgs and
‘Generation Notification’

23. The University of Sydney Page 23
Dr Jonathon
Hutchinson
jonathon.hutchinson@sydney.edu.au
@dhutchman