Narbs of Social MediaAnanda Mitra

Professor of Communication, Wake Forest University

This project was partially funded by the Humanities Institute of Wake Forest University

Narbs: A basic description

• NARBS are digital discourse that are composed of NARrative BitS which include social media updates, micro-blogs, blogs, video updates, etc.

• It is possible, using Fisher’s “narrative paradigm,” to analyze narbs and get a glimpse at the story of a person, a collective, or event

Wordspy word of 9/27/11:Narb

• n. An item of personal information posted online, particularly as it contributes, often unwittingly, to a personal narrative that individual is creating online. Also: NARB. [Narrative + bit.]

• Earliest Citation:• There has been an exponential growth in the number of people who use digital

social networking tools to stay connected with friends and family. The connections are built and sustained through numerous digital "posts" that include simple "status updates" to elaborate videos and pictures that are made available through these tools. This paper argues that every such digital imprint is indeed a small narrative bit (narb) that tells a tiny story about an individual. Here a systematic approach is provided to categorize the narbs and explore the implications of creating a digital presence through numerous narbs distributed in different parts of the Internet.—Ananda Mitra, "Creating a Presence on Social Networks via Narbs" (PDF), Global Media Journal, April 1, 2010

Types of Narbs: Content• Text narb: the kind of narb that only have a certain amount of

words associated with the narb as in the case of the status updates in Facebook.

• Picture narb: the kind of narb that includes a digital still image ranging from a photograph to a clip art. These are often carefully selected by those who produce the narb and distribute the pictures.

• Video narb: the kind of narb that includes a digital moving image with or without sound.

• Audio narb: the kind of narb that includes an audio signal such as music or voice which could have been produced by an individual or could be a connection to existing audio material on the Internet.

Types of Narbs: Function• The first set of functional categories would deal with the “spatial narb”

that offers specific information about the real life spatial location or spatial attributes of an individual

• The second functional category can be referred to as “temporal narb” that offer specific chronological information about a person.

• A third functional category would be the “causal narb” which offers information about the fundamental attitudes and opinions of a person that shape the identity narrative of a person.

• The fourth functional category focuses on the specific activities that a person does and is called the “activity narb.” Examining this category of narbs would allow an observer to create a narrative identity that is made up of the specific things a person would consider to be the central activities in one’s life.

Types of Narbs: Agency

•The self narb: when the individual is the author•The other narb: when someone else is the author

Narbs: The Three AxesFunction

Content

AgencySelf Other

Video

Audio

Picture

TextCausal

Spatial

Temporal

Activity

WeightsAgency

Self (1)

Other (0)

Content

Text (0.25)

Picture (0.25)

Audio (0.25)

Video (0.25)

Combinations computed additively

Frequency

Within 30 days (0)

Within 7 days (0.1)

Within 72 hrs (0.2)

Within 48 hrs (0.3)

Within 36 hrs (0.4)

Within 24 hrs (0.5)

Within 12 hrs (0.6)

Within 6 hrs (0.7)

Withing 3 hrs (0.8)

Within 1 hrs (0.9)

Within 60 mins or less (1.0)

Place

States place (1)

Does not state place (0)

Narb

Matrix

Implications of using Narbs

• It is possible to build a story from narbs• The story provides a sense of what the

individuals are thinking• The story calls into question other stories

about an issue• The story offers a counterpoint to other

stories

Now What?

• Does the story allows for some predictions about what can be expected?

• How does the story match up with the reality of events?

• How do stories change with time?• Do these stories become as important, or

more important, than the institutional stories?

In closing

• This essay is not about reducing the importance of a careful discursive analysis of narbs. Indeed, that process is a necessary part of the creation of identity narratives and attributions about individuals. However, the process of textual and discursive analysis of specific narbs is a laborious and resource-intensive task. It would make much more sense to create the summated narb matrices before selecting what set of narbs would yield useful information.

In closing

• Looking at narbs from the numeric perspective offers individuals an opportunity to produce a systematic way of managing narbs. If a particular cell, such as the ‘A’ value appears to be low compared to the overall narb weight, it would indicate to an individual that other people are contributing to an individual’s identity narrative compared to the person himself or herself. Such checks based on the ongoing computation of a narb matrix could offer a simple and systematic way to see how an individual’s profile is developing in the large SNS space.

Applications

• Predictive analysis• Opinion research• Collective action• Interpersonal issues• Alternative to mass media• Understanding the state of any issue• Insensitive to geography