Microsoft Minecraft Purchase Is About Social Media, Not Gaming

http://socialnetworkingnews.org/microsoft-minecraft-purchase-is-about-social-media-not-gaming/

Definitions and labels get confused when we describe technologies that enable social experience, and it’s particularly evident in the way we’re talking about Microsoft MSFT +1.8%’s $2.5 billion purchase of Minecraft. It’s not really a game, per se — players don’t really compete against one another in any formal way — but, rather, a community of like-minded individuals who often collaborate on accomplishing tasks or sharing experiences. The user audience skews younger vs. older.

Minecraft is a social media site, and there’s a chance that Microsoft will use it to challenge the way we talk about social engagement.

As far as labels go, most “social” platforms aren’t really social, at least not in the way we’ve ever used the word in the past. A small group of people actively contribute and share content, but the vast majority of users (or members) are simply consumers of it; they watch posts or tweets much the same way they used to watch TV. Usually, this content conveys far less information than even the shortest commercials once presented, and consumer engagement is based far more on volume of exposures vs. length. This means that branded social campaigns often trade substance for mechanism, just as the individuals who participate socially swap nuanced conversation for short blips and burps of blunt opinion. Many social communities are glorified distribution lists.

Source: www.forbes.com

See on Scoop.it – social networking

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