You Might Be a Digital Anthropologist...

Upon recently talking about micro-interactions to the folks at Citi, I had a “micro-epiphany.”  It occurred to me that companies really need to be looking at the social revolution for possibly one reason over everything else.  Insights into human behavior that can lead to future innovations or even product/service improvements.  Point in case, as I was talking about some of the interactions I’ve had with brands on Twitter like Southwest or Zappos, I said something like “this isn’t about immediately jumping onto Twitter or any other network, it’s about making an observation that people are craving live interactions with other people who happen to work at the companies they buy stuff from”.  I went on to emphasize that they way I knew this wasn’t based on research, but my own personal observations and a willingness to take a step back and connect the dots.

Think about it, as spoiled as we are with great brands such as Trader Joes, NetFlicks, and Apple—when it comes to customer service we’ve unfortunately become accustomed to layers of poorly designed pre-recorded menus and canned responses that don’t actually help us. Companies have streamlined operations to the point where we assume it will take forever to speak to a live person who can actually help us.  Or if we get a live person, we’re disappointed.  Then all of a sudden a few companies start helping people via a network such as Twitter and we’re are all over it, happy to spread the news that someone is out there listening.  To me the insight is this:

We’ve become so starved for authentic live human contact that when it’s offered up to us we are all to happy to rejoice and tell the world.

As with many professions, digital has made certain things more accessible to people with potential.  Some of the most forward thinking companies like IDEO have invested in hiring anthropologists,  people who combine an intuitive curiosity with a learned skill for observation and pattern detection.  These anthropologists come from all backgrounds, and the really good ones have developed methods and toolboxes for capturing behaviors in the hopes of uncovering the insights they are looking for.

Today, a big part of that toolbox has become the Web, which lowers the bar for curious people who can detect patterns but perhaps haven’t earned their formal degrees in the social sciences or have the experience of recording hours of behavior via A/V equipment.  But there is a catch.  You have to be willing to investigate, spend time in the virtual communities—you have to participate to some extent and you have to develop your own system for capturing data whether it be tagging via delicious, favoriting links or archiving media.

The big shift is that the new kind of “digital ethnography” I’m describing is there for those willing to do what it takes to uncover those insights.  No special degree or professional recording equipment required.  I’m fairly certain some company out there is going to tap into this idea of “direct engagement”—live interactions with real breathing people enabled by digital technology.  Could be video, text, audio or a combination of all three.  But I’m fairly certain that the small percentage of people who are experiencing it through networks such as Twitter are acting as collective canaries in coalmines signaling a desire for more live human connectivity vs. artificial intelligence.  If you can relate to some of the things I've said here, then you just might be a digital anthropologist. At least, that’s my gut feeling.

Comments

[Liz]

I think I might just be one! Or after I finish my current project.

[mediaeater]

There is a more punk rock version of this that has been in the tweat flow. The short name is STFU and listen marketing. At very least its the first step.

On to your points re connectivity and collective collaborative communities.

We are living in the fastest moving exciting times there has ever been.

we are, at very least starting to see- real time cloud thinking. or “direct engagement” as you are saying

The implications on every aspect of life is
staggering. Branding and marketing has been changed forever.

cool

[Alan Wolk]

And at the same time you are publishing this (and I agree with you wholeheartedly) there's an article in the today's New York Times about how more companies are resorting to impersonal "robo-calls" to let customers know that say, their dry cleaning is ready to be picked up or that their reservation is confirmed. Article touched on how annoyed recipients of said calls were.
LINK: http://is.gd/VyI

So clearly a need/want/desire for a more personal touch.

[Warren Sukernek]

Another home run for the Long Island cowboy! Direct engagement with our favorite brands that leads to surprise and delight results in strong word of mouth. And ultimately increased revenue and customer satisfaction.

[david cushman]

You'll hear them say: "but how can we afford to have all the people this would take".
They could of course start by unleashing the staff they already have.
Marketing, advertising, customer service, promotions, new product development, M&A etc etc it all comes spilling out of its silos and out of the company firewall.

We've been making helping customers some 'one's' responsibility - putting it into a specialised department and making everyone else ignore it to 'get on with their day job'.

It's a side effect of the specialisation mass production forced us with an unhealthy dash of scientific management techniques.

As we rediscover that humans aren't made more efficient by being made more machine-like, the silo walls will dissolve and we'll get on with being human.

And, as you point out, being human makes an awful lot of sense when you want to sell to other humans.

[david cushman]

Now you've gone and made me write a blog post...
http://fasterfuture.blogspot.com/2008/07/take-fresh-look-at-your-resources-read.html

[Alex Luna]

Why do these big companies have to try so hard to become inhuman?

It's always about people, ain't it?

[David Weiner]

I thought I majored in English?

[Diana]

Interesting article. I have to say though that those who are trained as anthropologists, and especially those of us who are focusing on online communities, would like to take back the term ethnography from the misuse it has suffered at the hands of marketers and give it the credence it deserves with proper use and training we've worked really hard to perfect.

It's definitely more than recognizing superficial patterns as you have hinted to here. There is a lot of theory and analysis that goes into any good ethnography and that takes education and practice to even begin to make it worth something. Especially something that will help the community you are studying - which as an applied anthropologist I would argue is the entire point of the study.

If you are doing an 'ethnography' to better understand your audience to make a buck off of them easier, then your heart is in the wrong place and you are indeed misusing the term. If you are instead doing anthropological analysis which includes participant observation that results in an ethnography in order to help the community better understand itself - then you may get somewhere.

[Asi]

This is such a massive opportunity for service brands to jump ahead and differentiate.

It would be interesting to see the long term effects - would that improve CS as a whole so people won't need to share their rants (unlikely). Or will companies just slowly shift some budgets for crisis management.

I'm a bit worried that brands will simply use it as a PR stunt to shut up some digital barks but won't change their CS at large.

Finally, this lead to another aspect of the digital divide - people who can't publicly rant on Twitter / blog etc will get the same crappy CS and the savvy few will benefit personally but will (unintentionally) return a PR favour by telling the world how great the service they got is.

Let's hope for sea-change

A.

[Ethan]

I want to know what happened to the good old-fashioned analog anthropologist. After all, humans experience the real world analogically. Our senses perceive stimuli in continuous streams with infinite gradients. Digital implies approximation, simulation and truncation. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that's what you get when you democratize ethnography. A lot of rich data drops out--and in ethnography, the greatest insights may come from the weakest signals. While amateurs can learn to observe the binary surface, only an experienced anthropologist can pick up on important subtleties and deeper meanings between the bits.

[BLarner]

David, how do you explain your experience and thinking to clients?

How can anyone who hasn't deeply experienced living in the Net comprehend it?

B

[gregorylent]

too big is a barrier to success?

the answer is yes ... economies of scale are trumped by humaness

[UK Hook]

Anthropologist is just one part of it. You need to be a psychologist, data analytist, trend researcher and curious human being to make it in this new world.

[Stephan Lukac]

For those people interested in learning more about the intersection of design and anthropology join the yahoo group "anthrodesign".

From best practices in conducting interviews, to job postings this is a wealth of knowledge for people interested in the topic.

[David Armano]

thanks for all the comments on this one. Sorry I've been slow too respond. Very busy these days.

Diana, I think you bring up some good points, but it's easy to point the finger at evil marketers. My bigger point is similar to what's happening in the medical profession. No one ever learned to be a doctor by reading everything on Web MD. However, the Web can make you a more informed and better patient. You can make better choices compared to say 5 or 10 years ago when all we had were doctors, books and the advice of friends.

Doctors as trained professionals will never be replaced by novices, but doctors and knowledgeable patients together make for a good combination.

[jon chamberlin]

"We’ve become so starved for authentic live human contact that when it’s offered up to us we are all to happy to rejoice and tell the world."

This line prompted me to write about something I've been thinking about for a while (ever since reading Purple Cow years ago). Guess it's time!

Is it possible for something to be remarkable at one point, fall into averageness, only to rise years later into something remarkable again?

At one time customer service was a remarkable service. Talking to someone at the company about your problems was worth telling your friends about. Then it became the norm. Now, since the rise of automated customer service, having a human interaction is once again remarkable.

Can you think of anything else? The key is that the remarkable thing can't be changed (talking to customer service then and now is still the same thing)

[debs]

Dave - LOVE this one. But then you know that you are often channeling my thoughts when you post. As we live more and more in a relationship economy filled with small continual micro interactions that make up any form of relationship - it is more important then ever for marketers and brands to look at the motivations, dynamics and elements that comprise all the online spaces, communities and tools where their customers live before jumping in. Just as you would not show up at a dinner party and sell tupperware - you need to understand and community and relationship you are in. FYI I can be accused of being one of those dilettantes since i have called myself a digital anthropologist for years..;)

[Ken Stewart]

David, I could probably write a pithy post on this, but I will spare you the diatribe ;-)

This is a good post. However, and to be succinct, service has and always will be the key as people enjoy interacting with people.

While there are different buyers in the world (cost vs. experience), you have discovered that which is constant:

Having an attitude of service will stand the test of time.

[Will]

I agree with you about digital ethanography. What'll be interesting is if a startup is able to marry anthropological/ethanographic skills with technology. It's too easy to rely on something like an online omnibus to give you easily won data which doesn't mean much.

[Michael]

As an anthropologist, I say, right on (though I don't know about that hat in the diagram). One methodological insight though, anthropologists tend to focus in a stingy way on the very particular behaviors that people engage in. Once you realize that people prefer real live human interactions, then the next question is, well, exactly what kinds of interactions work best in which context? And why? There's still a lot of digging to do here.

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