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Making social media socially useful

A new Institute of Social Media in Manchester could give us deeper insights into how Internet technologies can address a range of social issues, including sustainable consumption.

Yesterday Steve Moore and others in the 2gether 08 team met up with Paul Carruthers, who is a member of the team setting up the institute. They aim to straddle the gap between academic research and practical applications. I captured some of the conversation here, and afterwards Paul responded with some further thoughts.

2gether08 is one of those ideas that when you hear about it you just think “Hmm, that’s common sense. Why has no-one done that before?” But, more than that, it’s a *great* idea. Bringing together the tech guys with others who have ideas for social innovation may just result in some interesting really things happening. Of course, 2Gether is just the start and I’d like to see the conversations and buzz continue long after the 2 days are up.

We’re in the formative stages of the Institute for Social Media (i4SM) in Manchester, but the ideas behind 2Gether echo some of the research aims of i4SM. We want to further the understanding of what social media means and the impact that it can have on society in general, government and our local communities. The two days will give us the opportunity to hear where you think research and insight would be best focused and how we can build an institute that is relevant to everyone.

We are talking to Paul about the place i4SM could play in the Festival, and also help us join London, Manchester and other initiatives, ahem, 2gether. Here’s the i4SM blog, and their Prospectus.

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