Concentric circles: understanding digital spaces.

In geometry, two or more objects are said to be concentric when they share the same center. But why does this mathematical concept matter to those of us trying to move people online?

The job of communications, be it marketing or political campaigns is to spread information to an audience. More than that, it is to persuade them to accept your messages as valid. Then, increasingly, to move them into action either on your behalf or by your side. To do this, you need to know how information moves among audiences and their networks.

So, where to start?

Roper's Concentric Circle Theory emerged in the 1940s to explain how political opinions are shared among the populace. Essentially, it says that ideas start with Great Thinkers and spread throughout the population in networked circles, much like the ripple effect you see in the water when a rock is thrown in.

1. Great Thinkers — the originators of ideas. They spread these ideas to those close to them who tend to think similarly.
2. Great Disciples - people with power and influence, who whilst not the originators of the idea are moved to share due to relationship or admiration for the Great Thinker.
3. Great Disseminators — moved by the content of the messages and not so much the close connection and seek to spread them.
4. Lesser Disseminators — wielders of localized influence, powerful enough to transmit messages in niche groups the messages can’t otherwise breakthrough.
5. Participating Citizens — take an active part in politics or current affairs, but don’t necessarily hold leadership roles.
6. Politically Inert — vast majority of people who don’t have strong opinions, initial ties, or activist roles, but who still vote or buy products.

This theory was concerned with information spread and of course was developed in a very different media environment to the one we inhabit today. But whether you’re trying to sell soap or build a movement for systemic change you can apply this theory to modern media. Because today’s array of digital channels are nothing more than an amplification element in our system of social connection.

It still all begins with human nature and understanding people and their contexts is fundamental. Facebook was not born with a video chat feature, and Google did not even include Google images until J-Lo’s green dress at the Grammy’s broke the internet in 2000. These developments were a reaction to the way humans are and how we seek to communicate.

Communications tools are just that, tools. Each has a function and a purpose but they derive their meaning from our usage. Mobilization strategies should grow out of an understanding of human reality and how information moves between groups regardless of the platforms used. Because platforms come and go and formats change. Insight-driven planning begins here and then takes advantage of the ability of digital tools to identify and target audiences at different levels of these concentric information circles.

How to build advocacy on insights

So, how can you become more effective and build campaigns based on insights on communities and how they are actually sharing information?

1. Begin with research: Search engines reveal a lot because they work on direct queries. Observe behaviors before jumping into planning your interventions. You can start at a macro level with Google & YouTube Trends then drill down into specifics with Google AdWords and Answer The Public. This process will help you understand what is on the agenda and the exact semantics. Social platforms are useful for this too. Native dashboards are okay, but try using something that gives you a bigger view of how conversations are developing. The more you can monitor in one place, the better.
2. Test quickly at scale: From AI-enabled methods to determine public sentiment and likely public responses. To taking advantage of digital ad platforms, from Google to Meta, for rapid testing of different messages. Whilst a lot has change with recent Apple updates, seeing Meta lose about 40% of it’s tracking precision, these still enable you to cheaply conduct A/B testing. You can start by associating multiple text and assets (images, videos, etc.) in different combinations all at no extra cost. Five of each has given you 25 different ways to pitch your message to people.
3. Integrate feedback loops: Optimization should be constant. Take steps to set up Google Analytics and seeing through page views, location and session duration your real relevance. Use a traffic analyzers to see what is popular with target audiences online. Or simply conduct interviews after your campaign to see the recall amongst key stakeholders. Such simple steps are often missed out and so are the opportunities for insights.

Concentric circles are how information moves between groups, not because we can’t access information on our own but because who transmits it to us matters a lot. Connect with a Lesser Dissemintator in the right context and you can really cut through to niche groups. Digital tools can help you figure the out places and people to engage. Then, aid message development, refinement and impact assessment going forward even when campaigns play out offline.

Only those smart enough to put it at the heart of their movement building, leveraging networks to transmit information and inspire a close bond as a result, will reap the rewards.