http://www.conversationprism.com/

The original (online) prism

Brian Solis’ Conversation Prism

Yes, Prisms are hot right now. But - from the point of view of the Prismatic Self - this is one of the first. Brian Solis publish his first Conversation Prism in 2007 and it has grown steadily ever since. This is his latest (fourth edition), 2 and a half years since the last. In this article for LinkedIn he discusses the journey he has gone through with the creation of this heavily research-based graphic.

The Conversation Prism was designed to help strategists see the bigger picture in the evolution of social media beyond the most popular and trendy sites. It is intended to help in a number of ways…

1. As a form of validation to show executives that social media is not a fad and that it’s bigger than Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Pinterest.

2. To motivate teams to find new ways to think about social media and explore new ways to improve experiences and relationships.

3. Provide a top-level view to help strategists study the landscape as they plan their nextsocial media strategy.

It is a combination of research and digital enthography. It groups networks by how people use them. It includes both leading and promising networks. It’s not intended to show every network, but instead how the shape of the social web is changing and who the front runners are pushing social media in new directions.

In my opinion this is a great piece of work. I’ve enjoyed watching the Prism grow over the years. It is a fantastic tool for explaining to people the nature of the Prismatic Self - the multi-facetted way that we represent ourselves online (and increasingly, offline). Where the Conversation Prism works conceptually the real Internet is failing practically. These platforms are not integrating in a way that is beneficial to the user, and managing even a small proportion increases the effort overhead exponentially. For conversations to prosper Open Standards need to be embraced. Which will it be “media that is social” or a “society of mediums”?

Over the years I’ve often wondered why the development of this graphic has not been taken further. Jane Hart at the Center for Learning and Performance Technologies has done this somewhat with the annual “Top 100 Tools for Learning and Performance”

Currently the Prism (and those like it) are used like a shopping catalogs, identifying the hot new products, ensuring that early and late adopters alike aren't missing out on the latest trend. This only compounds the confusion around online life. Where is the consideration of our personal and organisational needs - is it all just narcissism, are we just sycophantically chasing the latest fad?

From the point of view of the Prismatic Self, I believe this is not the case. Each new tool purports to meet a human need. As demonstrated in the Prism itself, in the last 2.5 year 122 sites have dropped off and only 111 new sites added; six categories removed for five new ones. Therefore, it can be assumed that there is some strategic, or moral discernment - only those sites that provide the most beneficial and sustainable outcomes survive. Thinking about these outcomes and the needs that these sites aim to satisfy will help use deliberate on the nature of the Prismatic Self, and how our differnt selves manage to come together online.