The Twit or Fit Social Ratchet

Yesterday Twit or Fit (a sort of Hot or Not for Twitter, you rate the avatar of Twitter persons) launched with co-ordinated PR aplomb. I didn't blog it yesterday because the people behind it (Huddle) are a smart lot, and anyway EuroStartups need all the help they can get, but after chatting to a few people last night I felt I had to say something.

The reason I am not so sure it is such a good idea for use on a Social Media / Comms System is not, of course, because I'm a grumpy sod who doesn't "get it", you understand* ( Tim O'Reilly will be after them anyway ), but because of the sort of behavioural Game Theory it promotes on a social network, where building social capital is a key part of the game.

I can predict two games that will be played if this catches on:

(i) Migration to more beautiful Avatars, possibly even more attractive handles.

(ii) Increase in following "cute" avatars at the expense of uncute ones, irrespective of content

(2009 Prediction - £10 a pop for photoshopping beautiful Avatars is a runaway success Biz. Mind you, I suppose, being Twitter, if you have to listen to people wittering on about their lunch, they may as well be Gorjuss)

I've tried to describe this in the diagram above - in essence, the system will drive towards "A Listers" who are there because of avatabeauty, not contributions to the greater social capital. It will be not so much the Whuffie as Hottie Factor

(Followed via @hello! )

Thus over the longer term, it operates as a Social Media Ratchet - by allowing one to rate and then follow "beautiful people" (via the "Top 50 rated people etc) it turns social media into something more akin to TV, where content - even highbrow content - can only be presented by "beautiful people" today. I personally am thus concerned that the future "ratings" in social media will be based on attractiveness to a greater degree than is probably helpful.

For all of you who thus thought the 'Net would be a way of connecting the "Global Brain", of ensuring a new era of Aquarian Peace, Love and Understanding, for raising the Species IQ, this is all a bit of a let down. On the other hand, you can sell Ads against it and thus monetise it - another smart way to make money off Twitter!

( By the way, I am somewhat intrigued that the digital womenfolk - some of whom were quite upset over the recent T*tCrunch post, are not protesting that this too is demeaning - some things I will never understand.... )

Must go now, off to look for a hotter Avatar

* Hey, I set up the first AntiSocial Network on Ning you know!