Residents and visitors has been described as:
a new typology for online engagement
I’ve found everyone and anyone can sub-type residents and visitors into sub categories. We need a strong type rule where the terms can be indivisible. So that’s why I look at why we go online, what are the psychological reasons we visit the web.
So this is why I believe we should be in the spectrum of Gamers and Non-Gamers, a much more binary and meaningful term.
So first you have to ask the question Why people go online? This is where the gamers and non gamers are differentiated. Gamers go online for enjoyment whilst non-gamers go online out of need.
For example, a non gamer will just use the internet to google something, or to do banking or use maps. Whereas clearly a gamer will incorporate this into their habits, but they will go online on Social media or maybe even literally, to play games – although this isn’t a definition of a gamer.
Why?
Well… most things you can contribute to online can been seen as games. Wikipedia, Twitter, WordPress, Qoura – all big websites has a staple success of implementing gamification to their websites in order for you to visit again.
I’ll break down the basics of gamification and relate it to twitter:
- Voluntary.
Quite simply, games are designed to be fun, if you are forced to do something, it will feel like work. So as in twitter, it is your choice to play or not. - Points.
Like all games you get points for what you do, twitter allows you to receive points in the form of re-tweets and tweets. - Score.
The number of followers you have, or mentions you receive is a twitter score. You will intrinsically, as a player, try to increase your score, as you would in all games. - Social engagement
Whilst not a necessity of games, it now is a fundamental part of the motivating factor behind playing games. This is done via @Mentions, engaging other players. Tweets and re-tweets, where intrinsic happiness comes from the status derived from a high amount of followers. - Avatar
You have a customized avatar, where you can change your picture and background.
So as any site which uses gamification, like Badges, Leader-boards, Points, Scores, Social engagement, Avatars. Then you can count yourself as a gamer. You will be able to tell really whether it is an active choice to go online for enjoyment, rather than out of need. As thanks to gamification, the tricks used make us want to go online.
So instead of categorizing you engagement on what your digital literacy is, what you do online, your digital footprint and so on, it should be on why you go online.
Some other reading for those interested:
Blog on Twitter Gamification
Link to the book I’ve used to research gamification
Visitors and residents: A new typology in engagement