Introduction
The case for interactivity is well established in new media platforms. By "interactivity" is meant, for current purposes, user-to-user interaction features and/or functionalities enabling exchange of artifacts (e.g. posts, photos, videos, hyperlinks, etc) between (registered or non-registered) users. This interactivity is manifest by different means each according to a platform's preset usability features. For current purposes, four areas are explored in new media interactivity: customization, interactivity strategies, hyperlinking and preset mental structures. Two platforms are selected for investigation: Twitter and LinkedIn.
Customization
For Twitter, customization comes in different shapes and forms using numerous features and functionalities. In setting up an account, Twitter offers (new) users numerous layout and designs for profile photo and background image, card and shipping options (for purchase made using Twitter platform), security and privacy settings (aimed at controlling access to a user's information by specific users) and notifications for Twitter activity. Moreover, users can customize postings by retweeting to one or more users, following specific users (corporate or individual), list creation and Third Party Application access (i.e. applications buttons in other platforms from which a user can log in to her Twitter account). These features and functionalities are customizable / personalizable, i.e. can be modified according to a user's changing preferences.
For LinkedIn, users can, in addition to creating a customizable profile photo and background, opt for a standard (free) or premium (paid) service, set email notification frequency, edit profile professional information and choose which information can go public and which can be visible to selected users. Moreover, users can change professional bio job list by a "drag-and-drop" feature enabling users to reorder a job list more conveniently in lieu of more conventional "Add/Remove" functionalities. Generally, LinkedIn is one most limited new media platform in customization features compared to Twitter, for example.
Interactivity Strategies
Designed for interactivity, Twitter is aimed to promote content sharing among users. In order to enable interactivity, Twitter employs a broad range of interactive features and functionalities. One primary interactivity feature is simply tweeting. This feature can be used by clicking "Tweet" at upper right hand corner. Tweets can be shared publicly or can be limited for specific users according to user settings. Moreover, users can share photos and videos either on or off Twitter. That is, by using social media buttons, now common in different platforms, users can choose to exchange multimedia content directly on Twitter (by clicking "Add photos or video" in a tweet box) or indirectly by a referral from an external platform. There are also "Reply," "Like," "Retweet," and "More" (for additional sharing or blocking options) promoting more interactivity. For standard, conventional interactivity features, users can exchange messages by clicking a "Messages" functionality at upper left corner of web pages. If anything, Twitter users can assume any given (read: preferred / preset) identity. Indeed, similar to other social platforms, Twitter users can create multiple accounts for different purposes in order to interact with limitless sets of users, each decided by user's chosen virtual identity.
For LinkedIn, registered, standard users can post updates on an account's Home Page (for periodic or occasional, usually, professional notifications), users can comment on and/or share posts published by other users, share updates or "Add Contacts" (to connect with new users). In a standard messaging feature, users can exchange messages by clicking "send a message" functionality after clicking on a user's profile photo. This last feature has, in fact, been limited for privacy and security reasons in recent years. By permitting message exchange only to users one sending user knows, LinkedIn responds to growing concerns about privacy issues about unsolicited invitations. Given platform's professional networking status (although users are increasingly using LinkedIn as a social platform for more personal information sharing), LinkedIn has offered Standard and Premium registration options. In so doing, LinkedIn has not only effectively monetized platform's service offering but has, significantly, limited privacy and security risks posed by "fake," standard accounts. Compared to Twitter, LinkedIn is much limited in identity spectra a user can assume. Designed, primarily, for professional purposes, LinkedIn users have limited options to assume multiple options compared to different social media platforms, a design framework discussed in further detail under "Mental Structures".
Hyperlinking
For Twitter, hyperlinks, once posted on a new tweet, are automatically shortened into clickable links (in light blue) referring to internal links (i.e. web pages on Twitter) or external links (i.e. web pages of different websites / platforms).
For LinkedIn, hyperlinking is used for different purposes. By permitting embedding external content referring to a user's professional experience under "Profile", users can conveniently share (in public or for limited sets of users) professional and personal information. The hyperlinking feature is also used in posts a user may choose to publish. By embedding hyperlinks in posts, users can enrich postings but also, more significantly, enhance visibility for specific platforms or websites used for professional or personal purposes.
Mental Structures
For Twitter, a 144-character requirement is one primary mental, predesigned structure all Twitter users must follow. In so restricting character limits, Twitter's predesigned structure forces users to adapt to (instead of customizing) an existing features and hence restrictions on content generation per a tweet. Moreover, Twitter's design for tweet lineup limits viewership options across different devices as users need to scroll up and down to display tweets.
For LinkedIn, design limitations are more compared to Twitter. Notably, by locking connectivity to all users, a privacy precaution, LinkedIn users must adhere to a predesigned, mental structure of prior knowledge in connecting to a new user. True, privacy has been, presumably, a primary reason for limiting connection invitation requests. On flip side, however, by limiting connectivity (and for that matter interactivity) between users of similar professions or interests, LinkedIn forces users to adapt to a pre-existing design, instead of customizing settings as per each user's preferences.
