The Social Alum: Implications of Social Identity Theory in the Digital Era

Social Identity Theory provides implications for the use of social media engagement with students and alumni to increase the quality of their relationships with a university and their participation and donation rates as alumni.  In this paper I will provide an examination of social identity theory.  Elements of the theory will be noted as particularly relevant to the development of strong connections between alumni and their alma mater.  Social media will be offered as a tool for strengthening these ties.

Social identity theory states that the way an individual defines his or her own identity depends both on their personal skills and traits and on their perceived group affiliations (Mael & Ashforth, 1992).  The crucial element here is “perceived” – the group affiliations must be recognized by the individual and by others (Ashforth & Mael, 1989).  Some argue that this affiliation with groups is a necessity for the individual, and that individuals require group affiliation in order to fulfill a need for self-definition (Marin & Ruiz, 2007).  Additionally, there must be perceived significance from a psychological standpoint for the individual.  The individual shares in the experiences of the victories and defeats of the group (Ashforth & Mael, 1989).  In fact, some alumni view university reviews, such as the Business Week university rankings, as a threat to their organizational identity, and their own identity as a result (Elsbach & Kramer, 1996).

The psychological ties between the individual and the group can be carried further when seeing organizations as groups to which the individual commits to.  This organizational commitment develops from an individual’s acceptance of the goals and values of the organization, their willingness to work on the organization’s behalf, and their wish to preserve their membership in the organization (Ashforth & Mael, 1989).

With developing technology there are implications of media that relate to these psychological issues of identity.  Some estimate that 90% of Americans will have internet access by 2014, and studies show that current college undergraduates are increasingly active in social media networks (Greenhow, Robelia, & Hughes, 2009).  A key use for social media is the development of self-presentation to peers and external audiences.  Social networks also often serve to extend real-world relationships already in existence (Hull & Stornaiuolo, 2010).  The psychology of self-identity finds an expressive outlet in the new digital era.

Organizations can rely on several mechanisms to increase an individual’s personal acceptance of their organizational social identity.  These include placing images representative of the organization in their communications, increasing the visibility of the organization’s stakeholder ties, and including stakeholders in the organization’s community itself, and encouraging interaction among stakeholders (Scott & Lane, 2000).  Social media can help the organization to meet these needs.  Social networks provide an outlet for customization of profiles, posting of pictures and brand marks, and unique communication messages.  The networking trait of social media means that a stakeholder who affiliates with the organization can display their affiliation for public view.  Social networks enable the development and strengthening of communities, and they facilitate interaction among members.

In order to increase participation of individuals in the group the organization can add benefits for members.  The benefits can be for the individual themselves, the society in general or for the greater selective in-group (Fowler & Kam, 2007).  By developing a system of benefits for alumni, universities can increase the self-expression of the organization ties by their alumni, their participation in the alumni association, in university-sponsored functions and in fundraising campaigns.  Some of these benefits can be facilitated through social media, such as the benefit of social interaction with other group members and the chance to reminisce about their college days in such forums.  Attachment and sentimentality can be used as variables in determining the likelihood of an individual to identify with groups and use group affiliation to construct self-identity (Mael & Ashforth, 1992).  Social media can foster these variables.

From an organization perspective, universities must remember that they are composed of several sub-level organizations, each of which can have a different influence on students.  This comes from the different academic environments that occur on campus, including realistic, investigative, social, enterprising, artistic and conventional environments, along with the various forms of diversity encountered by students (Umbach & Porter, 2002).  Social media provides two means of dealing with this element of the university-alumni relationship dynamic.  On the one hand, social media can be used to boost the university-level organizational identity and relationship, subjugating the college-level relationships.  On the other hand, a university might choose to embrace the strong ties between alumni and the college-level units, with unifying of the sub-groups through branding as an option.

The consumption of the organization’s identity (brand) “should enable consumers to define more clearly and completely who they are” (Marin & Ruiz, 2007).  Symbolic interactions, whether verbal or non-verbal, can assist the university and the individual with their self-definitions (Ashforth & Mael, 1989).  These interactions can take many forms, whether through social media, traditional communications, or in-person (such as at Homecoming events).  These relationship interactions go both ways.  Satisfied self-identified alumni are more likely to donate to universities, employ future alumni, and give positive unsolicited promotion for the university (Hartman & Schmidt, 1995).

Social Identity Theory offers one perspective on the way that individuals define their own identity, through their own characteristics and their associations with others.  The process through which these identities are created is currently in flux due to ever-changing technology that allows for increased self-expression and self-policing of others’ perceptions of one’s identity.  Organizations can utilize the new social media technologies to assist individuals in developing stronger ties to the organization, and thus ensuring that an organization is a part of the individual’s identity.  Universities should consider using social media in this way to strengthen their relationships with their alumni.  The benefits could far outweigh the costs.

Bibliography

Ashforth, B. E., & Mael, F. (1989). Social Identity and the Organization. The Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 20-39.

Elsbach, K. D., & Kramer, R. M. (1996). Members’ Responses to Organizational Identity Threats: Encountering and Countering the Business Week Rankings. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41, 442-476.

Fowler, J. H., & Kam, C. D. (2007). Beyond the Self: Social Identity, Altruism, and Political Participation. The Journal of Politics, 69(3), 813-827.

Greenhow, C., Robelia, B., & Hughes, J. E. (2009). Web 2.0 and Classroom Research: What Path Should We Take Now? Educational Researcher, 38(4), 246-259.

Hartman, D. E., & Schmidt, S. L. (1995). Understanding Student/Alumni Satisfaction from a Consumer’s Perspective: The Effects of Institutional Performance and Program Outcomes. Research in Higher Education, 36(2), 197-217.

Hull, G. A., & Stornaiuolo, A. (2010). Literate Arts in a Global World: Reframing Social Networking as Cosmopolitan Practice. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(2), 85-97.

Mael, F., & Ashforth, B. E. (1992). Alumni and Their Alma Mater: A Partial Test of the Reformulated Model of Organizational Identification. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13(2), 103-123.

Marin, L., & Ruiz, S. (2007). “I Need You Too!” Corporate Identity Attractiveness for Consumers and the Role of Social Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 71(3), 245-260.

Scott, S. G., & Lane, V. R. (2000). A Stakeholder Approach to Organizational Identity. The Academy of Management Review, 25(1), 43-62.

Umbach, P. D., & Porter, S. R. (2002). How Do Academic Departments Impact Student Satisfaction? Understanding the Contextual Effects of Departments. Research in Higher Education, 43(2), 209-234.

From a logistical stand point, consider what goals you should set as a board for the upcoming year, and keep your audiences in mind when you do so.  For example, suppose you want to better serve your constituents by giving them more advance notice of events, and hopefully increasing attendance as a result.  This could lead to an organization goal of adopting an electronic communications plan, utilizing more social media, or creating a calendar system so individuals within the club are more organized and better prepared to promote upcoming activities.

Organizations should also use this transition time as an opportunity to connect with constituents.  Have your outgoing leadership prepare a short statement with a year-in-review theme to update your audience on organizational successes throughout the previous year.  Have your incoming leadership introduce themselves and outline goals and plans for the following year.  This transition communication can serve to excite and retain audience members who may be wary of change.

By keeping both your internal and external audiences in mind, organizations can set themselves up for a successful new year.

This brings me to my point.  You probably have some individuals in your organization who are fully supportive of your mission, vision, values, etc.  Make it easy for them to share their good feelings with external audiences!  This can be something such as custom laptop skins for members, to something as small as making logos available to put in email signature blocks.  Have decals made for all your organization- or business-owned technology tools.  On the market for a portable camera?  Look for video cameras that you can customize with your organization’s logo.  Not only do these help spread your brand and message, they are also good theft-prevention tools.  Other ideas?  Make logos available on your website for adding to social media and documents.  Provide templates for creating computer screen wallpaper or screen savers.  Have bumper stickers or vinyl clings made up for cars.  Add social media links to the back of business cards.  Order customized pens or pencils to leave at the counter of your office.  Even better, spread these writing tools through the community by leaving them when you sign a restaurant bill, at the counter in the bank, etc.  You can incorporate your social media by listing the web address (either the webpage where you aggregate links to your social media platforms or the platform itself) on the items. 

Bottom line: any opportunity for the public to encounter an object imprinted with your website, message or logo is an opportunity for you to leave an imprint on the public.  Take advantage of the opportunity, and make it easy for your brand champions to do it too!

So why am I writing this post, two months after the workshop? There was one thing that really, really resonated with me – and it wasn’t anything the presenter shared with us.

What the presenter did share were defined elements of good service (knowing your customers’ expectations, etc.), and a set of steps to create a plan for good customer service. The last step in the plan was to “go the extra mile.” That makes sense – if you do just as good as the next guy, but no better, then you are one of the pack and have no hope of standing out. You need to go that extra mile to stay ahead of the competition.

At this point in the workshop the hundred or so individuals attending the meeting were asked to divide into small groups and brainstorm ways that we could, as a group or as individuals, go the extra mile in terms of providing great customer service. This is where I really learned something – not from the consultant (although she did point the way) - but from my peers. What makes great customer service hard to achieve/provide? Oftentimes, no one agrees on what it is! In my group the task of brainstorming ways to go the extra mile was extraordinarily challenging. The ideas that immediately came to mind were nixed based on the idea that they weren’t going the extra mile – they were something to be expected if our goal was to put forth only average customer service. Thank you notes after a meeting or donation? Must be done, not optional. Courteous phone calls. Ditto. Responding to voicemail and email as quickly as possible. Obviously. We came up with a good few ideas, mostly involving increasing the quality and personalization of our communications materials. In the end though, when it was time to bring our ideas back to the larger group, we didn’t feel we had anything worth sharing. Imagine our surprise when the ideas shared (and agreed upon!) by the larger group included: thank you notes, courteous phone calls and efficient responses. “How are those going the extra mile?” we thought. More importantly, how are we as a group supposed to give “great” customer service, if we can’t agree internally what “average” customer service involves?

So here’s my advice to you: talk as a group and define average customer service. Then, and only then, determine how you can be better. Finally, make sure everyone is on the same page. Communicate your definitions throughout your organization so everyone knows what level of quality service they are expected to provide. If your group is in the process of fund-raising, what stewardship must be done following gifts, and what can you do to take it to the next level? If you are utilizing volunteers, what must you do to ensure they have a good experience, and how can you top that? In the end, these little steps beyond the norm may be what brings your donor or volunteer back to your organization in the future.

Commonly talking points are created after a bad public relations incident.  For example, a financial report comes out that paints a less than rosy picture of your organization’s financial health.  An article is published that is a little one-sided for your liking.  One of your members does something and lands in the news and a lot of attention is drawn to your organization.  After all these situations, and many others, an organization often comes up with a list of brief statements and facts to refer to in an effort to stay on message and drive the news story in the direction of their choosing. 

My question is this: why wait?  If you stand around waiting for the hammer to fall, and then scurry to write-up some talking points when it does, you will be behind the news story.  You can’t get away with “no comment” and hope to sell your side of the issue later.  By that time the story will be old news and all people will have walked away with is the other side’s viewpoint. 

Talking points are often facts that reflect the organization in a good light.  Why can’t we make these the story, rather than the excuse and/or apology?  If you know your organization is great at something, or you just landed a huge contract, or some other wonderful thing happened – tell people!  Don’t hold on to all the good news until you need to fight off the bad.  Lead with it.  By constantly leading with good stories about your organization you build up your brand in a positive light.  The stronger and more positive your brand the less weight negative arguments will have in the minds of listeners. 

This brings me to the second pitfall I mentioned.  Don’t wait for the audience to come to you.  Take your message to the audience.  Talking points serve a purpose of giving someone something to say when they are asked about an issue.  It would be good for your organization if these messages reached an audience.  So why do so many organizations wait for the audience to ask just the right question to get the scripted response?  Talking points can serve a second purpose – giving your people something good to say about your organization.  They can talk you up on social network sites, at cocktail parties, at work or in other organizations, etc.  Giving people something to talk about that they have pride in is like getting free advertising!

I encourage you to use your organization’s talking points as material for social media marketing.  Talking points are perfect for Twitter and Facebook posts because they are so brief.  Add on a link to a more lengthy news story on your website and you’ve reached an audience (who might potentially share it within their own networks) and you’ve driven traffic to your website.  By tracking what is “re-tweeted” and which links are clicked on you can see how audiences feel about different stories and what platforms they are on.

Here is a hypothetical situation as an example.  Bob is president of a local club.  The club wants to set up a Facebook fan page.  Unsure how to do this, Bob decides to figure it out on his own.  He sets up his Facebook account, then creates a fan page.  Fast forward two years…  Bob is no longer president of the club, and has left the board.  His job transferred him to another city and he is not in contact with the current board members.  The problem?  Bob set the fan page up under his own name and he has control of the page.  Now the club can’t post or remove anything from it.  Facebook allows you to transfer who “manages” a page, but not who “owns” it.  Suppose Bob is tired of seeing the page on his Facebook account and deletes it.  Now what is the club going to do?

To avoid headaches that come with club management of social media accounts, consider doing the following:

• Set up a generic e-mail account through a web-based e-mail system.  I recommend Google’s g-mail (it will allow you to use many of the other Google tools for the club’s activities, such as a calendar.)
• Have one person assigned responsibility for managing the e-mail account.  This ensures that the account is checked.  Delegate a back-up for when the account manager is unavailable.  Having multiple individuals check an account leads to problems in itself: e-mails are left without response, e-mails get filed away without correct individuals learning about them, etc.
• Use the generic e-mail account to set up all club social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)  Your user names don’t all have to match (although that is a good idea for the sake of brand identity.)  Using one e-mail address will make it easier to remember when logging in, and easier to retrieve lost passwords, etc.  It also makes it easy to transfer responsibility of accounts as board members change.
• When you create a social media account for your club do not use your personal login and information.  It can be difficult or impossible to transfer this later.  Create an identity for the club: Susie Spartan, Walter Wolverine, Billy Buckeye, etc.  Beware: some social media sites do not allow blatantly mock identities (so good luck getting any of those examples through Facebook.)  This is to avoid spammers.  Be selective when choosing your identity.
• After you set up social media accounts with the generic email, delegate responsibility for the accounts to individuals.  For example, in Facebook you can set individuals as “Administrator” of a fan page, even when they don’t “own” the page. 

To increase your following, make sure people are aware of your handle.  You can post your handle it to your other online profiles, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, or put it on your business cards or e-mail signatures.  A user-created event, called Follow Friday, can help you to gain followers.  The idea is on Fridays to tweet a post with the hash tag #FF or #FollowFriday, and a brief list of handles you think other people would enjoy following.  You can also include a description of why you recommend following that person, if you prefer (i.e. #FF @KKellyMSU because her blog is really helpful.)  You can also set up your Twitter account to cross-post to your other social networks using one of the options below.

• Facebook option A: Activate Twitter on Facebook.  By adding the tag #fb to the end of your tweet the same message will appear as a status update on Facebook.
• Facebook option B: Activate your Twitter account as an RSS feed on your Facebook notes page.  These notes allow you to tag friends on the tweets.
• LinkedIn: Activate Twitter on LinkedIn.  This works similar to Facebook option A, but you add the tag #in.  (You can do this along with one of the Facebook options if you wish to upload your Twitter feed to both accounts.)

There really is a lot that can be done with Twitter.  Some individuals even use it as a news feed (news of natural disasters and historic events often breaks on Twitter first).  For a quick read that I found very helpful, check out The Twitter Book by Tim O’Reilly and Sarah Milstein.

As a person holding a degree in English literature, I have strong feelings about the tendency of individuals to use “text speak” while writing.  (Disclosure: I am one of those persons who uses all the proper punctuation and capital letters when I send a text message.)  In particular, it drives me crazy to see “text speak” creep in to formal situations- in an online class forum for instance.  It may be online- but it is still a college course!           

So how does my little rant above apply to you?  I’d like to request that you give your utmost effort to remaining professional while using Twitter/LinkedIn/Facebook, etc.  This is probably the most difficult on Twitter and other micro-blogging sites.  In an effort to fit your message into 140 characters, you may be tempted to adjust spellings, leave out punctuation, etc.  Resist!           

To help you out, here is a guide I’ve compiled for professional, but brief , Twitter posts (all of which are 140 characters or less):          

1. Grammatical rules dictate that you spell out numbers between zero and ten.  It’s okay to use numeric figures on Twitter.
2. If your sentence is too long, leave out the final period.  If you have multiple sentences, retain punctuation between them.
3. Substituting punctuation marks for commonly accepted word equivalents is fine (i.e., = for equal, + for plus, & for and, # for number, etc.)
4. Don’t change the spelling of words to shorten them. Dnt chng speling of wrds to shrtn thm. Text speak is bad!
5. Use link shortening services. My favorites are  www.hootsuite.com and www.bit.ly.
6. Always proofread your tweets.
7. It is okay to only have one space between sentences. Keep the “two-space” rule for non-Twitter writing.
8. Commonly accepted abbreviations are fine, used sparingly. You don’t want your reader taking 5 minutes to read a tweet with 10 abbreviations.

Photo courtesy: Mark Rodder, www.flickr.com/photos/subcess/