By Dr. Scott Shamp

Next time you are watching the “Dukes of Hazzard” pay close attention to the scene in the opening credits where Daisy Duke is waiting tables in a bar. You’ll see a long-haired patron wearing a denim jacket with his back to the camera. Yep, me.

In 1978, the call went out in Covington (next to my hometown of Conyers) and I spent an afternoon sitting in a fake bar with a mug of beer in front of me — that I couldn’t touch. Needless to say, being in that show heightened my interest in the important issues highlighted in this landmark show. I learned about political corruption from that infamous Boss Hog. I studied the safe driving techniques practiced the Duke boys driving the General Lee. And, overall, I derived important lessons in the nuances of southern culture from watching the resolution of each week’s hijinks. I didn’t just watch “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Being in the show meant I was “The Dukes of Hazzard.” For me, that mass mediated experience was personalized.

Personalization has been an unfilled promise of new media since its inception. Digitization and individualized distribution meant that we didn’t all have to get the same message. Why couldn’t we just get what we wanted – the way we wanted? Only things reflecting our particular set of tastes and interests. We didn’t all have to get the identical newspapers online – we could get our own paper. A lot easier said than done.

At its inception, the problem with new media was that it didn’t know what we wanted. Early attempts at personalization required lengthy surveys. We had to explicitly tell the content producers what we wanted. First, we don’t want to take the time. And even when we do, we don’t do a good job of describing our desires. The metrics we provided and the data in our user profiles both lacked internal validity – those checks marks on the survey aren’t really what we want. They are what we wish we wanted or what we think others want us to want.

But in the last two years, things have changed – because of Facebook. With over 850 million users, it is a behemoth. It isn’t just the place we go. We are all building Facebook. With every photo tag, wall post, status update, and “Like” we are creating a database of ourselves. No longer do we have to fill out a survey. Facebook doesn’t ask us what we like – it stores our behavior. It watches. And what we do is what we like. Bottom line, Facebook knows us better than we know ourselves.

And Facebook isn’t your father’s database. New policies and technologies have allowed it to become a new type of database. In 2010, Facebook created Open Graph. Your Graph contains everything you have done since that day you created your Facebook account. With a little know-how, it is fairly easy to create a website or app that uses Open Graph. If the users grants permission, the site or app can access what you have done on Facebook (and even sometimes what you do on sites that partner with Facebook). In essence, Facebook has become a Permeable Data Source – kind of like a data locker. You “contribute” your data by using Facebook. And you decide how that data will get used by giving apps permission.

This new type of Permeable Data Source makes personalization a reality. If I want to
develop a digital product or service just for you, I connect my website to Facebook and use your behavior on Facebook to create a unique, customized and personalized experience.

This new level of personalization changes everything. Beyond targeting you as part of a group based on demographics, now you can have personal content. Yeah, I hear the theme music from “Minority Report” in the background, too.

And personalization won’t just be in the content we read. Video experiences will be different as well. Check out these sites if you want a taste of what is possible.

• Barcadi’s “Upwrap The Night” created your own party.
• Schweppes “Unexpected Future” has predictions about the ‘future you’.
• “Take this Lollipop” This one is just scary.

All these sites use Facebook Open Graph information to craft a unique video experience for every user!

This technology won’t just change what we see online – it has the potential to change the way we feel about what we do online. Our relationship with content will undergo radical shifts. Think of it. If I see myself in an ad for Bacardi, does that create a new level of identity and affinity for that product? And will that make me more likely to buy it Forget product placement. The future is going to be about personal placement.

In the NMI this semester, we are experimenting with Facebook and Open Graph in what we are calling the “Really Gets Me” initiative – websites, companies, organizations, and causes can use this technology to show they really get the people who are using them. At our annual SLAM and show-off on Saturday, May 5th. We will demonstrate at least 12 Really Gets Me projects. We think it is the next big thing. If you want to see what we are talking about, request an invitation to the event – space is limited.