We all want to be liked, don’t we? It is key to human nature, perhaps dating back to a fear of being ‘thrown out of the cave’ (as this could threaten our survival). So what happens when we upload something to social media and it doesn’t get ‘liked’? Or worse, is met with total silence? How could those who read the stories on Stozzys.com interact carefully with those who have bared a bit of their soul perhaps, to upload a true life story?
Fortunately the University of Plymouth team stepped in again to help us find a way through this key issue.
The academic researcher Nicole Thomas used qualitative research methodology to step directly into the heart of this quandary. A small informal focus group was formed to gain further understanding about the barriers to uploading a personal story – how do people feel about writing down a true life story and uploading it to Stozzys.com? There is an enhanced sensitivity when people share the truth about themselves and their experiences. The team at Stozzys.com is very aware of this and that is why there is no Comments box after each of the stories.
On the other hand, interaction within the Stozzys.com community is essential to keep the website alive and connected to both writers and readers.
There were three main themes which occurred throughout the discussions with the focus group: Safety, Representation (needing to feel represented by the stories being read) and The Process (needing an easy upload system with simple instructions, and an emphasis on the lack of rules and the importance of people writing exactly as they wish to do so).
The first theme around Safety was felt to be of paramount importance. The website needed to feel like a safe and secure place to post a story anonymously. The ethos of the website needed to feel compassionate and judgement-free. The feeling of not being safe against judgement and criticism was also a key barrier for not wanting to upload a story. The lack of ability for people to leave feedback, such as comments, was seen as a positive. However, not getting feedback on how their story may have helped others was a negative.
As a result of this work, alongside a most welcome grant from the European Regional Development Funded EPIC programme and using the talents of the team at Solve website designers from Newquay, Stozzys.com was able to create a bespoke feedback button which asks readers after each story: ‘Is this helpful to you?’
I would like to think that my experiences, once shared, could be of help to someone in the future. If not, then that is not a personal reflection on me. The new and improved Stozzys.com website is able to walk this line between acknowledgment and validation, and for that we are very grateful for Nicole’s work.