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Most readers should be aware of the notion of "six degrees of separation" made popular in a play, film and party games, and used today to signify the reality that the world is getting smaller and more connected.

Evidence of the world getting smaller is shown by the fact that among the Facebook community there are only four degrees of separation; among some specialist interest groups, studies have found only 2-3 degrees.

The world is also getting flatter, and this includes information. In an internet and social media environment, information is more democratized as traditional gatekeepers (editors, critics, experts) hold less power and authority than before. Thanks to the internet, every individual can be a writer, a publisher, a film maker and can express their views, even to the point of posing as an expert, although they are not.

As described by Seth Godin and others, our old geographically-bound tribes are rapidly being replaced and extended by digital tribes. These tribes also have digital leaders and influencers who can both be a force for good or for harm. They are good when they are transparent and accurate in the information they provide and their intentions are to add value and make the world a better place.

They can do harm when they spread inaccurate information, examples being hate speeches aimed at vilifying a particular group, misinformation in health campaigns related to denying the benefits of fluoride to prevent tooth decay or the well documented benefits of immunization. As a result of misinformation campaigns in the U.S., many people have ceased immunizing their children with the result that the country has suffered the first significant outbreak of measles in decades.

Similarly, sellers today are increasingly going less directly to consumers and instead using "digital influencers" who have developed large followings, especially on social media platforms such as WeChat, Twitter and YouTube. In our Information Society, digital tribes and influencers are using social media to make major changes in society, culture and behavior.

With the internet, this influence operates on a larger scale than ever before. For example, groups can now cooperate on a huge scale to create a Wikipedia knowledge base or crowd-source people to look for patterns among the billions of stars in the galaxy. In this environment we have expanded the number of relationships one can track and influence. People can even create alternative selves by virtually identifying as the opposite gender, or even designing a personal avatar.

In a particular country, consumer protection laws seek to cover the worst abuses of social media by prohibiting conduct that is misleading, deceptive, defamatory or fraudulent. Examples include laws in Australia governing consumer protection, copyright, defamation, privacy and fraud.

Supplementing, but not substituting for these "hard" laws, are voluntary codes of conduct which both educate and promote best practice among the public and industry. A case in point is the recent release by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) of Guidelines which cover three major aspects of Digital Influence.

The International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), formerly the International Marketing Supervision Network (IMSN), is a global network of consumer protection authorities engages in dispute resolution and encouraging cooperation between law enforcement agencies in disputes arising from commerce across international borders. China has been a member since 2006.

The new ICPEN guidelines cover three contexts.

Platform administrators of review sites

Sites such as Trip Advisor and other product and service reviews (e.g. YELP) are urged to adopt transparency in terms and conditions according to which reviews are collected, moderated and published. Where anonymous reviews are allowed in order to promote privacy, the site should have some means to validate the authenticity of reviews and ferret out bogus or fake reviews.

Traders and marketing professionals

Businesses/traders should not offer rewards or incentives to induce positive reviews as to do so would be misleading to readers expecting to see an unbiased approach. Nor should they create fake positive reviews about their business or fake negative reviews of competitors.

Digital influencers

The guidelines require digital influencers should be genuine in their reviews. They should disclose any benefits they receive from the trader or marketing professional, including free product. If the influencer is relying on the opinion of others, this should be expressed.

Conclusion

Digital tribes and influencers are here to stay and the social media genii will not be put back into an Industrial Age bottle. Measure such as those found in the ICPEN guidelines are helpful along with a mix of education, soft law, regulation and hard laws. However, ongoing research is required to evaluate the impact of new technologies on our communities, our cultures, and our self-identity.

Eugene Clark is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/eugeneclark.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

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