Communications of the ACM
Future Tech Jobs: We Need Social Science Graduates
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With interconnectivity at the very heart of the social Web, forward-looking technology companies are now embracing the idea of hiring more social science graduates to help them understand and apply the social science technique of social network analysis. According to experts, companies need graduates from the social sciences — including sociology, psychology and anthropology — to help them understand the interconnectivity of their relationships with customers as well as the groups they interact with, whom, how and why. This new emphasis on the social sciences is leading to a fundamental re-thinking of career paths for recent graduates. The article explores the new opportunities that are opening up in areas such as community management, social customer relationship management, and enterprise communications.
The science behind interconnectivity is social network analysis, which was developed decades ago in social science research. It involves proven methods of scientific research and analysis which today is accelerated through software and online social networks. By mapping who is related to whom and by what form of relationship, an analyst can discover what is missing, who is a bottleneck or gatekeeper and how work really flows across the organization. Social science brings much more than just this one technique: it reaches particular personalities who are keenly interested in understanding human relationships in its many forms. Companies can use it to discover the hidden conversations, feelings and emotions in verbal communication now that non-verbal signals may be missing.
This is a great opportunity for social science graduates to find a career in the technology field. Jobs that involve relationships with groups of people, whether customers, employees or partners, are rapidly on the increase as more companies build online communities and participate in social environments online to interact for business reasons. They aren't simply looking for people who know how to use Facebook — they need people who can interact well, understand relationships, and in particular understand what is not being said. For businesses, these are the roles that make collaboration on a larger scale across the organization happen. Certainly any company wants candidates who are well experienced with being Community Managers because the best ones have fine-tuned their skills through the many interactions.
From Forbes
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