The 3 spaces theory

No, it has nothing to do with Stephen Hawking, although apparently this theory generates a surprisingly positive effect in clients who are not very involved in social media, similar to what we feel when we hear about the possibility of time-travelling or things like that.
Personally, I love this theory; it explains two complex processes in an extremely simple way: Why social media in general, and social networks in particular, were generated by young people and why those who are in them react how they do when faced with advertising.
This is the story…
As adults, we experience three types of space in our everyday life: the public space, the controlled space and the private space.
The public space is one where the behavioural rules are established by general consent: the cinema, the street, the bar are public spaces.
The controlled space is one where the rules of behaviour are dictated by someone superior in the hierarchy: our jobs are a good example of this type of space.
And finally, the private space is one where the rules are set up by us: for instance, our own home.
What happens with very young people? Are they experiencing the social spaces in the same way that adults do?
In the public space, a young person –very often a minor- notes that if something happens between he and an adult, the one who dictates the correct behaviour is the adult (of course the young can choose to ignore the adult if he wish, but the rule still exists). This transforms the public space into a controlled one for him.
In college or university, he is surrounded by a very present hierarchy that rules the behaviour in this space; it is the equivalent to the job space for adults: a controlled space.
In their own home, a young person who lives with his parents must accept the rules set up by them; thus, what is private space for an adult becomes controlled space for the younger person once again. Many times he only has his own bedroom as a much reduced private space.

We can see that in their social life the young lose two essential types of space that adults enjoy: the public and the private spaces.

And here is where social media develops a crucial role: open a platform for the young, where they can re-build their lost spaces.
Social networking services like Facebook, Bebo or Myspace, MMOSG’s and microblogging platforms are the recovery of the public space (with its different scales and models of privacy), while the instant messengers and the chat extensions are depicting the non-physical private space.
In these new, recovered spaces is where a species of zeal is generated towards everything that can endanger its pure social sharing existence, for instance, advertising.
Here we have the key to understand the new function that, socially speaking, advertising possesses: to never cut off the dialogue flow and always boost it.
The burst of the advertising designed for mass media in social media generates instant rejection, whereas advertising that improves and diversifies the dialogue is very welcome.
Finally, it is just a question of common sense: when you want to enter into a space with its own rules, whether you choose to accept or break them, be sure to know the rules.