Could the stickiness of social sites such as Digg, Facebook or YouTube be explained by the notion that they function as hidden games?
The Read/WriteWeb blog points to an ebook by C. Weng on this very idea. In The Web: Hidden Games, available for free on Lulu, Weng argues that:
Officially, they are social networks, news aggregators, etc. and not designed as game sites like Second Life is. However, these sites contain all factors of a game. They are not only useful, but also entertaining.
This is an interesting take on the idea of social media and there is a ring of truth about it. After all, contributes to Digg will try to get their picks onto the front page and there are strategies to succeed at this.
Could journalists apply these ideas to news as a way of encouraging people to take a more active interest in the world around them?
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To answer your introductory question, YES, but only that. I found “the tipping point” by Malcom Gladwell is FREAKISHLY close to that topic. I’ll give you ONE example of how what was said in the book relates to ONE of the websites you mentioned.
He made the point that some “products” could be marketing be leaching themselves into an existing channel. Well, at a point of time, EVERYBODY had video cellphones. So whats a more clever idea other than make a websites which utilizes these videos!.
So yeahh, youtube is perhaps a game!, but ALSO many other as important things!. How would you define a theoretical website which is %100 game!, and nothing else!?????