User Perceptions of the Role and Value of Tags

This study investigates user ideas about the role and value of tags in social media. An analysis of 45 interviews with heavy Web users reveals that user perceptions of tags differ from common assumptions held by researchers and designers of social tagging systems. Among beliefs held by participants were that tags were query suggestions or links to other pages, sites, or advertisements - although most identified tags as categories or keywords - and that tags were generated automatically by the computer system. Several participants believed that tags were intended for not only other users but also systems such as search engines. Our findings indicate that Web users, including those who are taggers themselves, experience a high level of uncertainty and confusion about the nature, purpose and value of tags.