Unpacking the social media phenomenon: towards a research agenda

Social media have been one of the biggest success stories on the Internet, as sites like Facebook and Twitter have gone from zero users to more than 1 billion users in less than a decade. Yet the phenomenon of social media still lacks a coherent body of theory. In spite of their ubiquity, social media are still an essentially nascent communication media. On the one hand, social media and the Internet, like all media, have been informed by rhetoric, mass media, and computer and information theories (cf. Brand, 1988; Burnham, 1984; Kent, 2001; McLuhan, 1964/1999; Postman, 1984, 1993; Taylor & Kent, 2010; Vallee, 1982). However, on the other hand, social media are a completely new phenomenon that goes beyond the established broadcast media and should be informed by their own unique theories (cf. Kent, 2001). This special issue opens that conversation, theorizing about new possibilities and considering novel approaches to the study of social media.

2021

Delaney, Kelsey. The Plight of Social Media: An Analysis of the Effects Social Media has on Political Discourse. Department of Political Science, March 2021. Advisor: Çıdam, Çiğdem This thesis demonstrates how social media has affected political discourse. It builds on an analysis of epistemic bubbles and echo chambers to show how social media contributes to the formation of insulated groups and perpetuates belief polarization. Two case studies are used to display how social media has been weaponized by political actors through the manipulation of algorithms, bot accounts, anonymity, normalization, and trend-setting tactics. The first case study focuses on how private companies can profit from the unauthorized collection of social media users’ personal data. This allows them to manipulate these data points to target each user with political propaganda to achieve a political goal. The second case study shows how white supremacist groups have weaponized social media to disseminate the...

These days, we repeatedly hear the phrase ―social media‖ from different sources, ranging from our nearest friends to the mass media we follow. We also hear that social media catalyzed and organized demonstrations in countries where recent revolutions broke out. But the actual role social media played in such socio-political contexts is, in most circumstances, blurred. To avert such problems, comprehending the theoretical ideals that can help us to understand such media's overall potential has a paramount significance. This paper thus aimed at assessing the theories of mediation and mediatization as alternative ways of conceptualizing the role of social media.

Springer eBooks, 2022

This book argues that using social media for civic education can have potential benefits, and research has shown that this is true. However, it would be irresponsible and shortsighted to ignore the threats to the civic sphere which are prevalent in social media. Both the very nature of social media-down to its design-and users in social media spaces can limit, distort, and manipulate information and civic participation. Further, there is a perception that because students have come of age in an era of ubiquitous social media use that they know how to use it more adroitly than do the adults in their lives. Both broadly and in the research presented here, this perception of "digital natives" has been shown to be inaccurate (Brown & Czerniewicz, 2010). This makes it all the more imperative that teaching with social media includes teaching about social media. If young people are to use social media, and to use it for civic participation, they must be fully aware not only of its potential for good, but also of its potential for harm. Understanding the complexity of social media in civic education and for civic participation requires understanding the design of social media; the impact of civic perspective-taking and political polarization; the role of critical media literacy; and the concept of digital citizenship. This chapter weaves these constructs together to provide a nuanced framing of the study to follow.

MIS Quarterly

Recent years have witnessed the rapid proliferation and widespread adoption of a new class of information technologies, commonly known as social media. Researchers often rely on social network analysis (SNA) in attempting to understand these technologies, often without considering how the novel capabilities of social media platforms might affect the underlying theories of SNA, which were developed primarily through studies of offline social networks. This article outlines several key differences between traditional offline social networks and online social media networks by juxtaposing an established typology of social network research with a well-regarded definition of social media platforms that articulates four key features. The results show that at four major points of intersection, social media has considerable theoretical implications for SNA. In exploring these points of intersection, this study outlines a series of theoretically distinctive research questions for SNA in social media contexts. These points of intersection offer considerable opportunities for researchers to investigate the theoretical implications introduced by social media and lay the groundwork for a robust social media agenda potentially spanning multiple disciplines.

Traditionally, consumers used the Internet to simply expend content: they read it, they watched it, and they used it to buy products and services. Increasingly, however, consumers are utilizing platforms - such as content sharing sites, blogs, social networking, and wikis - to create, modify, share, and discuss Internet content. This represents the social media phenomenon, which can now significantly impact a firm’s reputation, sales, and even survival. Yet, many executives eschew or ignore this form of media because they don’t understand what it is, the various forms it can take, and how to engage with it and learn. In response, we present a framework that defines social media by using seven functional building blocks: identity, conversations, sharing, presence, relationships, reputation, and groups. As different social media activities are defined by the extent to which they focus on some or all of these blocks, we explain the implications that each block can have for how firms should engage with social media. To conclude, we present a number of recommendations regarding how firms should develop strategies for monitoring, understanding, and responding to different social media activities.

2017

This paper revisits an article published in Foreign Affairs magazine titled “The Political Power of Social Media” (Shirky, 2011) in light of the explosion in the use of social media for political purposes subsequent to its publication. It examines how social media have exerted and will continue to exert power to effect political and social change, focusing on five specific functions – raising community awareness, framing issues, engaging with mass media, stimulating and organizing protest, and obtaining resources.

2011

The media ecosystem is a research methodology proposed by Neil Postman and Marshall McLuhan in 1971, with its consolidation based on solid concepts presented in 1979. However, it presents cross-cutting concepts to other media studies, many of them developed by theorists who will update, or built concepts that sustain a new media ecology. The article presents an update of these views from a research that has as a methodology the depth bibliographic method. We hope to offer, with the results presented here, the possibility of a conceptualization of a new media ecology. As results of the investigation, we present indicatives for the stock of new metaphors of the contemporary media ecology.

IAEME PUBLICATION, 2023

In today’s digital age, social media plays a transformative role in communication, reshaping how people connect, share information, and influence each other. This empirical study, evaluating the Role of Social Media in Modern Communication Dynamics, examines the impact of major platforms WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and Twitter (X) on contemporary communication patterns and interpersonal relationships. Drawing insights from a sample of 250 active social media users, this research explores how these platforms foster engagement, influence public opinion, and alter traditional forms of dialogue and interaction. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, the study investigates key elements such as immediacy, accessibility, and community-building, revealing significant trends in user preferences, content consumption, and the effects on both individual and group communication. Findings from this study aim to enrich understanding of social media’s evolving role in modern communication, offering a framework for analyzing its potential to either enhance or challenge meaningful connections in an increasingly interconnected society.