Notes from lecture on social media & summary of Chapters 2 & 3 from Christian Fuchs' "Social Media: A Critical Introduction".
This includes discussion on what is social media, how it differs from other forms of digital media, the rise of Web 2.0, prosumers and participatory culture. It provides...
What is social media? – platform for sharing information, staying connected to
others, content creation and sharing; not one type of aesthetic but different
methods of information (text, image, video) and different platforms (with
specific functionality) meshed together
What isn't social media? – can be unclear what constitutes as social media and
what doesn't, because it's unclear what's common across software nominated
as 'social media'.
'mediation': social media is a practice by which we mediate our expression
and share with others –light travelling through air, similarly information is
translated through me
recontextualize information to take on a new context; often helps give
information in a form recognizable to other people
i.e. memes, they convey a specific bit of information that other people can
recognize and understand your intent with – but also the information loses
a part of itself, the image/video/text loses the context it had not on social
media
memes show social media is comparable to New Media Manovich), rather
than fine art and similar analogous modes of expression
develop own understanding/definition – maybe social media is more about
emotionality, particular human practices, etc.
Social media as Computer-mediated Communication CMC – "any human
symbolic text-based interaction conducted or facilitated through digitally-
based technologies" Spielberg)
Greiffenstern – CMC evolves with continuous arrival of new technologies;
new ways of expression, communication, and relation.
WK1 What Is(n't) Social Media? 1
, Forms of CMC Usenets, IRC, websites, email; social media has built on
these forms and extended the network and its capabilities; has made it
more intensely personal.
PROSUMER CULTURE
Social media – extension of Web 2.0, an interactive and engaging form of the
internet, user-generated content becoming the primary use of internet.
Web 2.0 – O'Reilly; signifies transition from early web; signified by arrival of
new tools, which are seen as extension of older tools rather than
completely new additions.
User-generated content popularized; rise of prosumer culture – consumers
both produce and consume content. Rise of grassroots reporting - stories not
highlighted traditional media can go viral.
Decentering the news, "cult of the amateur"
Grassroots reporting critique: it can show disinterest in bigger picture of
event and rather small-scale illustrations of personal frustrations
surrounding the issue
Generational divide in prosumers and consumers: younger generations are
more likely to be the former. The nature of social media as a social network
constitutes this – younger gen is used to connecting through digital means.
BIAS & PERSONALITY
Connection to known people creates a desire to trust the information coming
from those sources without seeking to test its bias or analyse it more critically
because we innately trust the sources.
Social networks allow to:
construct a public/semi-public profile within a bounded system
narrow a list of users to share connection with
We mediate our thoughts within a system and share them with other people.
Social networks as social management tools – i.e. social networks manipulated
for political needs; not only allowing virtual interactions, but transcending that
to social, becoming tangible/live.
As social management tools, different platforms vary in consideration of their
user base, features, functions/interaction styles, therefore the social
WK1 What Is(n't) Social Media? 2
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