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{{Short description|Virtual online communities}} {{Short description|Virtual online communities}}
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
] ]
'''Hai friends iam new joining Social media''' are interactive technologies that facilitate the ] and ] of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through ] and ].<ref name="Kietzmann" /><ref name="SMDefinition" /> While challenges to the definition of ''social media'' arise<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Tuten|first1=Tracy L.|title=Social media.marketing|last2=Solomon|first2=Michael R. |publisher=Sage |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-5264-2387-0 |location=Los Angeles|pages=4}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite journal |last1=Aichner |first1=T. |last2=Grünfelder |first2=M. |last3=Maurer |first3=O. |last4=Jegeni |first4=D. |year=2021 |title=Twenty-Five Years of Social Media: A Review of Social Media Applications and Definitions from 1994 to 2019 |journal=Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=215–222 |doi=10.1089/cyber.2020.0134 |pmid=33847527 |pmc=8064945 |doi-access=free }}</ref> due to the variety of stand-alone and built-in social media services currently available, there are some common features:<ref name="SMDefinition">{{cite journal |last1=Obar |first1=Jonathan A. |last2=Wildman |first2=Steve |title=Social media definition and the governance challenge: An introduction to the special issue |journal=Telecommunications Policy |date=2015 |volume=39 |issue=9 |pages=745–750 |doi=10.2139/ssrn.2647377|ssrn=2647377 |doi-access=free}}</ref>


'''Social media''' are interactive technologies that facilitate the ], ] and ] of ] (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongst ] and ].<ref name="Kietzmann" /><ref name="SMDefinition" /> Common features include:<ref name="SMDefinition">{{cite journal |last1=Obar |first1=Jonathan A. |last2=Wildman |first2=Steve |title=Social media definition and the governance challenge: An introduction to the special issue |journal=Telecommunications Policy |date=2015 |volume=39 |issue=9 |pages=745–750 |doi=10.2139/ssrn.2647377|ssrn=2647377 |doi-access=free | issn=1556-5068}}</ref>
# Social media are interactive ] ]-based applications.<ref name="SMDefinition"/><ref name=usersoftheworld/>
# ]—such as text posts or comments, ]s or ]s, and data generated through all ] interactions—is the lifeblood of social media.<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name=usersoftheworld/>
# Users create service-specific profiles for the ] or ] that are designed and maintained by the ].<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name="boydEllison">{{cite journal|last1=Boyd|first1=Danah M.|last2=Ellison|first2=Nicole B.|year=2007|title=Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship|journal=Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication|volume=13|issue=1|pages=210–30|doi=10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x|doi-access=free}}</ref>
# Social media helps the development of online ]s by connecting a ] with those of other individuals or groups.<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name="boydEllison" />


* Online platforms that enable users to create and share content and participate in social networking.<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name="usersoftheworld" /><ref name="Fuchs-2017">{{Cite book |last=Fuchs |first=Christian |title=Social media: a critical introduction |date=2017 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=978-1-4739-6683-3 |edition=2nd |location=Los Angeles London New Delhi Singapore Washington DC Melbourne}}</ref>
The term ''social'' in regard to media suggests that platforms are user-centric and enable communal activity. As such, social media can be viewed as online facilitators or enhancers of human networks—webs of individuals who enhance social connectivity.<ref name="Dijck">{{Cite book |last=Dijck |first=Jose van |url={{Google books|t5RpAgAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}}|title=The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media |date=2013-01-02 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-997079-7 |language=en}}</ref>
* ]—such as text posts or comments, ]s or ]s, and ] generated through ] interactions.<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name="usersoftheworld" />
* Service-specific profiles that are designed and maintained by the ].<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name="boydEllison">{{cite journal|last1=Boyd|first1=Danah M.|last2=Ellison|first2=Nicole B.|year=2007|title=Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship|journal=Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication|volume=13|issue=1|pages=210–30|doi=10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x|doi-access=free}}</ref>
* Social media helps the development of online ]s by connecting a ] with those of other individuals or groups.<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name="boydEllison" />


Users usually access social media services through ] on ]s or ] services that offer social media functionality to their mobile devices (e.g., ]s and ]s). As users engage with these ] services, they create highly interactive platforms in which individuals, communities, and organizations can share, co-create, discuss, participate, and modify user-generated or self-curated content posted online.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Schivinski |first1=Bruno |last2=Brzozowska-Woś |first2=Magdalena |last3=Stansbury|first3=Ellena|last4=Satel|first4=Jason|last5=Montag|first5=Christian|last6=Pontes|first6=Halley M.|date=2020|title=Exploring the Role of Social Media Use Motives, Psychological Well-Being, Self-Esteem, and Affect in Problematic Social Media Use |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |volume=11 |pages=3576 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2020.617140|issn=1664-1078|pmc=7772182|pmid=33391137|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="boydEllison"/><ref name="Kietzmann">{{cite journal |last1=Kietzmann |first1=Jan H. |first2=Kristopher |last2=Hermkens |title=Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media |journal=Business Horizons |year=2011 |volume=54 |issue=3 |pages=241–251 |doi=10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.005|s2cid=51682132 |url=http://summit.sfu.ca/item/18103 |type=Submitted manuscript }}</ref> Additionally, social media are used to document memories, learn about and explore things, advertise oneself, and form friendships along with the growth of ideas from the creation of ]s, ]s, videos, and gaming sites.<ref name=":16"/> This changing relationship between humans and technology is the focus of the emerging field of ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dennis|first=Amy|date=July 5, 2017|title=5 Social Media Outlets Ruling the World|url=https://nice-branding.com/social-media-outlets/|access-date=October 10, 2021|website=Nice Branding Agency}}</ref> Some of the most popular social media websites, with more than 100 million registered users, include ] (and its associated ]), ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Depending on interpretation, other popular platforms that are sometimes referred to as social media services include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and more. ]s are examples of collaborative content creation. The term ''social'' in regard to media suggests platforms enable communal activity. Social media can enhance and extend human networks.<ref name="Dijck">{{Cite book |last=Dijck |first=Jose van |url={{Google books|t5RpAgAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}}|title=The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media |date=2013-01-02 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-997079-7 |language=en}}</ref> Users access social media through ] or custom apps on mobile devices. These interactive platforms allow individuals, communities, and organizations to share, co-create, discuss, participate in, and modify user-generated or self-curated content.<ref name="Schivinski-2020">{{Cite journal |last1=Schivinski |first1=Bruno |last2=Brzozowska-Woś |first2=Magdalena |last3=Stansbury|first3=Ellena|last4=Satel|first4=Jason|last5=Montag|first5=Christian|last6=Pontes|first6=Halley M.|date=2020|title=Exploring the Role of Social Media Use Motives, Psychological Well-Being, Self-Esteem, and Affect in Problematic Social Media Use |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |volume=11 |pages=3576 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2020.617140|issn=1664-1078|pmc=7772182|pmid=33391137|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="boydEllison" /><ref name="Kietzmann">{{cite journal |last1=Kietzmann |first1=Jan H. |first2=Kristopher |last2=Hermkens |title=Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media |journal=Business Horizons |year=2011 |volume=54 |issue=3 |pages=241–251 |doi=10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.005|s2cid=51682132 |url=http://summit.sfu.ca/item/18103 |type=Submitted manuscript }}</ref> Social media is used to document memories, learn, and form friendships.<ref name="Schurgin-2011" /> They may be used to promote people, companies, products, and ideas.<ref name="Schurgin-2011" /> Social media can be used to consume, publish, or share ].


Popular social media platforms with over 100 million registered users include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Depending on interpretation, other popular platforms that are sometimes referred to as social media services include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. ]s are examples of collaborative content creation.
Social media outlets differ from ] (e.g., print ]s and ]s, ], and ]) in many ways, including quality,<ref name="qualitymedia">{{cite journal |last1=Agichtein|first1=Eugene|last2=Castillo|first2=Carlos|last3=Donato|first3=Debora|last4=Gionis|first4=Aristides|last5=Mishne|first5=Gilad|title=Finding high-quality content in social media |journal=WISDOM – Proceedings of the 2008 International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining |year=2008 |pages=183–193|url=http://184pc128.csie.ntnu.edu.tw/presentation/09-03-09/Finding%20High-Quality%20Content%20in%20Social%20Media.pdf}}</ref> ], ], usability, relevancy, and permanence.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tao|first1=Xiaohui|last2=Huang|first2=Wei|last3=Mu|first3=Xiangming|last4=Xie|first4=Haoran|date=18 November 2016|title=Special issue on knowledge management of web social media|url=https://content.iospress.com/download/web-intelligence/web343?id=web-intelligence%2Fweb343|journal=Web Intelligence|volume=14|issue=4|pages=273–274|doi=10.3233/WEB-160343|via=Lingnan scholars}}</ref> Additionally, social media outlets operate in a '']'' transmission system (i.e., many sources to many receivers) while traditional media outlets operate under a {{Wikt-lang|en|monologic}} transmission model (i.e., one source to many receivers). For instance, a newspaper is delivered to many subscribers, and a radio station broadcasts the same programs to an entire city.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pavlik|first1=John|last2=MacIntoch|first2=Shawn|year=2015 |title=Converging Media 4th Edition |location=New York, NY |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=189 |isbn=978-0-19-934230-3 }}</ref>


Social media outlets differ from ] (e.g. ]s, ], and ]) in many ways, including quality,<ref name="qualitymedia">{{cite journal|last1=Agichtein|first1=Eugene|last2=Castillo|first2=Carlos|last3=Donato|first3=Debora|last4=Gionis|first4=Aristides|last5=Mishne|first5=Gilad|title=Finding high-quality content in social media|journal=WISDOM – Proceedings of the 2008 International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining|year=2008|pages=183–193|url=http://184pc128.csie.ntnu.edu.tw/presentation/09-03-09/Finding%20High-Quality%20Content%20in%20Social%20Media.pdf|access-date=8 January 2019|archive-date=23 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523090540/http://184pc128.csie.ntnu.edu.tw/presentation/09-03-09/Finding%20High-Quality%20Content%20in%20Social%20Media.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> ], ], usability, relevancy, and permanence.<ref name="Tao-2016">{{Cite journal|last1=Tao|first1=Xiaohui|last2=Huang|first2=Wei|last3=Mu|first3=Xiangming|last4=Xie|first4=Haoran|date=18 November 2016|title=Special issue on knowledge management of web social media|url=https://content.iospress.com/download/web-intelligence/web343?id=web-intelligence%2Fweb343|journal=Web Intelligence|volume=14|issue=4|pages=273–274|doi=10.3233/WEB-160343|via=Lingnan scholars}}</ref> Social media outlets operate in a '']'' transmission system (many sources to many receivers) while traditional media operate under a {{Wikt-lang|en|monologic}} transmission model (one source to many receivers). For instance, a newspaper is delivered to many subscribers, and a radio station broadcasts the same programs to a city.<ref name="Pavlik-2015">{{cite book |last1=Pavlik |first1=John |title=Converging Media 4th Edition |last2=MacIntoch |first2=Shawn |publisher=] |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-19-934230-3 |location=New York, NY |page=189}}</ref>
Since the dramatic expansion of the Internet, ] or ] can be used to represent or identify a culture. Studying the rhetoric that exists in the ] has become a crucial new process for many scholars.


Social media has been criticized for a range of negative impacts on children and teenagers, including exposure to inappropriate content, exploitation by adults, sleep problems, attention problems, feelings of exclusion, and various mental health maladies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Social Media Affects Your Teen's Mental Health: A Parent's Guide |url=https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/social-media-teen-mental-health-a-parents-guide |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=Yale Medicine |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2023-08-10 |title=Social Media and Teen Mental Health |url=https://www.aecf.org/blog/social-medias-concerning-effect-on-teen-mental-health |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=The Annie E. Casey Foundation |language=en}}</ref> Social media has also received criticism as worsening ] and undermining ]. Major news outlets often have strong controls in place to avoid and fix false claims, but social media's unique qualities bring viral content with little to no oversight. "Algorithms that track user engagement to prioritize what is shown tend to favor content that spurs negative emotions like anger and outrage. Overall, most online misinformation originates from a small minority of “superspreaders,” but social media amplifies their reach and influence."<ref>How and why does misinformation spread? (2024, March 1). https://www.apa.org. https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/how-why-misinformation-spreads</ref>
Observers have noted a wide range of positive and negative impacts when it comes to the use of social media. Social media can help to improve an individual's sense of connectedness with real or online communities and can be an effective communication (or ]) tool for corporations, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, political parties, and governments. Observers have also seen that there has been a rise in social movements ]
{{Toclimit}}


==History==
Social media can also be used to read or share ], whether it is true or false.

==History of social media==
{{see also|Timeline of social media}} {{see also|Timeline of social media}}


=== Early computing === === Early computing ===
The ] was launched in 1960 at the ] and subsequently commercially marketed by ]. It offered early forms of social media features with innovations such as Notes, PLATO's message-forum application; TERM-talk, its instant-messaging feature; ], perhaps the first ]; News Report, a ] online newspaper, and blog and Access Lists, enabling the owner of a note file or other application to limit access to a certain set of users, for example, only friends, classmates, or co-workers.
{{multiple image |align=left |direction=vertical |width=220
|image1=Interface Message Processor Front Panel.jpg |caption1 =Front panel of the 1969-era ] Interface Message Processor.
|image2=The IMP Log The Very First Message Sent on the Internet (6293913865).jpg |caption2=IMP log for the first message sent over the Internet, using ARPANET.
}}
The ] was launched in 1960 after being developed at the ] and subsequently commercially marketed by ]. It offered early forms of social media features with 1973-era innovations such as Notes, PLATO's message-forum application; TERM-talk, its instant-messaging feature; ], perhaps the first ]; News Report, a ] online newspaper, and blog and Access Lists, enabling the owner of a note file or other application to limit access to a certain set of users, for example, only friends, classmates, or co-workers.


], which first came online in 1967, had by the late 1970s developed a rich cultural exchange of non-government/business ideas and communication, as evidenced by the ] (or ']') described in a 1982 handbook on computing at ]'s ].<ref name="Stacy">{{cite web |last=Stacy |first=Christopher C. |date=September 7, 1982 |title=Getting Started Computing at the AI Lab |issue=Working Paper 235 |publisher=MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory |url=https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/41180/ai_wp_235.pdf?sequence=4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323132534/https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/41180/AI_WP_235.pdf?sequence=4 |archive-date=2019-03-23 }}</ref> ARPANET evolved into the ] following the publication of the first ] (TCP) specification, {{IETF RFC|675}} (''Specification of Internet Transmission Control Program''), written by ], ], and Carl Sunshine in 1974.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc0675|last1=Cerf|first1=Vinton|last2=Dalal|first2=Yogen|last3=Sunshine|first3=Carl|title=Specification of Internet Transmission Control Program |year=1974|publisher=RFC|access-date=2022-08-29|page=675|doi=10.17487/RFC0675|doi-access=free}}</ref> This became the foundation of ], conceived by ] and ] in 1979 at the ] and ], and established in 1980. ], which came online in 1969, had by the late 1970s enabled exchange of non-government/business ideas and communication, as evidenced by the ] (or "]") described in a 1982 handbook on computing at ]'s ].<ref name="Stacy">{{cite web |last=Stacy |first=Christopher C. |date=September 7, 1982 |title=Getting Started Computing at the AI Lab |issue=Working Paper 235 |publisher=MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory |url=https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/41180/ai_wp_235.pdf?sequence=4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323132534/https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/41180/AI_WP_235.pdf?sequence=4 |archive-date=2019-03-23 }}</ref> ARPANET evolved into the ] in the 1990s.{{ref RFC|675}} ], conceived by ] and ] in 1979 at the ] and ], was the first open social media app, established in 1980.


]s and a "Who's been on today?" query]]
A precursor of the electronic ] (BBS), known as ], appeared by 1973. True electronic BBSs arrived with the Computer Bulletin Board System in Chicago, which first came online on February 16, 1978. Before long, most major cities had more than one BBS running on ], ], ], ], ], ], and similar ]s. The IBM PC was introduced in 1981, and subsequent models of both Mac computers and PCs were used throughout the 1980s. Multiple ]s, followed by specialized telecommunication hardware, allowed many users to be online simultaneously. ], ], and ] were three of the largest BBS companies and were the first to migrate to the Internet in the 1990s. Between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s, BBSes numbered in the tens of thousands in North America alone.<ref>{{cite web|last=Edwards|first=Benj|publisher=The Atlantic| title= The Lost Civilization of Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems| url= https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/11/the-lost-civilization-of-dial-up-bulletin-board-systems/506465/| work= The Atlantic| date= November 4, 2016| access-date=2018-02-05}}</ref> Message forums (a specific structure of social media) arose with the BBS phenomenon throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. When the ] (WWW, or 'the web') was added to the Internet in the mid-1990s, message forums migrated to the web, becoming ]s, primarily due to cheaper per-person access as well as the ability to handle far more people simultaneously than telco modem banks.
A precursor of the electronic ] (BBS), known as ], appeared by 1973. Mainstream BBSs arrived with the Computer Bulletin Board System in Chicago, which launched on February 16, 1978. Before long, most major US cities had more than one BBS, running on ], ], ], ], ], ], and others. ], ], and ] were three of the largest BBS companies and were the first to migrate to the Internet in the 1990s. Between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s, BBSes numbered in the tens of thousands in North America alone.<ref name="Edwards-2016">{{cite web|last=Edwards|first=Benj| title= The Lost Civilization of Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems| url= https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/11/the-lost-civilization-of-dial-up-bulletin-board-systems/506465/| work= The Atlantic| date= November 4, 2016| access-date=2018-02-05}}</ref> Message forums were the signature BBS phenomenon throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.


In 1991, ] integrated ] ] software with the Internet, creating the ]. This breakthrough led to an explosion of ]s, ], and ] services. Message forums migrated to the web, and evolved into ]s, supported by cheaper access as well as the ability to handle far more people simultaneously.
] and ] ] technology facilitated the development and rise of social media.<ref name="spinoff">{{cite web |title=CMOS Sensors Enable Phone Cameras, HD Video|url=https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2017/cg_1.html |website=]|year=2017|publisher=] |access-date=6 November 2019}}</ref> Advances in ] (MOS) ], reaching smaller ] levels during the 1980s{{ndash}}1990s, led to the development of the ] (n-type MOS) ] (APS) at ] in 1985,<ref name=fossum93>{{cite journal |last1=Fossum |first1=Eric R. |s2cid=10556755 |author1-link=Eric Fossum |title=Active pixel sensors: are CCDs dinosaurs? |journal=SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1900: Charge-Coupled Devices and Solid State Optical Sensors III |volume=1900 |date=12 July 1993 |doi=10.1117/12.148585 |publisher=International Society for Optics and Photonics |pages=2–14 |editor1-last=Blouke |editor1-first=Morley M.|citeseerx=10.1.1.408.6558 |bibcode=1993SPIE.1900....2F }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Matsumoto |first1=Kazuya |last2=Nakamura |first2=Tsutomu |last3=Yusa |first3=Atsushi |last4=Nagai |first4=Shohei |display-authors=1|date=1985 |title=A new MOS phototransistor operating in a non-destructive readout mode |journal=Japanese Journal of Applied Physics |volume=24 |issue=5A |page=L323|doi=10.1143/JJAP.24.L323 |bibcode=1985JaJAP..24L.323M |s2cid=108450116 }}</ref> and then the ] (CMOS) active-pixel sensor (]) at ]'s ] (JPL) in 1993.<ref name=fossum93/><ref name="Fossum2014">{{cite journal |last1=Fossum |first1=Eric R. |author1-link=Eric Fossum |last2=Hondongwa |first2=D. B. |title=A Review of the Pinned Photodiode for CCD and CMOS Image Sensors |journal=IEEE Journal of the Electron Devices Society |date=2014 |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=33–43 |doi=10.1109/JEDS.2014.2306412 |doi-access=free }}</ref> CMOS sensors enabled the mass proliferation of ] and ], which bolstered the rise of social media.<ref name="spinoff"/>


These early text-based systems expanded to include images and video in the 21st century, aided by ] and ].<ref name="spinoff">{{cite web |year=2017 |title=CMOS Sensors Enable Phone Cameras, HD Video |url=https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2017/cg_1.html |access-date=6 November 2019 |website=] |publisher=]}}</ref>
=== Development of social-media platforms ===

=== Social media platforms ===
], launched in 1997, is often regarded as the first social media site.]] ], launched in 1997, is often regarded as the first social media site.]]
In 1991, when ] integrated hypertext software with the Internet, he created the ], marking the beginning of the modern era of networked communication. This breakthrough facilitated the formation of online communities and enabled support for offline groups through the use of weblogs, list servers, and email services. The evolution of online services progressed from serving as channels for networked communication to becoming interactive platforms for networked social interaction with the advent of ].<ref name="Dijck"/> The evolution of online services progressed from serving as channels for networked communication to becoming interactive platforms for networked social interaction with the advent of ].<ref name="Dijck"/>


The roots of social media can be traced back to the mid-1990s with the advent of platforms like ], ], and ].<ref name=":14">{{cite web |last=Ngak |first=Chenda |date=2011-07-06 |title=Then and now: a history of social networking sites |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/then-and-now-a-history-of-social-networking-sites/2/ |access-date=2018-01-26 |work=CBS news}}</ref> While instant messaging and chat clients existed at the time, SixDegrees was unique as it was the first online service designed for real people to connect using their actual names. It boasted features like profiles, friends lists, and school affiliations, making it ''"the very first social networking site"'' according to '']''.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":12">{{cite book |last1=Kirkpatrick |first1=David |title=The Facebook effect: the real inside story of Mark Zuckerberg and the world's fastest-growing company |date=2011 |publisher=Virgin |location=London}}</ref> The platform's name was inspired by the "]" concept, which suggests that every person on the planet is just six connections away from everyone else.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-11|title=A Brief History of Social Media & timeline - 1973 to 2021 |url=https://dewzilla.com/a-brief-history-of-social-media/ |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=Dewzilla |language=en|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023215054/https://dewzilla.com/a-brief-history-of-social-media/}}</ref> Social media started in the mid-1990s with the invention of platforms like ], ], and ].<ref name="Ngak-2011">{{cite web |last=Ngak |first=Chenda |date=2011-07-06 |title=Then and now: a history of social networking sites |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/then-and-now-a-history-of-social-networking-sites/2/ |access-date=2018-01-26 |work=CBS news}}</ref> While instant messaging and chat clients existed at the time, SixDegrees was unique as it was the first online service designed for people to connect using their actual names instead of anonymously. It boasted features like profiles, friends lists, and school affiliations, making it "the very first social networking site".<ref name="Ngak-2011" /><ref name="Kirkpatrick-2011">{{cite book |last1=Kirkpatrick |first1=David |title=The Facebook effect: the real inside story of Mark Zuckerberg and the world's fastest-growing company |date=2011 |publisher=Virgin |location=London}}</ref> The platform's name was inspired by the "]" concept, which suggests that every person on the planet is just six connections away from everyone else.<ref name="Dewzilla-2020">{{Cite web |date=2020-02-11|title=A Brief History of Social Media & timeline - 1973 to 2021 |url=https://dewzilla.com/a-brief-history-of-social-media/ |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=Dewzilla |language=en|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023215054/https://dewzilla.com/a-brief-history-of-social-media/}}</ref>


Fast forward to the early 2000s, and social media platforms gained widespread popularity with the likes of ] and ], followed by ], ], and ], among others.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Social media|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-media |access-date=2022-06-14}}</ref> In the early 2000s, social media platforms gained widespread popularity with the likes of ] and ], followed by ], ], and ].<ref name="EB-2022">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Social media|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-media |access-date=2022-06-14}}</ref>


Research from 2015 shows that the world spent 22% of their online time on social networks,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Nielsen Company|title=Social Networks Blogs Now Account for One in Every Four and a Half Minutes Online|url=http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2010/social-media-accounts-for-22-percent-of-time-online.html|access-date=2015-04-30|website=Nielsen|url-status=dead|archive-date=2022-05-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506180045/https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2010/social-media-accounts-for-22-percent-of-time-online/}}</ref> thus suggesting the popularity of social media platforms, likely fueled by the widespread adoption of smartphones.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sterling|first=Greg|date=April 4, 2016|title=Nearly 80 percent of social media time now spent on mobile devices|url=http://marketingland.com/facebook-usage-accounts-1-5-minutes-spent-mobile-171561|publisher=Marketing Land|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> There are as many as <ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Social Media Statistics |url=https://datareportal.com/social-media-users |access-date=2023-02-18 |website=DataReportal – Global Digital Insights |language=en-GB}}</ref> as of January 2023, equating to 59.4% of the total global population. Research from 2015 reported that globally, users spent 22% of their online time on social networks,<ref name="Nielsen-2022">{{cite web |last1=Nielsen Company |date=June 15, 2010 |title=Social Networks Blogs Now Account for One in Every Four and a Half Minutes Online |url=http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2010/social-media-accounts-for-22-percent-of-time-online.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506180045/https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2010/social-media-accounts-for-22-percent-of-time-online/ |archive-date=2022-05-06 |access-date=2015-04-30 |website=Nielsen}}</ref> likely fueled by the availability of smartphones.<ref name="Sterling-2016">{{Cite web|last=Sterling|first=Greg|date=April 4, 2016|title=Nearly 80 percent of social media time now spent on mobile devices|url=http://marketingland.com/facebook-usage-accounts-1-5-minutes-spent-mobile-171561|publisher=Marketing Land|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> As of 2023 as many as 4.76 billion people used social media<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Social Media Statistics |url=https://datareportal.com/social-media-users |access-date=2023-02-18 |website=DataReportal – Global Digital Insights |language=en-GB}}</ref> some 59% of the global population.


==Definition and features== ==Definition==


A 2015 review identified four features unique to social media services:<ref name="SMDefinition" />
The idea that social media are defined simply by their ability to bring people together has been seen as too broad, as this would suggest that fundamentally different technologies like the ] and ] are also social media.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Schejter|first1=A.M.|last2=Tirosh|first2=N.|date=2015|title="Seek the meek, seek the just": Social media and social justice|journal=Telecommunications Policy|volume=39|issue=9|pages=796–803|doi=10.1016/j.telpol.2015.08.002}}</ref> The ] is unclear, with some early researchers referring to social media as ]s or ]s in the mid-2000s.<ref name="boydEllison" /> A more recent paper from 2015 reviewed the prominent literature in the area and identified four common features unique to then-current social media services:<ref name="SMDefinition" />
# Social media are ] Internet-based applications.<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name=usersoftheworld/> * ] Internet-based applications.<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name="usersoftheworld" />
# ] (UGC) is the lifeblood of the social media organism.<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name=usersoftheworld/> * ]<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name="usersoftheworld" />
# Users create service-specific profiles for the site or app that are designed and maintained by the social media organization.<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name="boydEllison" /> * User-created self profiles<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name="boydEllison" />
# Social media facilitate the development of online ]s by connecting a user's profile with those of other individuals or groups.<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name="boydEllison" /> * ]s formed by connections between profiles,<ref name="SMDefinition" /><ref name="boydEllison" /> such as followers, groups, and lists.


In 2019, ] defined ''social media'' as "forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos)."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social+media|title=social media|publisher=Merriam-Webster|accessdate=March 2, 2022}}</ref> In 2019, ] defined social media as "forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos)."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social+media|title=social media|publisher=Merriam-Webster|access-date=March 2, 2022}}</ref>


== Services ==
While the variety of evolving stand-alone and built-in social media services makes it challenging to define them,<ref name="SMDefinition" /> marketing and social media experts broadly agree that social media includes the following 13 types:<ref name='IJMR Article'>{{cite journal|last1=Aichner|first1=Thomas|last2=Jacob|first2=Frank H.|s2cid=166531788 |title=Measuring the Degree of Corporate Social Media Use |journal=International Journal of Market Research |date=March 2015 |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=257–275|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283073224|doi=10.2501/IJMR-2015-018 }}</ref>
Social media encompasses an expanding suite of services:<ref name="IJMR Article">{{cite journal|last1=Aichner|first1=Thomas|last2=Jacob|first2=Frank H.|s2cid=166531788 |title=Measuring the Degree of Corporate Social Media Use |journal=International Journal of Market Research |date=March 2015 |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=257–275|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283073224|doi=10.2501/IJMR-2015-018 }}</ref>
* ]s (ex. ], ])
* ]s (ex. ], ])
* ] (ex. ], ]) * ] (ex. ], ])
* ] (], ])
* ] (ex. ], ])
* ] (], ], ])
* ] (ex. ], ])
* ] (ex. ], ]) * ] (], ])
* ] (ex. ], ]) * ] (], ], ])
* ] (ex. ], ]) * ] (], ], ])
* ] (ex. ], ]) * ] (], ])
* ] (ex. ]) * ] (], ])
* ]<ref name="boydEllison" /> (ex. ], ]) * ] including ] (], ])
* ] (], ], ], ], ], ], ], ])
* ] (ex. ], ])
* ]s (ex. ], ]) * ] (], ])
* ]s (], ])


Some services offer more than one type of service.<ref name="boydEllison" />
===Mobile social media===
'''Mobile social media''' refers to the use of social media on ]s such as ]s and ]s. Mobile social media are useful applications of ] because the creation, exchange, and circulation of user-generated content can assist companies with marketing research, communication, and relationship development.<ref name="mobileKaplan">{{cite journal |last=Kaplan |first=Andreas M. |title=If you love something, let it go mobile: Mobile marketing and mobile social media 4x4 |journal=Business Horizons |date=March–April 2012 |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=129–139 |doi=10.1016/j.bushor.2011.10.009}}</ref> Mobile social media differ from others because they incorporate the current location of the user (location-sensitivity) or the time delay between sending and receiving messages.


== Mobile social media ==
Social media promotes users to share content with others and display content in order to enhance a particular brand or product.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Nikolinakou|first1=Angeliki|last2=Phua|first2=Joe|date=January 2020|title="Do human values matter for promoting brands on social media? How social media users' values influence valuable brand‐related activities such as sharing, content creation, and reviews".|journal=Journal of Consumer Behaviour|volume=19|issue=1|pages=13–23|doi=10.1002/cb.1790|s2cid=210535859|url=https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/17408/|access-date=November 14, 2021}}</ref> Social media allows people to be creative and share interesting ideas with their followers or fans. Certain social media applications such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are places where users share specific political or sports content. Many reporters and journalists produce updates and information on sports and political news. It can truly give users pertinent and necessary information to stay up to date on relevant news stories and topics. However, there is a downside to it. Users are advised to exercise due diligence when they are using social media platforms.
Mobile social media refers to the use of social media on ]s such as ]s and ]s. It is distinguished by its ubiquity, since users no longer have to be at a desk in order to participate on a ]. Mobile services can further make use of the user's immediate location to offer information, connections, or services relevant to that location.


According to ], mobile social media applications can be differentiated among four types:<ref name="mobileKaplan"/> According to ], mobile social media activities fall among four types:<ref name="mobileKaplan">{{cite journal |last=Kaplan |first=Andreas M. |date=March–April 2012 |title=If you love something, let it go mobile: Mobile marketing and mobile social media 4x4 |journal=Business Horizons |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=129–139 |doi=10.1016/j.bushor.2011.10.009}}</ref>


# ''Space-timers'' (location and time-sensitive): Exchange of messages with relevance mostly for one specific location at one specific point in time (e.g. ], ], ], ]) * Space-timers (location and time-sensitive): Exchange of messages with relevance for a specific location at a specific point in time (posting about a traffic jam)
# ''Space-locators'' (only location sensitive): Exchange of messages with relevance for one specific location, which is tagged to a certain place and read later by others (e.g. ], ], ], ]) * Space-locators (only location sensitive): Posts/messages with relevance for a specific location, read later by others (e.g. a restaurant review)
# ''Quick-timers'' (only time sensitive): Transfer of traditional social media ] to increase immediacy (e.g. posting on ] or status updates on ]) * Quick-timers (only time sensitive): Transfer of traditional social media ] to increase immediacy (e.g. posting status updates)
# ''Slow-timers'' (neither location nor time sensitive): Transfer of traditional social media applications to mobile devices (e.g. watching a ] video or reading/editing a ] article) * Slow-timers (neither location nor time sensitive): Transfer of traditional social media applications to mobile devices (e.g. watching a video)


===Elements and function=== == Elements and function ==


====Viral content==== === Virality ===
{{Main|Viral phenomenon}} {{Main|Viral phenomenon}}
Social media sites are powerful tools for sharing content across networks. Certain ] has the potential to spread ''virally'', an analogy for the way ] spread from individual to individual. When content or websites go viral, users are more likely to share them with their social network, which leads to even more sharing. Certain ] has the potential to spread ''virally'', an analogy for the way ] spread contagiously from individual to individual. One user spreads a post across their network, which leads those users to follow suit. A post from a relatively unknown user can reach vast numbers of people within hours. Virality is not guaranteed; few posts make the transition.


] campaigns are particularly attractive to ]es because they can achieve widespread advertising coverage at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing campaigns<!-- newspapers, magazines, billboards, etc -->. ]s and ] may also use social media to post content with the aim of it going viral. ] campaigns are particularly attractive to ]es because they can achieve widespread advertising coverage at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing campaigns<!-- newspapers, magazines, billboards, etc -->. ]s and ] may also attempt to spread content virally.


Many social media sites provide specific functionality to help users re-share content, such as ]'s "retweet" button or ]'s "share" option. This feature is especially popular on Twitter, allowing users to keep up with important events and stay connected with their peers.<ref>{{Cite arXiv|eprint=1106.0346|class=cs.SI|first=Rumi|last=Ghosh|title=Entropy-based Classification of 'Retweeting' Activity on Twitter|date=June 2011}}</ref> When certain posts become popular, they start to get retweeted over and over again, becoming viral. ]s can also be used in tweets to take count of how many people have used that hashtag. Social media sites provide specific functionality to help users re-share content, such as ]'s and ]'s "like" option.<ref>{{Cite arXiv|eprint=1106.0346|class=cs.SI|first=Rumi|last=Ghosh|title=Entropy-based Classification of 'Retweeting' Activity on Twitter|date=June 2011}}</ref>

However, it's important to note that not all content has the potential to go viral, and it's difficult to predict what content will take off. Despite this, viral marketing campaigns can still be a cost-effective and powerful tool for promoting a message or product.


==== Bots ==== ==== Bots ====
{{Main|Internet bot}} {{Main|Internet bot}}
Bots are automated programs that operate on the ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=bots|url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/bots?s=t|access-date=2017-05-11|website=Dictionary.com}}</ref> which have become increasingly popular due to their ability to automate many communication tasks. This has led to the creation of a new industry of bot providers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Size of the chatbot market worldwide, in 2015 and 2024 (in million U.S. dollars)|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/656596/worldwide-chatbot-market/|access-date=2017-05-11|website=Statista|language=en|url-status=dead|archive-date=2017-10-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009181541/https://www.statista.com/statistics/656596/worldwide-chatbot-market/}}</ref> Bots are automated programs that operate on the ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=bots|url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/bots?s=t|access-date=2017-05-11|website=Dictionary.com}}</ref> They automate many communication tasks. This has led to the creation of an industry of bot providers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DemTech {{!}} Industrialized Disinformation: 2020 Global Inventory of Organized Social Media Manipulation |url=https://demtech.oii.ox.ac.uk/research/posts/industrialized-disinformation/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=demtech.oii.ox.ac.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref>


]s and ]s are programmed to mimic natural human interactions such as liking, commenting, following, and unfollowing on social media platforms.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Development and Implementation of a Chat Bot in a Social Network|last1=Martinez Rodrigo|first1=Salto|last2=Jacques-García|first2=Fausto Abraham|year=2012|doi=10.1109/ITNG.2012.147|journal=Information Technology: New Generations|pages=751–755 |isbn=978-1-4673-0798-7 |s2cid=207008003 }}</ref> As companies aim for greater market shares and increased audiences, internet bots have also been developed to facilitate ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Castronovo|first1=Cristina|last2=Huang|first2=Lei|date=2012|title=Social Media in Alternative Marketing Communication Model|journal=Journal of Marketing Development & Competitivness|volume=6|pages=117–136}}</ref> With the existence of social bots and chatbots, however, the ] has also met an analytical crisis, as these bots make it difficult to differentiate between human interactions and automated bot interactions.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Baym|first=Nancy K.|date=October 7, 2013|title=Data Not Seen: The uses and shortcomings of social media metrics|url=http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/4873/3752|journal=First Monday|volume=18|issue=10|doi=10.5210/fm.v18i10.4873}}</ref> For instance, marketing data has been negatively affected by some bots, causing "digital cannibalism" in social media marketing. Additionally, some bots violate the ] on many social media platforms such as Instagram, which can result in profiles being taken down and banned.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://help.instagram.com/478745558852511|title=Terms of Use|website=help.instagram.com|language=en|access-date=2017-06-26}}</ref> ]s and ]s are programmed to mimic human interactions such as liking, commenting, and following.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Martinez Rodrigo|first1=Salto|last2=Jacques-García|first2=Fausto Abraham|title=2012 Ninth International Conference on Information Technology - New Generations |chapter=Development and Implementation of a Chat Bot in a Social Network |year=2012|doi=10.1109/ITNG.2012.147|pages=751–755 |isbn=978-1-4673-0798-7 |s2cid=207008003 }}</ref> Bots have also been developed to facilitate ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Castronovo|first1=Cristina|last2=Huang|first2=Lei|date=2012|title=Social Media in Alternative Marketing Communication Model|journal=Journal of Marketing Development & Competitivness|volume=6|pages=117–136}}</ref> Bots have led the ] into an analytical crisis, as bots make it difficult to differentiate between human interactions and bot interactions.<ref name="Baym-2013">{{Cite journal|last=Baym|first=Nancy K.|date=October 7, 2013|title=Data Not Seen: The uses and shortcomings of social media metrics|url=http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/4873/3752|journal=First Monday|volume=18|issue=10|doi=10.5210/fm.v18i10.4873 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Some bots violate platforms' ], which can result in bans and campaigns to eliminate bots categorically.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://help.instagram.com/478745558852511|title=Terms of Use|website=help.instagram.com|language=en|access-date=2017-06-26}}</ref> Bots may even pose as real people to avoid prohibitions.<ref name="cgwj" />


']s'—either bot-assisted humans or human-assisted bots<ref name="cgwj">{{cite journal|last1=Chu|first1=Z.|last2=Gianvecchio|first2=S.|last3=Wang|first3=H.|last4=Jajodia|first4=S.|year=2012|title=Detecting automation of Twitter accounts: Are you a human, bot, or cyborg?|journal=IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing|volume=9|issue=6|pages=811–824|doi=10.1109/tdsc.2012.75|s2cid=351844}}</ref>—are used for a number of different purposes both legitimate and illegitimate, from spreading ] to creating ].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Stone-Gross|first1=B.|last2=Holz|first2=T.|last3=Stringhini|first3=G.|last4=Vigna|first4=G.|year=2011|title=The Underground Economy of Spam: A Botmaster's Perspective of Coordinating Large-Scale Spam Campaigns|url=http://static.usenix.org/events/leet11/tech/full_papers/Stone-Gross.pdf|journal=LEET|volume=11|pages=4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/projects/the-future-is-android/index.html|last=House|first=Arthur|title=The real cyborgs - in-depth feature about people merging with machines|newspaper=Telegraph.co.uk|accessdate=March 2, 2022|via=s.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/donald-trump-twitter-army-228923|title=Inside Trump's 'cyborg' Twitter army|date=2016-09-30|work=Politico|last=Schreckinger|first=Ben|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> A common legitimate use includes using automated programs to post on social media at a specific time.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pilon|first=Annie|date=2021-03-11|title=50 Social Media Management Tools for your Business|url=https://smallbiztrends.com/2021/03/social-media-management-tools.html|access-date=2021-03-26|publisher=Small Business Trends|language=en-us}}</ref> In these cases, often, the human writes the post content and the bot schedules the time of posting. In other cases, the cyborgs are more nefarious, e.g., contributing to the spread of fake news and misinformation.<ref name="cgwj" /> Often these accounts blend human and bot activity in a strategic way, so that when an automated account is publicly identified, the human half of the cyborg is able to take over and could protest that the account has been used manually all along. In many cases, these accounts that are being used in a more illegitimate fashion try to pose as real people; in particular, the number of their friends or followers resemble that of a real person.<ref name="cgwj" /> Cyborgs are also related to ]s, where one human pretends to be someone else, but can also include one human operating multiple cyborg accounts. ']s'—either bot-assisted humans or human-assisted bots<ref name="cgwj">{{cite journal|last1=Chu|first1=Z.|last2=Gianvecchio|first2=S.|last3=Wang|first3=H.|last4=Jajodia|first4=S.|year=2012|title=Detecting automation of Twitter accounts: Are you a human, bot, or cyborg?|journal=IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing|volume=9|issue=6|pages=811–824|doi=10.1109/tdsc.2012.75|s2cid=351844}}</ref>—are used for both legitimate and illegitimate purposes, from spreading ] to creating ].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Stone-Gross|first1=B.|last2=Holz|first2=T.|last3=Stringhini|first3=G.|last4=Vigna|first4=G.|year=2011|title=The Underground Economy of Spam: A Botmaster's Perspective of Coordinating Large-Scale Spam Campaigns|url=http://static.usenix.org/events/leet11/tech/full_papers/Stone-Gross.pdf|journal=LEET|volume=11|pages=4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/projects/the-future-is-android/index.html|last=House|first=Arthur|title=The real cyborgs - in-depth feature about people merging with machines|newspaper=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=March 2, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/donald-trump-twitter-army-228923|title=Inside Trump's 'cyborg' Twitter army|date=2016-09-30|work=Politico|last=Schreckinger|first=Ben|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> A common use claimed to be legitimate includes posting at a specific time.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pilon|first=Annie|date=2021-03-11|title=50 Social Media Management Tools for your Business|url=https://smallbiztrends.com/2021/03/social-media-management-tools.html|access-date=2021-03-26|publisher=Small Business Trends|language=en-us}}</ref> A human writes a post content and the bot posts it a specific time. In other cases, cyborgs spread ].<ref name="cgwj" /> Cyborgs may work as ], where one human pretends to be someone else, or operates multiple accounts, each pretending to be a person.


====New social media technology==== ====Patents====
{{main|Software patent}} {{main|Software patent}}


There has been rapid growth in the number of United States ]s that cover new technologies that are related to social media, and the number of them that are published has been growing rapidly over the past five years.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}} {{As of|2020}}, there are over 5000 published patent applications in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=0&p=1&f=S&l=50&Query=spec%2F%22social+media%22&d=PG01 |title=USPTO search on published patent applications mentioning "social media" |publisher=Appft.uspto.gov |access-date=2012-04-24}}</ref> As many as 7000 applications may be currently on file including those that have not been published yet; however, only slightly over 100 of these applications have issued as patents, largely due to the multi-year backlog in examination of ]s, i.e., patents that outline and claim new methods of doing business.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=0&p=1&f=S&l=50&Query=spec%2F%22social+media%22&d=PTXT |title=USPTO search on issued patents mentioning "social media" |publisher=Patft.uspto.gov |access-date=2012-04-24}}</ref> A multitude of ] patents are related to social media, growing rapidly.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}} {{As of|2020}}, over 5000 social media patent applications had been published in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=0&p=1&f=S&l=50&Query=spec%2F%22social+media%22&d=PG01 |title=USPTO search on published patent applications mentioning "social media" |publisher=Appft.uspto.gov |access-date=2012-04-24 |archive-date=2018-09-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915174948/http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=0&p=1&f=S&l=50&Query=spec%2F%22social+media%22&d=PG01 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Only slightly over 100 patents had been issued.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=0&p=1&f=S&l=50&Query=spec%2F%22social+media%22&d=PTXT |title=USPTO search on issued patents mentioning "social media" |publisher=Patft.uspto.gov |access-date=2012-04-24 |archive-date=2021-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224013356/http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=0&p=1&f=S&l=50&Query=spec%2F%22social+media%22&d=PTXT |url-status=dead }}</ref>


=== Platform convergence === === Platform convergence ===
{{anchor|Scope expansion and feature merge}}<!--This keeps existing section links intact.--> {{anchor|Scope expansion and feature merge}}<!--This keeps existing section links intact.-->
As an instance of ], various social media platforms of different kinds adapted functionality beyond their original scope, increasingly overlapping with each other over time, albeit usually not implemented as completely as on dedicated platforms.


As an instance of ], various social media platforms adapted functionality beyond their original scope, increasingly overlapping with each other.
Examples are the ] site ] launching an integrated ] in May 2007,<ref>{{cite web |first=Pete |last=Cashmore |title=Facebook Video Launches: YouTube Beware! |url=http://mashable.com/2007/05/24/facebook-video-launches/ |website=] |date=May 25, 2007 |access-date=June 15, 2017}}</ref> and ], whose original scope was low-resolution photo sharing, introducing the ability to share quarter-minute 640×640 pixel videos in 2013<ref>{{cite web |title=Introducing Video on Instagram|date=2013-06-20|url=https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/introducing-video-on-instagram |publisher=Instagram|language=en}}</ref> (later extended to a minute with increased resolution), acting like a minimal video platform without video seek bar. Instagram later implemented ] (short videos self-destructing after 24 hours), a concept popularized by ], as well as '']'', for seekable videos of up to ten minutes or one hour depending on account status.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://animoto.com/blog/video-marketing/instagram-video-length |title=Instagram Video Length Guide (An Easy Cheat Sheet)|last=Livesay|first=Kari|date=2022-04-13|publisher=Animoto|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> Stories have been later adapted by the dedicated video platform ] in 2018, although access is restricted to the ]s, excluding mobile and desktop websites.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Alexander |first1=Julia |title=YouTube is rolling out its Instagram-like Stories feature to more creators |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/29/18117670/youtube-stories-creators-subscribers-instagram-philip-defranco |website=The Verge |language=en |date=29 November 2018}}</ref>

Examples are the social hub site ] launching an integrated ] in May 2007,<ref>{{cite web |first=Pete |last=Cashmore |title=Facebook Video Launches: YouTube Beware! |url=http://mashable.com/2007/05/24/facebook-video-launches/ |website=] |date=May 25, 2007 |access-date=June 15, 2017}}</ref> and ], whose original scope was low-resolution photo sharing, introducing the ability to share quarter-minute 640×640 pixel videos<ref>{{cite web |title=Introducing Video on Instagram|date=2013-06-20|url=https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/introducing-video-on-instagram |publisher=Instagram|language=en}}</ref> (later extended to a minute with increased resolution). Instagram later implemented ] (short videos self-destructing after 24 hours), a concept popularized by ], as well as '']'', for seekable videos.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://animoto.com/blog/video-marketing/instagram-video-length |title=Instagram Video Length Guide (An Easy Cheat Sheet)|last=Livesay|first=Kari|date=2022-04-13|publisher=Animoto|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> Stories were then adopted by ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Alexander |first1=Julia |title=YouTube is rolling out its Instagram-like Stories feature to more creators |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/29/18117670/youtube-stories-creators-subscribers-instagram-philip-defranco |website=The Verge |language=en |date=29 November 2018}}</ref>


Twitter, whose original scope was text-based ], later adapted photo sharing functionality (deprecating third-party services such as '']''),<ref>{{cite web |last1=Parr |first1=Ben |title=Twitter Rolls Out Photo Sharing to All Users |url=https://mashable.com/2011/08/09/twitter-photo-sharing-all/ |website=Mashable |language=en |date=Aug 10, 2011}}</ref> later video sharing with 140-second time limit and view counter but no manual quality selection or subtitles like on dedicated video platforms, and originally only available to mobile app users but later implemented in their website front ends.<ref>{{cite web |title=Now on Twitter: group Direct Messages and mobile video camera |url=https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/a/2015/now-on-twitter-group-direct-messages-and-mobile-video-capture.html|last=Kamdar|first=Jinen|publisher=Twitter|date=2015-01-27|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=New ways to tap into video on Twitter |url=https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/a/2016/new-ways-to-tap-into-video-on-twitter.html|publisher=Twitter|date=2016-06-21|last=Rishel|first=Jeremy|language=en-us |access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> Then a ''media studio'' feature for business users, which resembles YouTube's '']''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Twitter Updates Media Studio, Expands Access to All Users |url=https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/twitter-updates-media-studio-expands-access-all-users |last=Hutchinson|first=Andrew|date=2017-03-15|publisher=Social Media Today|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> ], whose original scope was text-based microblogging, later adopted photo sharing,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Parr |first1=Ben |title=Twitter Rolls Out Photo Sharing to All Users |url=https://mashable.com/2011/08/09/twitter-photo-sharing-all/ |website=Mashable |language=en |date=Aug 10, 2011}}</ref> then video sharing,<ref>{{cite web |title=Now on Twitter: group Direct Messages and mobile video camera |url=https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/a/2015/now-on-twitter-group-direct-messages-and-mobile-video-capture.html|last=Kamdar|first=Jinen|publisher=Twitter|date=2015-01-27|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=New ways to tap into video on Twitter |url=https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/a/2016/new-ways-to-tap-into-video-on-twitter.html|publisher=Twitter|date=2016-06-21|last=Rishel|first=Jeremy|language=en-us |access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> then a media studio for business users, after YouTube's Creator Studio.<ref>{{cite web |title=Twitter Updates Media Studio, Expands Access to All Users |url=https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/twitter-updates-media-studio-expands-access-all-users |last=Hutchinson|first=Andrew|date=2017-03-15|publisher=Social Media Today|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref>


The discussion platform ] added an integrated ] in June 2016 after Reddit users commonly relied on the external standalone image sharing platform ],<ref>{{cite web |title=r/announcements - Image Hosting on Reddit |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/announcements/comments/4p5dm9/image_hosting_on_reddit/ |publisher=reddit |date=2016-06-21|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> and an internal video hoster around a year later.<ref>{{cite web |title=r/changelog - Introducing video uploading beta |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/changelog/comments/6jo5it/reddit_change_introducing_video_uploading_beta/ |publisher=reddit |date=2017-06-26|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> In July 2020, the ability to share multiple images in a single post (''image galleries''), a feature known from Imgur, was implemented.<ref>{{cite web |title=Introducing Reddit Image Galleries |url=https://redditblog.com/2020/07/15/introducing-reddit-image-galleries-now-redditors-can-share-multiple-images-and-gifs-in-one-post/ |website=Upvoted |date=2020-07-15|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716191433/https://redditblog.com/2020/07/15/introducing-reddit-image-galleries-now-redditors-can-share-multiple-images-and-gifs-in-one-post/}}</ref> Imgur itself implemented sharing videos of up to 30 seconds in May 2018, later extended to one minute.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Liao |first1=Shannon |title=Imgur adds 30-second video uploads so your GIFs can have soundtracks |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/29/17406840/imgur-video-upload-unmuted-gifs-sound-on |website=The Verge |language=en |date=29 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=How to Upload Video |url=https://help.imgur.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003632072-How-to-Upload-Video |website=Imgur|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-06-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613074923/https://help.imgur.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003632072-How-to-Upload-Video}}</ref> The discussion platform ] added an integrated ] replacing the external image sharing platform ],<ref>{{cite web |title=r/announcements - Image Hosting on Reddit |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/announcements/comments/4p5dm9/image_hosting_on_reddit/ |publisher=reddit |date=2016-06-21|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> and then an internal video hosting service,<ref>{{cite web |title=r/changelog - Introducing video uploading beta |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/changelog/comments/6jo5it/reddit_change_introducing_video_uploading_beta/ |publisher=reddit |date=2017-06-26|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> followed by image galleries (multiple images in a single post), known from Imgur.<ref>{{cite web |title=Introducing Reddit Image Galleries |url=https://redditblog.com/2020/07/15/introducing-reddit-image-galleries-now-redditors-can-share-multiple-images-and-gifs-in-one-post/ |website=Upvoted |date=2020-07-15|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716191433/https://redditblog.com/2020/07/15/introducing-reddit-image-galleries-now-redditors-can-share-multiple-images-and-gifs-in-one-post/}}</ref> Imgur implemented video sharing.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Liao |first1=Shannon |title=Imgur adds 30-second video uploads so your GIFs can have soundtracks |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/29/17406840/imgur-video-upload-unmuted-gifs-sound-on |website=The Verge |language=en |date=29 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=How to Upload Video |url=https://help.imgur.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003632072-How-to-Upload-Video |website=Imgur|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-06-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613074923/https://help.imgur.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003632072-How-to-Upload-Video}}</ref>


Starting in 2018, the dedicated video platform ] rolled out a ''Community'' feature accessible through a channel tab (which usurps the previous ''Discussion'' channel tab), where text-only posts, as well as ]s can be shared. To be enabled, channels have to pass a subscriber count threshold which has been lowered over time.<ref>{{cite tweet |author=TeamYouTube |user=TeamYouTube |number=1072581870389473281 |date=December 11, 2018 |title=New on the Community tab: Post Playlists to engage with your audience! If you have Community posts enabled on your channel, learn more about Playlist posts here → https://t.co/mE5tl7nR6E https://t.co/BR0ijr0xEq |language=en |access-date=November 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105171252/https://twitter.com/teamyoutube/status/1072581870389473281 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> ] rolled out a Community feature, for sharing text-only posts and ]s.<ref>{{cite tweet |author=TeamYouTube |user=TeamYouTube |number=1072581870389473281 |date=December 11, 2018 |title=New on the Community tab: Post Playlists to engage with your audience! If you have Community posts enabled on your channel, learn more about Playlist posts here → https://t.co/mE5tl7nR6E https://t.co/BR0ijr0xEq |language=en |access-date=November 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105171252/https://twitter.com/teamyoutube/status/1072581870389473281 |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>


==Usage statistics ==
==Statistics on usage and membership==
{{main|List of social platforms with at least 100 million active users}} {{main|List of social platforms with at least 100 million active users}}
According to ], it is estimated that, in 2022, there are around 3.96 billion people who are using social media around the globe; up from 3.6 billion in 2020. This number is expected to increase to 4.41 billion in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Number of global social network users 2017-2025{{!}} Statista|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/|access-date=2022-08-29|website=Statista|language=en|url-status=dead|archive-date=2021-08-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818050635/https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/}}</ref> According to ], it is estimated that, in 2022, around 3.96 billion people were using social media globally. This number is up from 3.6 billion in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Number of global social network users 2017-2025{{!}} Statista|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/|access-date=2022-08-29|website=Statista|language=en|url-status=dead|archive-date=2021-08-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818050635/https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/}}</ref>


The following is a list of the most popular ]s based on the number of active users {{as of|January 2024|lc=y}} per ].<ref name="Statista-2022">{{cite web |title=Most popular social networks worldwide as of January 2022, ranked by number of monthly active users (in millions)|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/ |website=]|url-status=dead|archive-date=2022-01-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129042041/https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/}}</ref>
===Most popular social networking services===
The following is a list of the most popular ]s based on the number of active users as of January 2022 per ].<ref name=":13">{{cite web |title=Most popular social networks worldwide as of January 2022, ranked by number of monthly active users (in millions)|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/ |website=]|url-status=dead|archive-date=2022-01-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129042041/https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/}}</ref>


{| class="wikitable sortable" {| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ |+
Social networking services with the most users, January 2022 Social networking services with the most users, January 2024<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biggest social media platforms 2024 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=Statista |language=en}}</ref>
!# !#
!Network Name !Network
!Number of Users !Number of users (millions)
!Country of origin
(in millions)
!Country of Origin
|- |-
|1 |1
|] |]
|2,910 |3,049
|] |]
|- |-
|2 |2
|] |]
|2,562 |2,491
|United States |United States
|- |-
Line 150: Line 147:
|United States |United States
|- |-
|4 |3
|] |]
|1,478 |2,000
|United States |United States
|- |-
|5 |5
|] |]
|1,263 |1,526
|] |]
|- |-
|6 |6
|] |]
|1,000 |1,336
|China |China
|- |-
|7 |7
|] |]
|988 |979
|United States |United States
|- |-
|8 |8
|]
|800
|Russia
|-
|9
|] |]
|600 |752
|China |China
|-
|10
|]
|750
|United States
|-
|11
|]
|685
|China
|-
|12
|]
|619
|United States
|} |}


===Usage: Before the COVID-19 pandemic=== ===Usage: before the pandemic===
A study from 2009 suggests that there may be individual differences that help explain who uses social media and who does not: ] and ] have a positive relationship with social media, while ] has a negative sloping relationship with social media.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Correa|first1=Teresa|last2=Hinsley|first2=Amber W.|date=October 2009|title=Who Interacts on the Web?: The Intersection of Users' Personality and Social Media Use|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563209001472|journal=Computers in Human Behavior|volume=26|issue=2|pages=247–253|doi=10.1016/j.chb.2009.09.003}}</ref> A separate study from 2015 found that people with a higher ] orientation appear to use social media more heavily than people with low social comparison orientation.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Vogel|first1=Erin A.|last2=Rose|first2=Jason P.|last3=Okdie|first3=Bradley M.|last4=Eckles|first4=Katheryn|last5=Franz|first5=Brittany|year=2015|title=Who compares and despairs? The effect of social comparison orientation on social media use and its outcomes|journal=Personality and Individual Differences|volume=86|pages=249–56|doi=10.1016/j.paid.2015.06.026}}</ref> A 2009 study suggested that individual differences may help explain who uses social media: ] and ] have a positive relationship with social media, while ] has a negative sloping relationship with social media.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Correa|first1=Teresa|last2=Hinsley|first2=Amber W.|date=October 2009|title=Who Interacts on the Web?: The Intersection of Users' Personality and Social Media Use|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563209001472|journal=Computers in Human Behavior|volume=26|issue=2|pages=247–253|doi=10.1016/j.chb.2009.09.003|s2cid=3748842 }}</ref> A 2015 study reported that people with a higher ] orientation appear to use social media more heavily than people with low social comparison orientation.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Vogel|first1=Erin A.|last2=Rose|first2=Jason P.|last3=Okdie|first3=Bradley M.|last4=Eckles|first4=Katheryn|last5=Franz|first5=Brittany|year=2015|title=Who compares and despairs? The effect of social comparison orientation on social media use and its outcomes|journal=Personality and Individual Differences|volume=86|pages=249–56|doi=10.1016/j.paid.2015.06.026|s2cid=37514412 }}</ref>


Data from ] has suggested that children under the age of 13 in the United States use ]s despite the fact that many social media sites have policies that state one must be at least 13 years old or older to join.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Jargon|first=Julie|date=June 19, 2019|title=How 13 Became the Internet's Age of Adulthood|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-13-became-the-internets-age-of-adulthood-11560850201}}</ref> In 2017, Common Sense Media conducted a nationally representative survey of parents of children from birth to age 8 and found that 4% of children at this age used social media sites such as Instagram, Snapchat, or (now-defunct) ] "often" or "sometimes".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rideout|first=Vicky|date=2017-10-19|title=The Common Sense census: Media use by kids age zero to eight, 2017|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-kids-age-zero-to-eight-2017|publisher=Common Sense Media|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> A different nationally representative survey by Common Sense in 2019 surveyed young Americans ages 8–16 and found that about 31% of children ages 8–12 ever use social media such as Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Rideout|first1=Vicky|last2=Robb|first2=Michael B.|date=2019|title=The Common Sense census: Media use by tweens and teens, 2019|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-tweens-and-teens-2019|website=Common Sense Media}}</ref> In that same survey, when American teens ages 16–18 were asked when they started using social media, 28% said they started to use it before they were 13 years old. However, the median age of starting to use social media was 14 years old. ] reported that children under age 13 in the United States use ]s although many social media sites require users to be 13 or older.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Jargon|first=Julie|date=June 19, 2019|title=How 13 Became the Internet's Age of Adulthood|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-13-became-the-internets-age-of-adulthood-11560850201}}</ref> In 2017, the firm conducted a survey of parents of children from birth to age 8 and reported that 4% of children at this age used social media sites such as ], ], or (now-defunct) ] "often" or "sometimes".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rideout|first=Vicky|date=2017-10-19|title=The Common Sense census: Media use by kids age zero to eight, 2017|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-kids-age-zero-to-eight-2017|publisher=Common Sense Media|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> Their 2019 survey surveyed Americans ages 8–16 and reported that about 31% of children ages 8–12 use social media.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Rideout|first1=Vicky|last2=Robb|first2=Michael B.|date=2019|title=The Common Sense census: Media use by tweens and teens, 2019|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-tweens-and-teens-2019|website=Common Sense Media}}</ref> In that survey, teens aged 16–18 were asked when they started using social media. the median age was 14, although 28% said they started to use it before reaching 13.


=== Usage: During the COVID-19 pandemic === === Usage: during the pandemic ===


==== Amount of usage by minors ==== ==== Usage by minors ====
Social media plays a role in communication during COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Saud |first1=Muhammad |last2=Mashud |first2=Musta'in |last3=Ida |first3=Rachmah |date=2020-09-15 |title=Usage of social media during the pandemic: Seeking support and awareness about COVID-19 through social media platforms |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/pa.2417 |journal=Journal of Public Affairs |language=en |pages=e02417 |doi=10.1002/pa.2417|s2cid=224943667 }}</ref> In June 2020, during the ], a nationally representative survey by ] and the Cyberbullying Research Center surveyed Americans ] (ages 9–12) found that the most popular overall application in the past year was ] (67%).<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|last1=Patchin|first1=Justin W.|last2=Hinduja|first2=Sameer|date=2020|title=Tween cyberbullying in 2020|url=https://www.cartoonnetwork.com/stop-bullying/resources.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020083610/https://www.cartoonnetwork.com/stop-bullying/resources.html|archive-date=2020-10-20|website=Cartoon Network}}</ref> (In general, as age increased, the tweens were more likely to have used major social media apps and games.) Similarly, a nationally representative survey by Common Sense Media conducted in 2020 of Americans ages 13–18 found that YouTube was also the most popular social media service (used by 86% of 13- to 18-year-old Americans in the past year).<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|last=Robb|first=Michael B.|date=2020|title=Teens and the news: The influencers, celebrities, and platforms they say matter most, 2020|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/teens-and-the-news-the-influencers-celebrities-and-platforms-they-say-matter-most-2020|website=Common Sense Media|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> As children grow older, they utilize certain social media services on a frequent basis and often use the application YouTube to consume content. The use of social media certainly increases as people grow older and it has become a customary thing to have an Instagram and Twitter account. Social media played a role in communication during the ].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Saud |first1=Muhammad |last2=Mashud |first2=Musta'in |last3=Ida |first3=Rachmah |date=2020-09-15 |title=Usage of social media during the pandemic: Seeking support and awareness about COVID-19 through social media platforms |journal=Journal of Public Affairs |language=en |pages=e02417 |doi=10.1002/pa.2417|s2cid=224943667 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In June 2020, a survey by ] and the ] Research Center surveyed Americans ] (ages 9–12) and reported that the most popular application was ] (67%).<ref name="Patchin-2020">{{Cite web|last1=Patchin|first1=Justin W.|last2=Hinduja|first2=Sameer|date=2020|title=Tween cyberbullying in 2020|url=https://www.cartoonnetwork.com/stop-bullying/resources.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020083610/https://www.cartoonnetwork.com/stop-bullying/resources.html|archive-date=2020-10-20|website=Cartoon Network}}</ref> (as age increased, tweens were more likely to have used social media apps and games.) Similarly, Common Sense Media's 2020 survey of Americans ages 13–18 reported that YouTube was the most popular (used by 86% of 13- to 18-year-olds).<ref name="Robb-2020">{{Cite web|last=Robb|first=Michael B.|date=2020|title=Teens and the news: The influencers, celebrities, and platforms they say matter most, 2020|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/teens-and-the-news-the-influencers-celebrities-and-platforms-they-say-matter-most-2020|website=Common Sense Media|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> As children aged, they increasingly utilized social media services and often used YouTube to consume content.
{| class="wikitable sortable" {| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Apps used by U.S. tweens (ages 9–12), 2019-2020<ref name=":10" />{{Rp|39–42}} |+Apps used by U.S. tweens (ages 9–12), 2019-2020<ref name="Patchin-2020" />{{Rp|39–42}}
!Platform !Platform
!Overall !Overall
Line 250: Line 267:
|22.3% |22.3%
|- |-
|] |]
|15% |15%
|12% |12%
Line 264: Line 281:
|28.8% |28.8%
|- |-
|] |]
|8% |8%
|11% |11%
Line 294: Line 311:


{| class="wikitable" {| class="wikitable"
|+Social media platforms used by U.S. kids in 2020 (ages 13–18) and 2017 (ages 10–18)<ref name=":11" /> |+Social media platforms used by U.S. kids in 2020 (ages 13–18) and 2017 (ages 10–18)<ref name="Robb-2020" />
!Platform !Platform
!2020 !2020
Line 337: Line 354:


==== Reasons for use by adults ==== ==== Reasons for use by adults ====
While adults were already using social media before the ], more started using it to stay socially connected and to get updates on the pandemic. <blockquote>"Social media have become popularly use to seek for medical information and have fascinated the general public to collect information regarding corona virus pandemics in various perspectives. During these days, people are forced to stay at home and the social media have connected and supported awareness and pandemic updates."<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Saud|first1=Muhammad|last2=Mashud|first2=Musta'in|last3=Ida|first3=Rachmah|date=2020|title=Usage of social media during the pandemic: Seeking support and awareness about COVID-19 through social media platforms|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pa.2417|journal=Journal of Public Affairs|language=en|volume=20|issue=4|pages=e2417|doi=10.1002/pa.2417|s2cid=224943667|issn=1479-1854}}</ref></blockquote>This also made ] and systems more aware of social media as a place people were getting health information about the pandemic:<blockquote>"During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media use has accelerated to the point of becoming a ubiquitous part of modern healthcare systems."<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Wong|first1=Adrian|last2=Ho|first2=Serene|last3=Olusanya|first3=Olusegun|last4=Antonini|first4=Marta Velia|last5=Lyness|first5=David|date=2021-08-01|title=The use of social media and online communications in times of pandemic COVID-19|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/1751143720966280|journal=Journal of the Intensive Care Society|language=en|volume=22|issue=3|pages=255–260|doi=10.1177/1751143720966280|issn=1751-1437|pmc=8373288|pmid=34422109}}</ref></blockquote>Though this also led to the spread of ], indeed, on December 11, 2020, the ] put out a "Call to Action: Managing the ]".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Call for Action: Managing the Infodemic|url=https://www.who.int/news/item/11-12-2020-call-for-action-managing-the-infodemic|access-date=2021-12-31|publisher=World Health Organization|language=en|date=2020-12-11}}</ref> While adults were using social media before the ], more started using it to stay socially connected and to get pandemic updates. <blockquote>"Social media have become popularly use to seek for medical information and have fascinated the general public to collect information regarding corona virus pandemics in various perspectives. During these days, people are forced to stay at home and the social media have connected and supported awareness and pandemic updates."<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Saud|first1=Muhammad|last2=Mashud|first2=Musta'in|last3=Ida|first3=Rachmah|date=2020|title=Usage of social media during the pandemic: Seeking support and awareness about COVID-19 through social media platforms|journal=Journal of Public Affairs|language=en|volume=20|issue=4|pages=e2417|doi=10.1002/pa.2417|s2cid=224943667|issn=1479-1854|doi-access=free}}</ref></blockquote>] and systems became more aware of social media as a place people were getting health information:<blockquote>"During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media use has accelerated to the point of becoming a ubiquitous part of modern healthcare systems."<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Wong|first1=Adrian|last2=Ho|first2=Serene|last3=Olusanya|first3=Olusegun|last4=Antonini|first4=Marta Velia|last5=Lyness|first5=David|date=2021-08-01|title=The use of social media and online communications in times of pandemic COVID-19|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/1751143720966280|journal=Journal of the Intensive Care Society|language=en|volume=22|issue=3|pages=255–260|doi=10.1177/1751143720966280|issn=1751-1437|pmc=8373288|pmid=34422109}}</ref></blockquote>This also led to the spread of ]. On December 11, 2020, the ] put out a "Call to Action: Managing the ]".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Call for Action: Managing the Infodemic|url=https://www.who.int/news/item/11-12-2020-call-for-action-managing-the-infodemic|access-date=2021-12-31|publisher=World Health Organization|language=en|date=2020-12-11}}</ref> Some healthcare organizations used hashtags as interventions and published articles on their ] data:<ref name="Kudchadkar-2020">{{Cite journal|last1=Kudchadkar|first1=Sapna R.|last2=Carroll|first2=Christopher L.|date=August 2020|title=Using Social Media for Rapid Information Dissemination in a Pandemic: #PedsICU and Coronavirus Disease 2019|journal=Pediatric Critical Care Medicine|volume=21|issue=8|pages=e538–e546|doi=10.1097/PCC.0000000000002474|issn=1529-7535|pmc=7255404|pmid=32459792}}</ref> <blockquote>"Promotion of the joint usage of #PedsICU and #COVID19 throughout the international pediatric critical care community in tweets relevant to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and pediatric critical care."<ref name="Kudchadkar-2020"/> </blockquote>However others in the medical community were concerned about social media addiction, as it became an increasingly important context and therefore "source of social validation and reinforcement" and were unsure whether increased social media use was harmful.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Singh|first1=Shweta|last2=Dixit|first2=Ayushi|last3=Joshi|first3=Gunjan|date=December 2020|title=Is compulsive social media use amid COVID-19 pandemic addictive behavior or coping mechanism?|journal=Asian Journal of Psychiatry|volume=54|pages=102290|doi=10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102290|issn=1876-2018|pmc=7338858|pmid=32659658}}</ref>


==Use by organizations==
Some healthcare organizations even used hashtags as interventions and published articles on their ] data:<ref name=":19">{{Cite journal|last1=Kudchadkar|first1=Sapna R.|last2=Carroll|first2=Christopher L.|date=August 2020|title=Using Social Media for Rapid Information Dissemination in a Pandemic: #PedsICU and Coronavirus Disease 2019|journal=Pediatric Critical Care Medicine|volume=21|issue=8|pages=e538–e546|doi=10.1097/PCC.0000000000002474|issn=1529-7535|pmc=7255404|pmid=32459792}}</ref> <blockquote>"Promotion of the joint usage of #PedsICU and #COVID19 throughout the international pediatric critical care community in tweets relevant to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and pediatric critical care."<ref name=":19"/> </blockquote>However others in the medical community were concerned about social media addiction, due to it as an increasingly important context and therefore "source of social validation and reinforcement" and are unsure if increased social media use is a coping mechanism or harmful.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Singh|first1=Shweta|last2=Dixit|first2=Ayushi|last3=Joshi|first3=Gunjan|date=December 2020|title=Is compulsive social media use amid COVID-19 pandemic addictive behavior or coping mechanism?|journal=Asian Journal of Psychiatry|volume=54|pages=102290|doi=10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102290|issn=1876-2018|pmc=7338858|pmid=32659658}}</ref>


=== Government ===
== Timeline of social media (1973–2022) ==
{{main|Timeline of social media}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Platform
!Developer/Founder
|-
|1973
|]
|Dave Wooly, Douglas Brown
|-
|1997
|]
|Andrew Weinreich
|-
|1997
|]
|Barry Appelman, Eric Bosco, Jerry Harris
|-
|1999
|]
|Jerry Yang, David Filo
|-
|1999
|]
|Microsoft
|-
|1999
|]
|Brad Fitzpatrick
|-
|2002
|]
|Jonathan Abrams
|-
|2003
|]
|Reid Hoffman
|-
|2003
|]
|Thomas Anderson
|-
|2003
|]
|Microsoft
|-
|2004
|]
|Mark Zuckerberg
|-
|2004
|]
|Orkut Büyükkökten
|-
|2005
|]
|Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim
|-
|2005
|]
|Aaron Swartz
|-
|2006
|]
|Jack Dorsey
|-
|2006
|]
|Pavel Durov
|-
|2008
|]
|Nirav Tolia, Sarah Leary, Prakash Janakiraman, David Wiesen
|-
|2009
|]
|Brian Acton, Jan Koum
|-
|2010
|]
|Ben Silbermann
|-
|2010
|]
|Kevin Systrom
|-
|2011
|]
|Evan Spiegel
|-
|2011
|]
|Bradley Horowitz
|-
|2011
|]
|Justin Kan
|-
|2011
|]
|Allen Zhang
|-
|2012
|]
|Sean Rad
|-
|2013
|]
|Larry Page, Sergey Brin
|-
|2014
|]
|Alex Zhu, Luyu Yang
|-
|2015
|]
|Jason Citron, Stan Vishnevskiy
|-
|2017
|]
|Zhang Yiming
|-
|2020
|]
|Paul Davison, Rohan Seth
|}

==Use at the organizational level==

=== Governments ===


Governments may use social media to (for example):<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Khan | first1 = Gohar F. | title = Social Media for Government: A Practical Guide to Understanding, Implementing, and Managing Social Media Tools in the Public Sphere | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rT0jDgAAQBAJ | series = SpringerBriefs in Political Science | location = Singapore | publisher = Springer | date = 2017 | isbn = 978-981-10-2942-4 | access-date=2019-04-28}}</ref> Governments may use social media to (for example):<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Khan | first1 = Gohar F. | title = Social Media for Government: A Practical Guide to Understanding, Implementing, and Managing Social Media Tools in the Public Sphere | url = {{google books|plainurl=yes|id=rT0jDgAAQBAJ}} | series = SpringerBriefs in Political Science | location = Singapore | publisher = Springer | date = 2017 | isbn = 978-981-10-2942-4 | access-date=2019-04-28}}</ref>
* inform their opinions to public * inform their opinions to public
* interact with citizens * interact with citizens
Line 480: Line 366:
* further ] * further ]
* ] public opinion and activities * ] public opinion and activities
* educate the public about risks and public health.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Gesser-Edelsburg | first1 = Anat | last2 = Shir-Raz | first2 = Yaffa | title = Risk Communication and Infectious Diseases in an Age of Digital Media | url = https://www.routledge.com/Risk-Communication-and-Infectious-Diseases-in-an-Age-of-Digital-Media/Gesser-Edelsburg-Shir-Raz/p/book/9780367224059 | series = Routledge Studies in Public Health | date = 2017 | isbn = 978-0-367-22405-9 | access-date=2020-11-22}}</ref> * ].<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Gesser-Edelsburg | first1 = Anat | last2 = Shir-Raz | first2 = Yaffa | title = Risk Communication and Infectious Diseases in an Age of Digital Media | url = https://www.routledge.com/Risk-Communication-and-Infectious-Diseases-in-an-Age-of-Digital-Media/Gesser-Edelsburg-Shir-Raz/p/book/9780367224059 | series = Routledge Studies in Public Health | date = 2017 | isbn = 978-0-367-22405-9 | access-date=2020-11-22}}</ref>


====Law enforcement and investigations==== ====Law enforcement ====
Social media has been used extensively ]s.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brunty|first1=Joshua|last2=Helenek|first2=Katherine|url={{Google books|6hygBAAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}}|title=Social Media Investigation for Law Enforcement|date=2014|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-52165-5}}</ref> It has also been used to assist in searches for missing persons.<ref>{{cite book|title=Handbook of Missing Persons|date=2016|publisher=Springer International|first1=Caroline Sturdy|last1=Colls|pages=97, 102, 164|editor-first2=Stephen J.|editor-last2=Morewitz}}</ref> Police departments often make use of official social media accounts to engage with the public, publicize police activity, and burnish law enforcement's image;<ref>{{cite web|last1=Perez|first1=Kaitlyn|date=June 30, 2017|title=Social Media Has Become a Critical Part of Law Enforcement|url=https://www.policefoundation.org/social-media-has-become-a-critical-part-of-law-enforcement/|publisher=National Police Foundation|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424140454/https://www.policefoundation.org/social-media-has-become-a-critical-part-of-law-enforcement/}}</ref><ref name="Schneider">{{cite encyclopedia|url={{Google books|E28KBAAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}}|first=Christopher J.|last=Schneider|pages=229–30|encyclopedia=Social Media, Politics and the StateProtests, Revolutions, Riots, Crime and Policing in the Age of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube|date=2015|publisher=Routledge|title=Police "Image Work" in an Era of Social Media" YouTube and 2007 Montebello Summit Protests|series=Routledge Research in Information Technology and Society|isbn=9781317655480}}</ref> conversely, video footage of citizen-documented ] and other ] has sometimes been posted to social media.<ref name="Schneider" /> Social media has been used extensively ]s.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brunty|first1=Joshua|last2=Helenek|first2=Katherine|url={{Google books|6hygBAAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}}|title=Social Media Investigation for Law Enforcement|date=2014|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-52165-5}}</ref> It has also been used to search for missing persons.<ref>{{cite book|title=Handbook of Missing Persons|date=2016|publisher=Springer International|first1=Caroline Sturdy|last1=Colls|pages=97, 102, 164|editor-first1=Stephen J.|editor-last1=Morewitz}}</ref> Police departments often make use of official social media accounts to engage with the public, publicize police activity, and burnish law enforcement's image;<ref>{{cite web|last1=Perez|first1=Kaitlyn|date=June 30, 2017|title=Social Media Has Become a Critical Part of Law Enforcement|url=https://www.policefoundation.org/social-media-has-become-a-critical-part-of-law-enforcement/|publisher=National Police Foundation|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424140454/https://www.policefoundation.org/social-media-has-become-a-critical-part-of-law-enforcement/}}</ref><ref name="Schneider">{{cite encyclopedia|url={{Google books|E28KBAAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}}|first=Christopher J.|last=Schneider|pages=229–30|encyclopedia=Social Media, Politics and the StateProtests, Revolutions, Riots, Crime and Policing in the Age of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube|date=2015|publisher=Routledge|title=Police "Image Work" in an Era of Social Media" YouTube and 2007 Montebello Summit Protests|series=Routledge Research in Information Technology and Society|isbn=978-1-317-65548-0}}</ref> conversely, video footage of citizen-documented ] and other ] has sometimes been posted to social media.<ref name="Schneider" />


In the United States ] identifies and track individuals via social media, and also has apprehended some people via social media based sting operations.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Funk|first=McKenzie|date=2019-10-02|title=How ICE Picks Its Targets in the Surveillance Age|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/magazine/ice-surveillance-deportation.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002091002/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/magazine/ice-surveillance-deportation.html |archive-date=2019-10-02 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2019-10-22|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> ] (also known as CPB) and the ] use social media data as influencing factors during the ] process, and continue to monitor individuals after they have entered the country.<ref name=":8">{{Cite report|title=Social Media Monitoring|url=https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/social-media-monitoring|publisher=Brennan Center for Justice|pages=255–57|last1=Patel|first1=Faiza|last2=Levinson-Waldman|first2=Rachel|last3=Koreh|first3=Raya|last4=DenUyl|first4=Sophia|date=2020-03-11|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> CPB officers have also been documented performing searches of electronics and social media behavior at the border, searching both citizens and non-citizens without first obtaining a warrant.<ref name=":8" /> In the United States, ] identifies and track individuals via social media, and has apprehended some people via social media-based sting operations.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Funk|first=McKenzie|date=2019-10-02|title=How ICE Picks Its Targets in the Surveillance Age|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/magazine/ice-surveillance-deportation.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002091002/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/magazine/ice-surveillance-deportation.html |archive-date=2019-10-02 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2019-10-22|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> ] (also known as CPB) and the ] use social media data as influencing factors during the ] process, and monitor individuals after they have entered the country.<ref name="Patel-2020">{{Cite report|title=Social Media Monitoring|url=https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/social-media-monitoring|publisher=Brennan Center for Justice|pages=255–57|last1=Patel|first1=Faiza|last2=Levinson-Waldman|first2=Rachel|last3=Koreh|first3=Raya|last4=DenUyl|first4=Sophia|date=2020-03-11|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> CPB officers have also been documented performing searches of electronics and social media behavior at the border, searching both citizens and non-citizens without first obtaining a warrant.<ref name="Patel-2020" />


====Government reputation management==== ====Reputation management====
As social media gained momentum among the younger generations, governments began using it to improve their image, especially among the youth. In January 2021, Egyptian authorities were found to be using ] influencers as part of its media ambassadors program. The program was designed to revamp ]'s image and to counter the bad press Egypt had received because of the country's ] record. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates participated in similar programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/29/sugar-coated-propaganda-egypt-taps-into-power-instagram-influencers|title=Sugar-coated propaganda? Middle East taps into power of influencers|access-date=29 January 2020|website=The Guardian|last1=Michaelson|first1=Ruth|last2=Safi|first2=Michael|date=2021-01-29}}</ref> Similarly, Dubai has also extensively relied on social media and influencers to promote tourism. However, the restrictive laws of Dubai have always kept these influencers within the limits to not offend the authorities, or to criticize the city, politics or religion. The content of these foreign influencers is controlled to make sure that nothing portrays Dubai in a negative light.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/17/in-this-world-social-media-is-everything-how-dubai-became-the-planets-influencer-capital|title='In this world, social media is everything': how Dubai became the planet's influencer capital|access-date=17 April 2021|website=The Guardian|last=Michaelson|first=Ruth|date=17 April 2021}}</ref> As social media gained momentum among the younger generations, governments began using it to improve their image, especially among the youth. In January 2021, Egyptian authorities were reported to be using ] influencers as part of its media ambassadors program. The program was designed to revamp ]'s image and to counter the bad press Egypt had received because of the country's ] record. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates participated in similar programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/29/sugar-coated-propaganda-egypt-taps-into-power-instagram-influencers|title=Sugar-coated propaganda? Middle East taps into power of influencers|access-date=29 January 2020|website=The Guardian|last1=Michaelson|first1=Ruth|last2=Safi|first2=Michael|date=2021-01-29}}</ref> Similarly, Dubai has extensively relied on social media and influencers to promote tourism. However, Dubai laws have kept these influencers within limits to not offend the authorities, or to criticize the city, politics or religion. The content of these foreign influencers is controlled to make sure that nothing portrays Dubai in a negative light.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/17/in-this-world-social-media-is-everything-how-dubai-became-the-planets-influencer-capital|title='In this world, social media is everything': how Dubai became the planet's influencer capital|access-date=17 April 2021|website=The Guardian|last=Michaelson|first=Ruth|date=17 April 2021}}</ref>


===Businesses=== ===Business===
{{Main|Social media use by businesses}} {{Main|Social media use by businesses}}


Businesses can use social media tools for ], communication, ]s/discounts, informal ], relationship development/]s,<ref name="mobileKaplan"/> and e-Commerce. Companies are increasingly using ] tools to monitor, track, and analyze online conversations on the Web about their brand or products or about related topics of interest. This can prove useful in ] management and ] tracking, allowing analysts to measure ] for their social media ad spending, competitor-auditing, and for ]. Tools range from free, basic applications to subscription-based, more in-depth tools. Often social media can become a good source of information and/or explanation of industry trends for a ] to embrace change. Within the financial industry, companies can utilize the power of social media as a tool for analyzing the sentiment of financial markets. These range from the marketing of financial products, gaining insights into market sentiment, future market predictions, and as a tool to identify insider trading.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lugmayr|first1=Artur|year=2013|title=Predicting the Future of Investor Sentiment with Social Media in Stock Exchange Investments: A Basic Framework for the DAX Performance Index|journal=Handbook of Social Media Management|volume=Springer Berlin Heidelberg|pages=565–589|doi=10.1007/978-3-642-28897-5_33|isbn=978-3-642-28896-8}}</ref> Many businesses use social media for ], ]ing,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spillane |first=James |date=3 January 2013 |title=5 Indirect Ways Building Social Authority Improves Your Brand |url=https://www.business2community.com/branding/5-indirect-ways-building-social-authority-improves-your-brand-0368379 |access-date=2019-05-03 |publisher=Business 2 Community}}</ref> ], communication, ]s, informal ], competitive analysis, recruiting, relationship management/]s,<ref name="mobileKaplan"/> and ]. Companies use ] tools to monitor, track, and analyze conversations to aid in their marketing, sales and other programs. Tools range from free, basic applications to subscription-based, tools. Social media offers information on industry trends. Within the finance industry, companies use social media as a tool for analyzing market sentiment. These range from marketing financial products, market trends, and as a tool to identify insider trading.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lugmayr|first1=Artur|title=Handbook of Social Media Management |chapter=Predicting the Future of Investor Sentiment with Social Media in Stock Exchange Investments: A Basic Framework for the DAX Performance Index |year=2013|volume=Springer Berlin Heidelberg|pages=565–589|doi=10.1007/978-3-642-28897-5_33|isbn=978-3-642-28896-8}}</ref> To exploit these opportunities, businesses need guidelines for use on each platform.<ref name="usersoftheworld">{{cite journal |last1= Kaplan |first1= Andreas M. |author-link1 = Andreas Kaplan|last2= Haenlein |first2= Michael|title= Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0007681309001232 |journal= Business Horizons |publisher = Kelley School of Business |location= Bloomington, Indiana |date= 2010 |volume= 53 |issue= 1 |pages= 61, 64–65, 67 |doi= 10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003 |s2cid= 16741539 |access-date = 2019-04-28|quote= <!--pages 64-65-->Social Media is a very active and fast-moving domain. What may be up-to-date today could have disappeared from the virtual landscape tomorrow. It is therefore crucial for firms to have a set of guidelines that can be applied to any form of Social Media .}}</ref>


To properly take advantage of these benefits, businesses need to have a set of guidelines that they can use on different social media platforms.<ref name=usersoftheworld>{{cite journal |last1= Kaplan |first1= Andreas M. |author-link1 = Andreas Kaplan|last2= Haenlein |first2= Michael|title= Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0007681309001232 |journal= Business Horizons |publisher = Kelley School of Business |location= Bloomington, Indiana |date= 2010 |volume= 53 |issue= 1 |pages= 61, 64–65, 67 |doi= 10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003 |s2cid= 16741539 |access-date = 2019-04-28|quote= <!--pages 64-65-->Social Media is a very active and fast-moving domain. What may be up-to-date today could have disappeared from the virtual landscape tomorrow. It is therefore crucial for firms to have a set of guidelines that can be applied to any form of Social Media .}}</ref> Social media can enhance a brand through a process called "building social authority".<ref>{{Cite web|title=5 Indirect Ways Building Social Authority Improves Your Brand|url=https://www.business2community.com/branding/5-indirect-ways-building-social-authority-improves-your-brand-0368379|last=Spillane|first=James|access-date=2019-05-03|publisher=Business 2 Community|date=3 January 2013 }}</ref> However, this process can be difficult, because one of the foundational concepts in social media is that one cannot completely control one's message through social media but rather one can simply begin to participate in the "conversation" expecting that one can achieve a significant influence in that conversation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Research Survey|url=http://mprcenter.org/blog/2010/08/04/research-survey-launched-social-media-and-influence-of-photos-on-body-image/|last=Rutledge|first=Pamela|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504164122/http://mprcenter.org/blog/2010/08/04/research-survey-launched-social-media-and-influence-of-photos-on-body-image/|archive-date=2012-05-04|access-date=2012-04-24|publisher=The Media Psychology Blog|quote=One of the tenets of social media is that you can't control your message, you can only participate in the conversation.}}</ref> Because of the wide use of social media by consumers and their own employees, companies use social media<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Meske|first1=Christian|last2=Stieglitz|first2=Stefan|date=2014-01-15|title=Reflektion der wissenschaftlichen Nutzenbetrachtung von Social Software / Reflecting the Scientific Discussion of Benefits Induced by Social Software|journal=I-com|volume=13|issue=3|doi=10.1515/icom.2014.0015|issn=2196-6826|s2cid=168104889}}</ref> on a customer-organizational level; and an intra-organizational level. Social media, by connecting individuals to new ties via the social network can increase entrepreneurship and innovation, especially for those individuals who lack conventional information channels due to their lower socioeconomic background.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=Wei|last2=Liang|first2=Qiaozhuan|last3=Mahto|first3=Raj V.|last4=Deng|first4=Wei|last5=Zhang|first5=Stephen X.|date=2020|journal=Technological Forecasting and Social Change|doi=10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120337|title=Entrepreneurial entry: The role of social media|volume=161|pmid=33012851|page=120337|pmc=7522013 }}</ref> Business use of social media is complicated by the fact that the business does not fully control its social media presence. Instead, it makes its case by participating in the "conversation".<ref>{{cite web|title=Research Survey|url=http://mprcenter.org/blog/2010/08/04/research-survey-launched-social-media-and-influence-of-photos-on-body-image/|last=Rutledge|first=Pamela|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504164122/http://mprcenter.org/blog/2010/08/04/research-survey-launched-social-media-and-influence-of-photos-on-body-image/|archive-date=2012-05-04|access-date=2012-04-24|publisher=The Media Psychology Blog|quote=One of the tenets of social media is that you can't control your message, you can only participate in the conversation.}}</ref> Business uses social media<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Meske|first1=Christian|last2=Stieglitz|first2=Stefan|date=2014-01-15|title=Reflektion der wissenschaftlichen Nutzenbetrachtung von Social Software / Reflecting the Scientific Discussion of Benefits Induced by Social Software|journal=I-com|volume=13|issue=3|doi=10.1515/icom.2014.0015|issn=2196-6826|s2cid=168104889}}</ref> on a customer-organizational level; and an intra-organizational level.


Social media can encourage entrepreneurship and innovation, by highlighting successes, and by easing access to resources that might not otherwise be readily available/known.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=Wei|last2=Liang|first2=Qiaozhuan|last3=Mahto|first3=Raj V.|last4=Deng|first4=Wei|last5=Zhang|first5=Stephen X.|date=2020|journal=Technological Forecasting and Social Change|doi=10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120337|title=Entrepreneurial entry: The role of social media|volume=161|pmid=33012851|page=120337|pmc=7522013 }}</ref>
====Social media marketing====

====Marketing====
{{main|Social media marketing}} {{main|Social media marketing}}
Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service and also to establish a connection with its customers. Social media marketing has increased due to the growing active user rates on social media sites. Though these numbers are not exponential. For example, as of 2018 ] had 2.2 billion users, ] had 330 million active users and ] had 800 million users.<ref>{{cite web|title=Most famous social network sites worldwide as of January 2018, ranked by number of active users (in millions)|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/|access-date=2018-03-07|website=Statista|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213231006/https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/}}</ref> Then in 2021 Facebook had 2.89 billion users<ref>{{Cite web|title=Facebook: number of monthly active users worldwide 2008-2021|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/|access-date=2021-12-31|website=Statista|language=en|url-status=dead|archive-date=2021-12-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229174408/https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/}}</ref> and Twitter had 206 million users.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Countries with the most Twitter users 2021|date=2021-11-19|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/242606/number-of-active-twitter-users-in-selected-countries/|access-date=2021-12-31|website=Statista|language=en|url-status=dead|archive-date=2021-12-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231071407/https://www.statista.com/statistics/242606/number-of-active-twitter-users-in-selected-countries/}}</ref> Similar to traditional advertising, all of social media marketing can be divided into three types: (1) paid media, (2) earned media, and (3) owned media.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Stephen|first1=Andrew T.|last2=Galak|first2=Jeff|date=2012-10-01|title=The Effects of Traditional and Social Earned Media on Sales: A Study of a Microlending Marketplace|url=https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.09.0401|journal=Journal of Marketing Research|language=en|volume=49|issue=5|pages=624–639|doi=10.1509/jmr.09.0401|s2cid=167535488|issn=0022-2437}}</ref> Paid social media is when a firm directly buys advertising on a social media platform. Earned social media is when the firms does something that impresses its consumers or other stakeholders and they spontaneously post their own content about it on social media. Owned social media is when the firm itself owns the social media channel and creates content for its followers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brenner |first=Michael |date=2022-04-07 |title=What Are Paid, Owned, and Earned Media, and Which One Drives More ROI? |url=https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/what-are-paid-owned-and-earned-media-and-which-one-drives-more-roi/ |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=Marketing Insider Group |language=en-US}}</ref> Social media marketing can help promote a product or service and establish connections with customers. Social media marketing can be divided into paid media, earned media, and owned media.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Stephen|first1=Andrew T.|last2=Galak|first2=Jeff|date=2012-10-01|title=The Effects of Traditional and Social Earned Media on Sales: A Study of a Microlending Marketplace|url=https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.09.0401|journal=Journal of Marketing Research|language=en|volume=49|issue=5|pages=624–639|doi=10.1509/jmr.09.0401|s2cid=167535488|issn=0022-2437}}</ref> Using paid social media firms run advertising on a social media platform. Earned social media appears when firms do something that impresses stakeholders and they spontaneously post content about it. Owned social media is the platform markets itself by creating/promoting content to its users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brenner |first=Michael |date=2022-04-07 |title=What Are Paid, Owned, and Earned Media, and Which One Drives More ROI? |url=https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/what-are-paid-owned-and-earned-media-and-which-one-drives-more-roi/ |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=Marketing Insider Group |language=en-US}}</ref>

Primary uses are to create ], engage customers by conversation (e.g., customers provide feedback on the firm) and providing access to ].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Chaffey|first1=Dave|title=Digital Marketing|last2=Ellis-Chadwick|first2=Fiona|date=2012|publisher=Pearson|isbn=978-0-273-74610-2|edition=5th|pages=30–31}}</ref> Social media's peer-to-peer communication shifts power from the organization to consumers, since consumer content is widely visible and not controlled by the company.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sorescu|first1=Alina|last2=Frambach|first2=Ruud T.|last3=Singh|first3=Jagdip|last4=Rangaswamy|first4=Arvind|last5=Bridges|first5=Cheryl|date=July 2011|title=Innovations in Retail Business Models|journal=Journal of Retailing|volume=87|pages=S3–S16|doi=10.1016/j.jretai.2011.04.005|s2cid=27878657}}</ref>


], often referred to as "]", are Internet celebrities who are ] by marketers to promote products and companies online. Research reports that these ] attract the attention of users who have not settled on which products/services to buy,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Newman|first1=Daniel|title=Love It Or Hate It: Influencer Marketing Works|date=2015-06-23|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2015/06/23/love-it-or-hate-it-influencer-marketing-works/#5718a249150b|access-date=2017-11-11|work=Forbes}}</ref> especially ].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dunkley|first1=Lydia|title=Reaching Generation Z: Harnessing the Power of Digital Influencers in Film Publicity|url=https://promotionalcommunications.org/index.php/pc/article/view/85|access-date=2017-11-11|journal=Journal of Promotional Communications|date=7 February 2017 |volume=5 |issue=1 }}</ref> The practice of harnessing influencers to market or promote a product or service to their following is commonly referred to as ].
One of the main uses is to interact with audiences to create awareness of the company or organization, with the main idea of creating a two-way communication system where the audience and/or customers can interact; e.g., customers can provide feedback on the firm's products.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Chaffey|first1=Dave|title=Digital Marketing|last2=Ellis-Chadwick|first2=Fiona|date=2012|publisher=Pearson|isbn=978-0-273-74610-2|edition=5th|pages=30–31}}</ref> However, since social media allows consumers to spread opinions and share experiences in a peer-to-peer fashion, this has shifted some of the power from the organization to consumers, since these messages can be transparent and honest.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sorescu|first1=Alina|last2=Frambach|first2=Ruud T.|last3=Singh|first3=Jagdip|last4=Rangaswamy|first4=Arvind|last5=Bridges|first5=Cheryl|date=July 2011|title=Innovations in Retail Business Models|journal=Journal of Retailing|volume=87|pages=S3–S16|doi=10.1016/j.jretai.2011.04.005|s2cid=27878657}}</ref> Or at least appear so (more on this at ]).


In 2013, the United Kingdom ] (ASA) began advising celebrities to make it clear whether they had been paid to recommend a product or service by using the hashtag #spon or #] when endorsing. The US ] issued similar guidelines.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-11-05|title=FTC Releases Advertising Disclosures Guidance for Online Influencers|url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/11/ftc-releases-advertising-disclosures-guidance-online-influencers|access-date=2021-05-14|publisher=Federal Trade Commission|language=en}}</ref>
Social media can also be used to directly advertise; placing an advert on Facebook's Newsfeed, for example, can provide exposure of the brand to a large number of people. Social media platforms also enable targeting specific audiences with advertising. Users of social media are then able to like, share, and comment on the advert; this turns the passive advertising consumers into active advertising producers since they can pass the advert's message on to their friends.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Shu-Chuan|first1=Chu|date=2011|title=Viral Advertising in Social Media Participation in Facebook Groups and Responses among College-Aged Users|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15252019.2011.10722189|journal=Journal of Interactive Advertising|volume=12|issue=1|page=32|doi=10.1080/15252019.2011.10722189 |s2cid=4336043 |access-date=2018-03-07}}</ref> Companies using social media marketing have to keep up with the different social media platforms and stay on top of ongoing trends. Since the different platforms and trends attract different audiences, firms must be strategic about their use of social media to attract the right audience.<ref name=usersoftheworld/> Moreover, the tone of the content can affect the efficacy of social media marketing. Companies such as fast food franchise ] have used humor (such as ]) to advertise their products by poking fun at competitors such as ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hardy|first1=Kevin|date=June 18, 2018|title=Wendy's Roasts its Way to Social Media Stardom|url=https://www.qsrmagazine.com/exclusives/wendys-roasts-its-way-social-media-stardom|access-date=2018-06-18|website=qsrmagazine.com}}</ref> This particular example spawned a lot of ] of the Wendy's mascot which circulated widely online, (particularly on sites like ])<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore the Best Wendysmascot Art|url=https://www.deviantart.com/tag/wendysmascot|access-date=2021-12-31|website=DeviantArt|language=en}}</ref> increasing the effect of the marketing campaign. Other companies such as ] have used hashtags (such as #ejuice and #eliquid) to promote themselves and their products.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Linnea|first1=Laestadius|last2=Wahl|first2=Megan|last3=Pokhrel|first3=Pallav|last4=Cho|first4=Young|year=2019|title=From Apple to Werewolf: A content analysis of marketing for e-liquids on Instagram|journal=Addictive Behaviors|volume=91|pages=119–127|doi=10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.09.008|pmc=6358470|pmid=30253933}}</ref>


Social media platforms also enable ]. Users of social media can share, and comment on the advertisement, turning passive consumers into active promoters and even producers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shu-Chuan |first1=Chu |date=2011 |title=Viral Advertising in Social Media Participation in Facebook Groups and Responses among College-Aged Users |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15252019.2011.10722189 |journal=Journal of Interactive Advertising |volume=12 |issue=1 |page=32 |doi=10.1080/15252019.2011.10722189 |s2cid=4336043 |access-date=2018-03-07}}</ref> Targeting requires extra effort by advertisers to understand how to reach the right users.<ref name="usersoftheworld" /> Companies can use humor (such as ]) to poke fun at competitors.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hardy |first1=Kevin |date=June 18, 2018 |title=Wendy's Roasts its Way to Social Media Stardom |url=https://www.qsrmagazine.com/exclusives/wendys-roasts-its-way-social-media-stardom |access-date=2018-06-18 |website=qsrmagazine.com}}</ref> Advertising can even inspire ] which can engage new audiences.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore the Best Wendysmascot Art |url=https://www.deviantart.com/tag/wendysmascot |access-date=2021-12-31 |website=DeviantArt |language=en}}</ref> ] (such as #ejuice and #eliquid) are one way to target interested users.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Linnea |first1=Laestadius |last2=Wahl |first2=Megan |last3=Pokhrel |first3=Pallav |last4=Cho |first4=Young |year=2019 |title=From Apple to Werewolf: A content analysis of marketing for e-liquids on Instagram |journal=Addictive Behaviors |volume=91 |pages=119–127 |doi=10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.09.008 |pmc=6358470 |pmid=30253933}}</ref>
], often referred to as "]", who are internet celebrities who have been employed and/or ] by marketers to promote products online. Research shows that ] seem to be successfully attracting social media users,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Newman|first1=Daniel|title=Love It Or Hate It: Influencer Marketing Works|date=2015-06-23|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2015/06/23/love-it-or-hate-it-influencer-marketing-works/#5718a249150b|access-date=2017-11-11|work=Forbes}}</ref> especially ].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dunkley|first1=Lydia|title=Reaching The Zolom's Children: Harnessing the Power of Digital Influencers in Film Publicity|url=https://promotionalcommunications.org/index.php/pc/article/view/85|access-date=2017-11-11|journal=Journal of Promotional Communications|date=7 February 2017 |volume=5 |issue=1 }}</ref> In 2013, the United Kingdom '']'' (ASA) began to advise celebrities and sports stars to make it clear if they had been paid to tweet about a product or service by using the hashtag #spon or #ad within tweets containing endorsements, and the US Federal Trade Commission has issued similar guidelines.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-11-05|title=FTC Releases Advertising Disclosures Guidance for Online Influencers|url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/11/ftc-releases-advertising-disclosures-guidance-online-influencers|access-date=2021-05-14|publisher=Federal Trade Commission|language=en}}</ref> The practice of harnessing social media personalities to market or promote a product or service to their following is commonly referred to as ]. In 2019 The Cambridge Dictionary defines an "influencer" as any person (personality, blogger, journalist, celebrity) who has the ability to affect the opinions, behaviors, or purchases of others through the use of social media.<ref>{{Cite web|title=influencer|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/influencer|access-date=2019-01-25|website=dictionary.cambridge.org|language=en-US}}</ref>


Marketing efforts can also take advantage of the ] in social media. Consumers tend to treat content on social media differently from traditional advertising (such as print ads), but these messages may be part of an interactive marketing strategy involving modeling, reinforcement, and social interaction mechanisms. A 2012 study focused on this communication described how communication between peers through social media can affect purchase intentions: a direct impact through conformity, and an indirect impact by stressing product engagement. This study indicated that social media communication between peers about a product had a positive relationship with product engagement.<ref name="Wang2011">{{Cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=Xia|last2=Yu|first2=Chunling|last3=Wei|first3=Yujie|date=November 2012|title=Social Media Peer Communication and Impacts on Purchase Intentions: A Consumer Socialization Framework|url=http://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/78294.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Journal of Interactive Marketing|volume=26|issue=4|pages=198–208|doi=10.1016/j.intmar.2011.11.004|s2cid=167862356|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215053717/http://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/78294.pdf|archive-date=2017-12-15}}</ref> User content can trigger ], increasing consumer interest even without influencer involvement. A 2012 study focused on this communication reported that communication among peers can affect purchase intentions: direct impact through encouraging ], and an indirect impact by increasing product engagement. This study claimed that peer communication about a product increased product engagement.<ref name="Wang2011">{{Cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=Xia|last2=Yu|first2=Chunling|last3=Wei|first3=Yujie|date=November 2012|title=Social Media Peer Communication and Impacts on Purchase Intentions: A Consumer Socialization Framework|url=http://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/78294.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Journal of Interactive Marketing|volume=26|issue=4|pages=198–208|doi=10.1016/j.intmar.2011.11.004|s2cid=167862356|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215053717/http://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/78294.pdf|archive-date=2017-12-15}}</ref>


===Politics{{anchor| Political_effects| Social_media_in_politics|Use in politics}}=== ===Politics{{anchor| Political_effects| Social_media_in_politics|Use in politics}}===
{{Main|Social media use in politics}} {{Main|Social media use in politics}}
{{See also| Social impact of YouTube|Use of social media in the Wisconsin protests|Social media and political communication in the United States}} {{See also| Social impact of YouTube|Use of social media in the Wisconsin protests|Social media and political communication in the United States}}
{{cleanup-PR|date= June 2016}}


Social media have a range of uses in ]. Social media have been championed{{by whom|date=January 2021}} as allowing anyone with access to an Internet connection to become a ]<ref> Social media have a range of uses in ].<ref>
{{cite book | last1 = Rainie | first1 = Lee | last2 = Wellman | first2 = Barry | author-link2 = Barry Wellman | chapter = The Internet Revolution | title = Networked: The New Social Operating System | date = 27 April 2012 | url = {{Google books|bYJGna0AhdAC|plainurl=yes}} | location = Cambridge, Massachusetts | publisher = MIT Press | publication-date = 2012 | page = 71 | isbn = 978-0-262-30040-7 | access-date = 10 January 2021 | quote = Witt soon became an active content creator with no intermediary needed. He started blogging in 2003 .}} {{cite book | last1 = Rainie | first1 = Lee | last2 = Wellman | first2 = Barry | author-link2 = Barry Wellman | chapter = The Internet Revolution | title = Networked: The New Social Operating System | date = 27 April 2012 | url = {{Google books|bYJGna0AhdAC|plainurl=yes}} | location = Cambridge, Massachusetts | publisher = MIT Press | publication-date = 2012 | page = 71 | isbn = 978-0-262-30040-7 | access-date = 10 January 2021 | quote = Witt soon became an active content creator with no intermediary needed. He started blogging in 2003 .}}
</ref> Politicians use social media to spread their messages and ].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Leyva |first1=Rodolfo |title=Exploring UK Millennials' Social Media Consumption Patterns and Participation in Elections, Activism, and "Slacktivism" |journal=Social Science Computer Review |date=August 2017 |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=462–479 |doi=10.1177/0894439316655738 |s2cid=62913580 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0894439316655738}}</ref>
</ref> and as ] users.<ref name=PressThink>{{cite web |last1= Rosen |first1= Jay |title= The People Formally Known as the Audience |url= http://archive.pressthink.org/2006/06/27/ppl_frmr.html |website= PressThink |access-date= 2015-01-27 | quote = This post came out of reflections after BloggerCon IV (June 23–24, 'empowering the users') . }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=January 2021}} The role of social media in democratizing media participation, which proponents herald as ushering in a new era of ], with all users able to contribute news and comments, may fall short of the ideals, given that many often follow like-minded individuals, as noted by Philip Pond and Jeff Lewis.<ref>Philip Pond and Jeff Lewis. 2019. "Riots and Twitter: Connective Politics, Social Media, and Framing Discourses in the Digital Space". Information, Communication & Society. V22, N2, 213-231</ref> Online-media audience-members are largely passive consumers, while content creation is dominated by a small number of users who post comments and write new content.<ref name=Reuters2013>{{cite web |last1= Newman |first1= N. |last2= Levy |first2= D. |year= 2013 |url= https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/Publications/Working_Papers/Digital_News_Report_2013.pdf |title= Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2013 |website= reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131207045914/https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/Publications/Working_Papers/Digital_News_Report_2013.pdf |archive-date= 2013-12-07 }}</ref>{{rp|78}} Online engagement does not always translate into real-world action, and Howard, Busch and Sheets have argued that there is a ] because of the continent's history, culture, and geography.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1= Howard|first1= Philip N.|last2= Busch|first2= Laura|last3= Sheets|first3= Penelope|date= 2010-02-05|title= Comparing Digital Divides: Internet Access and Social Inequality in Canada and the United States|url= https://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/2192|journal= Canadian Journal of Communication|language= en|volume= 35|issue= 1|pages= 109–128|doi= 10.22230/cjc.2010v35n1a2192|issn= 1499-6642|doi-access= free}}</ref>


Dounoucos et al. reported that ] use by candidates was unprecedented during the ].<ref name="Dounoucos">{{cite journal |last1=Dounoucos |first1=Victoria A. |last2=Hillygus |first2=D. Sunshine |last3=Carlson |first3=Caroline |date=2019 |title=The Message and the Medium: An Experimental Evaluation of the Effects of Twitter Commentary on Campaign Messages |journal=Journal of Information Technology and Politics |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=66–76 |doi=10.1080/19331681.2019.1572566 |s2cid=150478043}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Richardson |first=Glenn W. Jr. |title=Social Media and Politics: A New Way to Participate in the Political Process |date=2016-11-21 |publisher=Praeger |volume=1}}</ref> The public increased its reliance on social-media sites for political information.<ref name="Dounoucos" /> In the ], social media amplified political messages.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Barisione |first1=Mauro |last2=Michailidou |first2=Asimina |date=2017 |title=Do We Need to Rethink EU Politics in the Social Media Era? An Introduction to the Volume |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/978-1-137-59890-5_1 |journal=Social Media and European Politics |series=Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology |publisher=Palgrave |pages=1–23 |doi=10.1057/978-1-137-59890-5_1 |isbn=978-1-137-59889-9}}</ref> Foreign-originated social-media campaigns attempt to influence political opinion in another country.<ref>{{cite tweet |number=1316367319426306049 |user=sidowen5 |title=Twitter trend in #SaudiArabia saw thousands of tweets on #HillaryEmails from supporters of Crown Prince MBS. Strange that Riyadh's social marketing firm, SMAAT is involved in another such campaign. Didn't see this coming from any country other than Russia. https://t.co/FASoLPXN1r |author=Pragmatic Grizzly |date=October 14, 2020 |access-date=December 8, 2022 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514021440/https://twitter.com/sidowen5/status/1316367319426306049 |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Paul |first=Katie |date=2019-12-20 |title=Twitter suspends accounts linked to Saudi spying case |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-saudi-idUSKBN1YO1JT |access-date=20 October 2019 |website=Reuters}}
Younger generations are becoming{{when|date=January 2021}} more involved in politics due to the increase of political news posted on social media.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} Political campaigns are targeting ] online via social-media posts in hope that they will increase their political engagement.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Leyva |first1=Rodolfo |title=Exploring UK Millennials' Social Media Consumption Patterns and Participation in Elections, Activism, and "Slacktivism" |journal=Social Science Computer Review |date=August 2017 |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=462–479 |doi=10.1177/0894439316655738 |s2cid=62913580 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0894439316655738}}</ref> Social media was influential in the widespread attention given{{by whom|date=January 2021}} to the ].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/01/tunisia/ |magazine= Wired |first1= Nate |last1= Anderson |first2= Ars |last2= Technica |title= Tweeting Tyrants Out of Tunisia: Global Internet at Its Best |date= January 14, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/world/middleeast/10youth.html?_r=1 |work= The New York Times |first= David D. |last= Kirkpatrick |title= Wired and Shrewd, Young Egyptians Guide Revolt |date= February 9, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/the-cascading-effects-of-the-arab-spring-28575/|last=Howard|first=Philip N.|title= The Arab Uprising's Cascading Effects |publisher= Miller-mccune.com |date= February 23, 2011 |access-date= 2012-04-24 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110227051329/http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/the-cascading-effects-of-the-arab-spring-28575/ |archive-date= 2011-02-27 }}</ref> During the Tunisian revolution in 2011, people used Facebook to organize meetings and protests.{{sfn|Rainie|Wellman|2012|p=207|ps=:Social media - Facebook, Twitter, and email - plus mobile phones played a major part in the 'Arab Spring' of protests and rebellions against authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and North Africa throughout 2011. The activity of networked individuals in Tunisia, Egypt, and other states was a prime example of how online content creation and community building, in tandem with offline gatherings and backstage maneuvering, can aid mass mobilizations.}}
</ref>
However, debate persists about the extent to which social media facilitated this kind of political change.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gladwell|first=Malcolm|date=March 1, 2011|title=Malcolm Gladwell and Clay Shirky on Social Media and Revolution, Foreign Affairs March/April 2011|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67325/malcolm-gladwell-and-clay-shirky/from-innovation-to-revolution|journal=Foreign Affairs|issue=March/April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201165430/http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67325/malcolm-gladwell-and-clay-shirky/from-innovation-to-revolution|archive-date=2011-02-01|access-date=2012-04-24}}</ref>


==== Activism ====
Social-media footprints of ]s for political office have grown during the last decade{{Clarify timeframe|date=January 2021}} - the ] provided good examples. Dounoucos et al. noted that Twitter use by candidates was unprecedented during that election cycle.<ref name=Dounoucos/> Most candidates in the United States have a Twitter account.<ref>{{cite book|title=Social Media and Politics: A New Way to Participate in the Political Process|volume=1|date=2016-11-21|publisher=Praeger|last=Richardson, Jr.|first=Glenn W.}}</ref> The public has also increased their reliance on social-media sites for political information.<ref name=Dounoucos>{{cite journal|first1= Victoria A.|last1= Dounoucos|first2= D. Sunshine|last2=Hillygus|first3= Caroline|last3= Carlson|s2cid= 150478043|date= 2019|title= The Message and the Medium: An Experimental Evaluation of the Effects of Twitter Commentary on Campaign Messages|journal= Journal of Information Technology and Politics|volume= 16|issue= 1|pages= 66–76|doi= 10.1080/19331681.2019.1572566}}</ref> In the ], social media have amplified political messages.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Barisione|first1=Mauro|last2=Michailidou|first2=Asimina|date=2017|journal=Social Media and European Politics|pages=1–23|series= Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology|publisher=Palgrave|title=Do We Need to Rethink EU Politics in the Social Media Era? An Introduction to the Volume|doi=10.1057/978-1-137-59890-5_1 |isbn=978-1-137-59889-9 |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/978-1-137-59890-5_1}}</ref>
{{See also|Social media and the Arab Spring}}
Social media was influential in the ] in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/01/tunisia/ |magazine= Wired |first1= Nate |last1= Anderson |first2= Ars |last2= Technica |title= Tweeting Tyrants Out of Tunisia: Global Internet at Its Best |date= January 14, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/world/middleeast/10youth.html?_r=1 |work= The New York Times |first= David D. |last= Kirkpatrick |title= Wired and Shrewd, Young Egyptians Guide Revolt |date= February 9, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/the-cascading-effects-of-the-arab-spring-28575/|last=Howard|first=Philip N.|title= The Arab Uprising's Cascading Effects |publisher= Miller-mccune.com |date= February 23, 2011 |access-date= 2012-04-24 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110227051329/http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/the-cascading-effects-of-the-arab-spring-28575/ |archive-date= 2011-02-27 }}</ref>{{sfn|Rainie|Wellman|2012|p=207|ps=:Social media - Facebook, Twitter, and email - plus mobile phones played a major part in the 'Arab Spring' of protests and rebellions against authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and North Africa throughout 2011. The activity of networked individuals in Tunisia, Egypt, and other states was a prime example of how online content creation and community building, in tandem with offline gatherings and backstage maneuvering, can aid mass mobilizations.}} However, debate persists about the extent to which social media facilitated this.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gladwell|first=Malcolm|date=March 1, 2011|title=Malcolm Gladwell and Clay Shirky on Social Media and Revolution, Foreign Affairs March/April 2011|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67325/malcolm-gladwell-and-clay-shirky/from-innovation-to-revolution|journal=Foreign Affairs|volume=90 |issue=March/April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201165430/http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67325/malcolm-gladwell-and-clay-shirky/from-innovation-to-revolution|archive-date=2011-02-01|access-date=2012-04-24}}</ref> Activists have used social media to report the abuse of ]. They publicized the brutality of government authorities, who they claimed were ], ] and threatening individuals. Conversely, Bahrain's government used social media to track and target activists. The government stripped citizenship from over 1,000 activists as punishment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nycfpa.org/main/bahrains-social-media-problem-the-governments-online-to-real-life-attack-on-human-rights/|title=Bahrain's Social Media Problem: The Government's Online to Real Life Attack on Human Rights|last=Minoff|first=Aaron|access-date=13 May 2021|website=New York Center For Foreign Policy Affairs|date=13 May 2021}}</ref>


] groups have begun{{when|date=January 2021}} to see social media as a major organizing and ] tool.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Shirky |first1= Clay |title= Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change |journal= Foreign Affairs |volume= 90 |issue= 1 |url= https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2010-12-20/political-power-social-media |access-date= 2018-08-04 |date= 2011 }}</ref> The ] (also known as ISIL, ISIS, and Daesh) has used social media to promote its cause. In 2014, #AllEyesonISIS went viral on Arabic Twitter.<ref>P.W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking. Like War: The Weaponization of Social Media. Houghton Mifflin, NY, 2018.</ref> ISIS produces an online magazine named the ''Islamic State Report'' to recruit more fighters.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ajbaili|first=Mustapha|title= How ISIS conquered social media |date= June 24, 2014 |url= http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/digital/2014/06/24/How-has-ISIS-conquered-social-media-.html |publisher= Al Arabiya News|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> State-sponsored cyber-groups have ] social-media platforms to attack governments in the United States, the European Union, and the Middle East.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} Although ] via email are the most commonly used tactic to breach government networks, phishing attacks on social media rose 500% in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.proofpoint.com/sites/default/files/pfpt-us-tr-q417-threat-report-180117.pdf|title= Q4 2016 & Year in Review: Threat Summary|last= Proofpoint, Inc.|date= January 17, 2018|website= Proofpoint|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> ] groups use social media as an organizing and recruiting tool.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Shirky |first1= Clay |title= Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change |journal= Foreign Affairs |volume= 90 |issue= 1 |url= https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2010-12-20/political-power-social-media |access-date= 2018-08-04 |date= 2011 }}</ref> ] (also known as ISIS) used social media. In 2014, #AllEyesonISIS went viral on Arabic ].<ref>P.W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking. Like War: The Weaponization of Social Media. Houghton Mifflin, NY, 2018.</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Ajbaili|first=Mustapha|title= How ISIS conquered social media |date= June 24, 2014 |url= http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/digital/2014/06/24/How-has-ISIS-conquered-social-media-.html |publisher= Al Arabiya News|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref>


==== Propaganda ====
Increasing political influence on social media<ref>{{Cite web|title=How Social Media Is Shaping Political Campaigns|url=https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-social-media-is-shaping-political-campaigns/|date=2020-08-17|access-date=2021-04-15|website=Knowledge at Wharton|language=en}}</ref> saw{{when|date=December 2021}} several campaigns running from one political side against another. Often,{{quantify|date=January 2021}} foreign-originated '''social-media campaign'''s have sought to influence political opinion in another country. For example, a ] campaign run{{when|date=January 2021}} in Saudi Arabia produced thousands of tweets about ]'s trending on #HillaryEmails by supporters of ]. It also involved ]'s social-marketing firm, SMAAT, which had a history of running such campaigns on Twitter.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/trumps-tirades-about-hillary-clintons-emails-are-catching-on--in-saudi-arabia/2020/10/13/32f5b7ae-0d8b-11eb-8a35-237ef1eb2ef7_story.html|title= Trump's tirades about Hillary Clinton's emails are catching on — in Saudi Arabia|last=Ignatius|first=David|publisher=2020-10-13|newspaper= Washington Post|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |author=Pragmatic Grizzly |user=sidowen5 |number=1316367319426306049 |date=October 14, 2020 |title=Twitter trend in #SaudiArabia saw thousands of tweets on #HillaryEmails from supporters of Crown Prince MBS. Strange that Riyadh's social marketing firm, SMAAT is involved in another such campaign. Didn't see this coming from any country other than Russia. https://t.co/FASoLPXN1r |language=en |access-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514021440/https://twitter.com/sidowen5/status/1316367319426306049 |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-saudi-idUSKBN1YO1JT|title= Twitter suspends accounts linked to Saudi spying case|last=Paul|first=Katie|date=2019-12-20|access-date= 20 October 2019|website= Reuters}}
{{Excerpt|State-sponsored Internet propaganda}}
</ref>
Politicians themselves use social media to their advantage - and to spread their campaign messages and to ].


===Recruiting===
Due to the growing abuse of ], activists have used social media to report acts of ] and ]. They publicized the brutality of government authorities and police, who were ], ] and threatening many individuals. On the other hand, Bahrain's government was using social media to track and target rights activists and individuals who were critical of the authorities; the government has stripped citizenship from over 1,000 activists as punishment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nycfpa.org/main/bahrains-social-media-problem-the-governments-online-to-real-life-attack-on-human-rights/|title=Bahrain's Social Media Problem: The Government's Online to Real Life Attack on Human Rights|last=Minoff|first=Aaron|access-date=13 May 2021|website=New York Center For Foreign Policy Affairs|date=13 May 2021}}</ref>
{{Excerpt|Social media use in hiring}}

===Hiring===
{{Main|Social media use in hiring}}
Some employers examine job applicants' social media profiles as part of the hiring assessment. This issue raises many ethical questions that some consider an employer's right and others consider ]. Many Western-European countries have already implemented laws that restrict the regulation of social media in the workplace. States including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin have passed legislation that protects potential employees and current employees from employers that demand that they provide their usernames and/or passwords for any social media accounts.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} Use of social media by young people has caused significant problems for some applicants who are active on social media when they try to enter the job market. A survey of 17,000 young people in six countries in 2013 found that 1 in 10 people aged 16 to 34 have been rejected for a job because of online comments they made on social media websites.<ref>{{cite web |first=Elaine |last=Burke|date=May 30, 2013|url=http://www.siliconrepublic.com/careers/item/32880-1-in-10-young-people-losing |title=1 in 10 young people losing out on jobs because of pics and comments on social media|publisher=Silicon Republic|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref>

For potential employees, Social media services such as LinkedIn have shown to affect ] in resumes. While these services do not affect how often deception happens, they affect the types of deception that occur. LinkedIn resumes are less deceptive about prior work experience but more deceptive about interests and hobbies.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Guillory|first1=J.|last2=Hancock|first2=J. T.|year=2012|title=The effect of Linkedin on deception in resumes|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221833511|journal=Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking|volume=15|issue=3|pages=135–140|doi=10.1089/cyber.2011.0389|pmid=22335544}}</ref>


===Science=== ===Science===


The use of social media in science communications offers extensive opportunities for exchanging scientific information, ideas, opinions and publications. Scientists use social media to share their scientific knowledge and new findings on platforms such as ResearchGate, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Academia.edu.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1038/s41556-018-0253-6|title = Social media for scientists|journal = Nature Cell Biology|year = 2018|volume = 20|issue = 12|page = 1329|pmid = 30482942|s2cid = 53744344|doi-access = free}}</ref> Among these the most common type of social media that scientists use is Twitter and blogs. It has been found that Twitter increased the scientific impact in the community. The use of social media has improved and elevated the interaction between scientists, reporters, and the general public. {{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} Over 495,000 opinions were shared on Twitter related to science in one year (between September 1, 2010, and August 31, 2011), which was an increase compared with past years.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Building Buzz: (Scientists) Communicating Science in New Media Environments|last1=Liang|first1=Xuan|last2=Su|first2=Leona Yi-Fan|last3=Yeo|first3=Sara K.|last4=Scheufele|first4=Dietram A.|last5=Brossard|first5=Dominique|last6=Xenos|first6=Michael|last7=Nealey|first7=Paul|last8=Corley|first8=Elizabeth A.|date=2014-09-12|doi=10.1177/1077699014550092|journal=Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly|volume=91|issue=4|pages=772–791|s2cid=56369654 }}</ref> Science related blogs motivate public interest in learning, following, and discussing science. Blogs use textual depth and graphical videos that provide the reader with a dynamic way to interact with scientific information. Both Twitter and blogs can be written quickly and allow the reader to interact in real time with the authors. However, the popularity of social media platforms changes quickly and scientists need to keep pace with changes in social media.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.nap.edu/read/23674/chapter/6|doi = 10.17226/23674|title = Communicating Science Effectively|year = 2017|pmid = 28406600|isbn = 978-0-309-45102-4|last1 = National Academies Of Sciences|first1 = Engineering|author2 = Division of Behavioral Social Sciences Education|author3 = Committee on the Science of Science Communication: A Research Agenda}}</ref> In terms of organized uses of scientific social media, one study in the context of climate change has shown that climate scientist and scientific institutions played a minimal role in online debate, while nongovernmental organizations played a larger role.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/wcc.191|title=Online communication on climate change and climate politics: a literature review|last=Schäfer|first=Mike S.|date=2012-09-13|journal=WIREs Climate Change|volume=3|issue=6|pages=527–543|doi=10.1002/wcc.191|s2cid=53320112 }}</ref> Scientists use social media to share their scientific knowledge and research on platforms such as ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1038/s41556-018-0253-6|title = Social media for scientists|journal = Nature Cell Biology|year = 2018|volume = 20|issue = 12|page = 1329|pmid = 30482942|s2cid = 53744344|doi-access = free}}</ref> The most common platforms are X and blogs. The use of social media reportedly has improved the interaction between scientists, reporters, and the general public.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} Over 495,000 opinions were shared on X related to science between September 1, 2010, and August 31, 2011.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Building Buzz: (Scientists) Communicating Science in New Media Environments|last1=Liang|first1=Xuan|last2=Su|first2=Leona Yi-Fan|last3=Yeo|first3=Sara K.|last4=Scheufele|first4=Dietram A.|last5=Brossard|first5=Dominique|last6=Xenos|first6=Michael|last7=Nealey|first7=Paul|last8=Corley|first8=Elizabeth A.|date=2014-09-12|doi=10.1177/1077699014550092|journal=Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly|volume=91|issue=4|pages=772–791|s2cid=56369654 }}</ref> Science related blogs respond to and motivate public interest in learning, following, and discussing science. Posts can be written quickly and allow the reader to interact in real time with authors.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.nap.edu/read/23674/chapter/6|doi = 10.17226/23674|title = Communicating Science Effectively|year = 2017|pmid = 28406600|isbn = 978-0-309-45102-4|last1 = National Academies Of Sciences|first1 = Engineering|author2 = Division of Behavioral Social Sciences Education|author3 = Committee on the Science of Science Communication: A Research Agenda}}</ref> One study in the context of climate change reported that climate scientists and scientific institutions played a minimal role in ], exceeded by ].<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/wcc.191|title=Online communication on climate change and climate politics: a literature review|last=Schäfer|first=Mike S.|date=2012-09-13|journal=WIREs Climate Change|volume=3|issue=6|pages=527–543|doi=10.1002/wcc.191|bibcode=2012WIRCC...3..527S |s2cid=53320112 }}</ref>


===Academia=== ===Academia===
Academicians use social media activity to assess ],<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Haustein|first1=Stefanie|year=2016|title=Grand challenges in altmetrics: Heterogeneity, data quality and dependencies|journal=Scientometrics|volume=108|pages=413–423|arxiv=1603.04939|bibcode=2016arXiv160304939H|doi=10.1007/s11192-016-1910-9|s2cid=2169363}}</ref> to measure public sentiment,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yang |first1=Y |last2=Lin |first2=N |last3=Batcheller |first3=Q |last4=Zhou |first4=Q |last5=Anderson |first5=J |last6=An |first6=R |title=Sentiment Analysis of Tweets on Menu Labeling Regulations in the US. |journal=Nutrients |date=6 October 2023 |volume=15 |issue=19 |page=4269 |doi=10.3390/nu15194269 |pmid=37836553 |pmc=10574510 |doi-access=free }}</ref> identify influencer accounts,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Howard |first1=C |last2=McIntire |first2=R |last3=Anderson |first3=JM |last4=Stewart |first4=C |last5=McIntosh |first5=H |last6=Cornwell |first6=J |last7=Barron |first7=K |title=The top sports medicine influencers on X (formerly Twitter). |journal=Journal of Sports Sciences |date=18 September 2023 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.1080/02640414.2023.2259723 |pmid=37722817|s2cid=262055851 }}</ref> or crowdsource ideas or solutions.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mondal |first1=H |last2=Parvanov |first2=ED |last3=Singla |first3=RK |last4=Rayan |first4=RA |last5=Nawaz |first5=FA |last6=Ritschl |first6=V |last7=Eibensteiner |first7=F |last8=Siva Sai |first8=C |last9=Cenanovic |first9=M |last10=Devkota |first10=HP |last11=Hribersek |first11=M |last12=De |first12=R |last13=Klager |first13=E |last14=Kletecka-Pulker |first14=M |last15=Völkl-Kernstock |first15=S |last16=Khalid |first16=GM |last17=Lordan |first17=R |last18=Găman |first18=MA |last19=Shen |first19=B |last20=Stamm |first20=T |last21=Willschke |first21=H |last22=Atanasov |first22=AG |title=Twitter-based crowdsourcing: What kind of measures can help to end the COVID-19 pandemic faster? |journal=Frontiers in Medicine |date=2022 |volume=9 |pages=961360 |doi=10.3389/fmed.2022.961360 |pmid=36186802 |pmc=9523003 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Social media such as Facebook, X are also combined to predict elections via sentiment analysis.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Chauhan|first1=P.|last2=Sharna|first2=N.|last3=Sikka|first3=G.|date=6 August 2020|title=The emergence of social media data and sentiment analysis in election prediction|url=|journal=Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing|series=|volume=12|issue=2|pages=2601–2627|doi= 10.1007/s12652-020-02423-y|issn=}}</ref> Additional social media (e.g. YouTube, ]) can be combined to reach a wider segment of the voting population, minimise media-specific bias, and inexpensively estimate electoral predictions which are on average half of a percentage point off the real vote share.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Franch |first1= F.|date=26 February 2013|title=(Wisdom of the Crowds)^2: 2010 UK election prediction with social media|url=https://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/bitstreams/eee82bec-6389-4d22-a0b1-8ce4c687b4fd/download|journal=Journal of Information Technology & Politics|series=|volume=10|issue=1|pages=57–71|doi=10.1080/19331681.2012.705080|issn=1933-169X}}</ref>
Signals from social media are used to assess ],<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Haustein|first1=Stefanie|year=2016|title=Grand challenges in altmetrics: Heterogeneity, data quality and dependencies|journal=Scientometrics|volume=108|pages=413–423|arxiv=1603.04939|bibcode=2016arXiv160304939H|doi=10.1007/s11192-016-1910-9|s2cid=2169363}}</ref> as well as for different scientific approaches.{{Clarify|reason=Assess what? Quality, usefulness, interest, etc.|date=October 2020}} Another study found that most of the health science students acquiring academic materials from others through social media.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jha|first1=Rajesh Kumar|last2=Shah|first2=Dev Kumar|last3=Basnet|first3=Sangharshila|last4=Paudel|first4=Keshab Raj|last5=Sah|first5=Phoolgen|last6=Sah|first6=Ajit Kumar|last7=Adhikari|first7=Kishor|year=2016|title=Facebook use and its effects on the life of health science students in a private medical college of Nepal|journal=BMC Research Notes|volume=9|pages=378|doi=10.1186/s13104-016-2186-0|pmc=4970301|pmid=27485717}}</ref>


===School admissions=== ===School admissions===


It is not only an issue in the workplace but an issue in post-secondary school admissions as well. There have been situations where students have been forced to give up their social media passwords to school administrators.<ref name=ACLU1>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aclu-mn.org/news/2012/03/06/aclu-mn-files-lawsuit-against-minnewaska-area-schools |title=ACLU-MN Files Lawsuit Against Minnewaska Area Schools |publisher=ACLU Minnesota |access-date=2022-08-29|date=2012-03-06}}</ref> There are inadequate laws to protect a student's social media privacy, and organizations such as the ACLU are pushing for more privacy protection, as it is an invasion. They urge students who are pressured to give up their account information to tell the administrators to contact a parent or lawyer before they take the matter any further. Although they are students, they still have the right to keep their password-protected information private.<ref name=ACLU2>{{Cite news |url=https://www.aclu.org/other/employers-schools-and-social-networking-privacy |title=Employers, Schools, and Social Networking Privacy |publisher=American Civil Liberties Union |access-date=2016-11-30}}</ref> In some places, students have been forced to surrender their social media passwords to school administrators.<ref name=ACLU1>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aclu-mn.org/news/2012/03/06/aclu-mn-files-lawsuit-against-minnewaska-area-schools |title=ACLU-MN Files Lawsuit Against Minnewaska Area Schools |publisher=ACLU Minnesota |access-date=2022-08-29|date=2012-03-06}}</ref> Few laws protect student's social media privacy. Organizations such as the ] call for more privacy protection. They urge students who are pressured to give up their account information to resist.<ref name=ACLU2>{{Cite news |url=https://www.aclu.org/other/employers-schools-and-social-networking-privacy |title=Employers, Schools, and Social Networking Privacy |publisher=American Civil Liberties Union |access-date=2016-11-30}}</ref>


According to a 2007 journal, before social media<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Leenheer |first1=Jorna |last2=van Heerde |first2=Harald J. |last3=Bijmolt |first3=Tammo H. A. |last4=Smidts |first4=Ale |s2cid=168005053 |date=March 1, 2007 |title=Do loyalty programs really enhance behavioral loyalty? An empirical analysis accounting for self-selecting members |journal=International Journal of Research in Marketing |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=31–47 |doi=10.1016/j.ijresmar.2006.10.005|citeseerx=10.1.1.632.183 }}</ref> admissions officials in the United States used ] and other ] scores, extra-curricular activities, ], and high school ]s to determine whether to accept or deny an applicant. In the 2010s, while colleges and universities still used these traditional methods to evaluate applicants, these institutions were increasingly accessing applicants' social media profiles to learn about their character and activities. According to ], a corporation that provides higher education preparation, in 2012 27% of admissions officers used ] to learn more about an applicant, with 26% checking Facebook.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://press.kaptest.com/press-releases/kaplan-test-prep-survey-more-college-admissions-officers-checking-applicants-digital-trails-but-most-students-unconcerned/ |title=Kaplan Test Prep Survey: More College Admissions Officers Checking Applicants' Digital Trails, But Most Students Unconcerned|publisher=Kaplan Test|date=October 31, 2013|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> Students whose social media pages include offensive jokes or photos, racist or homophobic comments, photos depicting the applicant engaging in illegal drug use or drunkenness, and so on, may be screened out from admission processes.<blockquote>"One survey in July 2017, by the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers, found that 11 percent of respondents said they had refused to admit an applicant based on social media content. This includes 8 percent of public institutions, where the First Amendment applies. The survey found that 30 percent of institutions acknowledged reviewing the personal social media accounts of applicants at least some of the time."<ref>{{Cite web|title=The First Amendment, Social Media and College Admissions|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/views/2021/12/13/admissions-officials-need-pay-attention-first-amendment-opinion|last=LoMonte|first=Frank|date=2021-12-13|publisher=Inside Higher Ed|language=en-US}}</ref></blockquote> Colleges and universities may access applicants' internet services including social media profiles as part of their admissions process. According to ], a corporation that provides higher education preparation, in 2012 27% of admissions officers used ] to learn more about an applicant, with 26% checking ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://press.kaptest.com/press-releases/kaplan-test-prep-survey-more-college-admissions-officers-checking-applicants-digital-trails-but-most-students-unconcerned/ |title=Kaplan Test Prep Survey: More College Admissions Officers Checking Applicants' Digital Trails, But Most Students Unconcerned|publisher=Kaplan Test|date=October 31, 2013|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> Students whose social media pages include questionable material may be disqualified from admission processes.<blockquote>"One survey in July 2017, by the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers, reported that 11 percent of respondents said they had refused to admit an applicant based on social media content. This includes 8 percent of public institutions, where the First Amendment applies. The survey reported that 30 percent of institutions acknowledged reviewing the personal social media accounts of applicants at least some of the time."<ref>{{Cite web|title=The First Amendment, Social Media and College Admissions|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/views/2021/12/13/admissions-officials-need-pay-attention-first-amendment-opinion|last=LoMonte|first=Frank|date=2021-12-13|publisher=Inside Higher Ed|language=en-US}}</ref></blockquote>


===Court cases=== ===Court cases===
Social media comments and images are being used in a range of court cases including employment law, child custody/child support and insurance disability claims. After an Apple employee criticized his employer on Facebook, he was fired. When the former employee sued Apple for unfair dismissal, the court, after seeing the man's Facebook posts, found in favor of Apple, as the man's social media comments breached Apple's policies.<ref name="BlogHerald">{{cite web |url=https://www.blogherald.com/2017/08/24/5-court-cases-social-media-played-part/ |title=5 Court Cases Where Social Media Played a Part|date=August 24, 2017 |website=Blog Herald |access-date=2018-10-27 }}</ref> After a heterosexual couple broke up, the man posted "violent rap lyrics from a song that talked about fantasies of killing the rapper's ex-wife" and made threats against him. The court found him guilty and he was sentenced to jail.<ref name="BlogHerald"/> In a disability claims case, a woman who fell at work claimed that she was permanently injured; the employer used the social media posts of her travels and activities to counter her claims.<ref name="BlogHerald"/> Social media comments and images have been used in court cases including employment law, child custody/child support, and disability claims. After an ] employee criticized his employer on ], he was fired. When the former employee sued Apple for unfair dismissal, the court, after examining the employee's Facebook posts, reported in favor of Apple, stating that the posts breached Apple's policies.<ref name="BlogHerald">{{cite web |url=https://www.blogherald.com/2017/08/24/5-court-cases-social-media-played-part/ |title=5 Court Cases Where Social Media Played a Part|date=August 24, 2017 |website=Blog Herald |access-date=2018-10-27 }}</ref> After a couple broke up, the man posted song lyrics "that talked about fantasies of killing the rapper's ex-wife" and made threats. A court reported him guilty.<ref name="BlogHerald"/>{{Clarify|reason=Guilty of what?|date=May 2024}} In a disability claims case, a woman who fell at work claimed that she was permanently injured; the employer used her social media posts to counter her claims.<ref name="BlogHerald"/>{{Additional citations needed|date=November 2024}}


Courts do not always admit social media evidence, in part, because screenshots can be faked or tampered with.<ref name="Raymer">{{cite web |url=https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/author/elizabeth-raymer/the-social-media-evidence-is-clear-16126/ |title=The (social media) evidence is clear |last=Raymer |first=Elizabeth |date=September 24, 2018 |website=www.canadianlawyermag.com |publisher=Canadian Lawyer |access-date=2018-10-27 }}</ref> Judges are taking ]s into account to assess statements made on social media; in one Michigan case where a person alleged that another person had defamed them in an online comment, the judge disagreed, noting that there was an emoji after the comment which indicated that it was a joke.<ref name="Raymer"/> In a 2014 case in Ontario against a police officer regarding alleged assault of a protester during the G20 summit, the court rejected the Crown's application to use a digital photo of the protest that was anonymously posted online, because there was no ] proving when the photo was taken and it could have been digitally altered.<ref name="Raymer"/> Courts do not always admit social media evidence, in part, because screenshots can be faked or tampered with.<ref name="Raymer">{{cite web |url=https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/author/elizabeth-raymer/the-social-media-evidence-is-clear-16126/ |title=The (social media) evidence is clear |last=Raymer |first=Elizabeth |date=September 24, 2018 |website=www.canadianlawyermag.com |publisher=Canadian Lawyer |access-date=2018-10-27 }}</ref> Judges may consider ]s into account to assess statements made on social media; in one Michigan case where a person alleged that another person had defamed them in an online comment, the judge disagreed, noting that an emoji after the comment that indicated that it was a joke.<ref name="Raymer"/> In a 2014 case in Ontario against a police officer regarding alleged assault of a protester during the G20 summit, the court rejected the Crown's application to use a digital photo of the protest that was anonymously posted online, because it included no ] verifying its provenance.<ref name="Raymer"/>{{Additional citations needed|date=November 2024}}

On April 9, 2024, the ] in North Dakota and ] of Wisconsin have sued social media companies (Meta Platforms-], Instagram; Snapchat, ], YouTube, and Google) companies accused of ‘deliberate misconduct’. Their lawsuit describes “a sophisticated and intentional effort that has caused a continuing, substantial, and longterm burden to the Tribe and its members,” leaving scarce resources for education, cultural preservation and other social programs.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-09 |title=Two tribal nations sue social media companies over Native youth suicides |url=https://apnews.com/article/social-media-native-youth-suicide-lawsuit-9e73288a29c748e7888129fc80404f6f |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>{{Additional citations needed|date=November 2024}}


==Use by individuals== ==Use by individuals==


===As a news source=== ===News source===
{{Main|Social media as a news source}} {{Excerpt|Social media as a news source}}


===Social tool===
As of March 2010, in the United States, 81% of users look online for news of the weather, first and foremost, with the percentage seeking national news at 73%, 52% for sports news, and 41% for entertainment or celebrity news. According to CNN, in 2010 75% of people got their news forwarded through e-mail or social media posts, whereas 37% of people shared a news item via Facebook or Twitter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/03/01/social.network.news/index.html |title=Survey: More Americans get news from Internet than newspapers or radio|last=Gross|first=Doug|date=2010-03-01|work=cnn.com}}</ref> ] and ] make news a more participatory experience than before as people share news articles and comment on other people's posts. Rainie and Wellman (2012) have argued that media making now has become a participation work,{{sfn|Rainie|Wellman|2012}} which changes communication systems. However, 27% of respondents worry about the accuracy of a story on a blog.<ref name=Reuters2013/> From a 2019 poll, ] found that Americans are wary about the ways that social media sites share news and certain content.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2019/10/02/americans-are-wary-of-the-role-social-media-sites-play-in-delivering-the-news/|title=Americans Are Wary of the Role Social Media Sites Play in Delivering the News|first1=Elisa|last1=Shearer|first2=Elizabeth|last2=Grieco|date=October 2, 2019|accessdate=March 2, 2022}}</ref> This wariness of accuracy is on the rise as social media sites are increasingly exploited by aggregated new sources which stitch together multiple feeds to develop plausible correlations. Hemsley and colleagues (2018) refer to this phenomenon as "pseudo-knowledge" which develop false narratives and fake news that are supported through general analysis and ideology rather than facts.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hemsley|first1=Jeff|last2=Jacobson|first2=Jenna|last3=Gruzd|first3=Anatoliy|last4=Mai|first4=Philip|date=July 2018|title=Social Media for Social Good or Evil: An Introduction|journal=Social Media + Society|language=en-US|volume=4|issue=3|pages=205630511878671|doi=10.1177/2056305118786719|issn=2056-3051|doi-access=free}}</ref> Social media as a news source was further questioned as spikes in evidence surround major news events such as was captured in the United States 2016 presidential election<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/eur-scientific-and-technical-research-reports/digital-transformation-news-media-and-rise-disinformation-and-fake-news|title=The digital transformation of news media and the rise of disinformation and fake news|last=ACUNA|first=Tanja|date=2018-04-25|website=EU Science Hub - European Commission|language=en|access-date=2020-02-23}}</ref> and again during the ].
Social media are used to socialize with friends and family<ref name="Aichner-2021">{{cite journal |last1=Aichner |first1=T. |last2=Grünfelder |first2=M. |last3=Maurer |first3=O. |last4=Jegeni |first4=D. |year=2021 |title=Twenty-Five Years of Social Media: A Review of Social Media Applications and Definitions from 1994 to 2019 |journal=Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=215–222 |doi=10.1089/cyber.2020.0134 |pmid=33847527 |pmc=8064945 |doi-access=free }}</ref> pursue romance and flirt,<ref name="Aichner-2021" /> but not all social needs can be fulfilled by social media.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Z. |last2=Tchernev |first2=J. M. |last3=Solloway |first3=T. |year=2012 |title=A dynamic longitudinal examination of social media use, needs, and gratifications among college students |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |volume=28 |issue=5 |pages=1829–1839 |doi=10.1016/j.chb.2012.05.001 |s2cid=639979 }}</ref> For example, a 2003 article reported that lonely individuals are more likely to use the Internet for emotional support than others.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Morahan-Martin |first1=J. |last2=Schumacher |first2=P. |year=2003 |title=Loneliness and social uses of the internet |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |volume=19 |issue=6 |pages=659–671 |doi=10.1016/S0747-5632(03)00040-2 |s2cid=16933593 }}</ref> A 2018 survey from Common Sense Media reported that 40% of American teens ages 13–17 thought that social media was "extremely" or "very" important for them to connect with their friends.<ref name="Rideout-2018" /> The same survey reported that 33% of teens said social media was extremely or very important to conduct meaningful conversations with close friends, and 23% of teens said social media was extremely or very important to document and share their lives.<ref name="Rideout-2018">{{Cite web|last1=Rideout|first1=Vicky|last2=Robb|first2=Michael B.|date=2018|title=Social Media, Social Life: Teens Reveal Their Experiences, 2018|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/social-media-social-life-2018|website=Common Sense Media}}</ref> A 2020 Gallup poll reported that 53% of adult social media users in the United States thought that social media was a very or moderately important way to keep in touch with people during the ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ritter|first=Zacc|date=May 21, 2020|title=Americans Use Social Media for COVID-19 Info, Connection|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/311360/americans-social-media-covid-information-connection.aspx|website=Gallup}}</ref>


In ''Alone Together'' ] considered how people confuse social media usage with authentic communication.<ref name="Turkle2012" /> She claimed that people act differently online and are less concerned about hurting others' feelings. Some online encounters can cause stress and anxiety, due to the difficulty purging online posts, fear of getting hacked, or of universities and employers exploring social media pages. Turkle speculated that many people prefer texting to face-to-face communication, which can contribute to loneliness.<ref name="Turkle2012">{{cite book |author=Turkle, S. |year=2012 |title=Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other |location=New York, NY |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=978-0-465-03146-7}}</ref> Surveys from 2019 reported evidence among teens in the United States<ref name="Rideout-2018" /> and Mexico.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Robb|first1=Michael B.|last2=Bay|first2=Willow|last3=Vennegaard|first3=Tina|date=2019-10-01|title=The New Normal: Parents, Teens, and Mobile Devices in Mexico|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-new-normal-parents-teens-and-devices-around-the-world|website=Common Sense Media}}</ref> Some researchers reported that exchanges that involved direct communication and reciprocal messages correlated with less loneliness.<ref name="Burke2011">{{Cite book |last1=Burke |first1=Moira |last2=Kraut |first2=Robert |last3=Marlow |first3=Cameron |title=Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |chapter=Social capital on facebook |s2cid=8060040 |year=2011 |volume=7–9 |pages=571–580 |doi=10.1145/1978942.1979023 |isbn=978-1-4503-0228-9 |url=http://www.cameronmarlow.com/media/burke-2011-social.pdf |access-date=2016-03-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151129071100/http://www.cameronmarlow.com/media/burke-2011-social.pdf |archive-date=2015-11-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===As a social tool===
Social media are used to fulfill perceived social needs such as socializing with friends and family<ref name="auto"/> as well as romance and flirting,<ref name="auto"/> but not all needs can be fulfilled by social media.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Z. |last2=Tchernev |first2=J. M. |last3=Solloway |first3=T. |year=2012 |title=A dynamic longitudinal examination of social media use, needs, and gratifications among college students |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |volume=28 |issue=5 |pages=1829–1839 |doi=10.1016/j.chb.2012.05.001 }}</ref> For example, a 2003 article found that lonely individuals are more likely to use the Internet for emotional support than those who are not lonely.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Morahan-Martin |first1=J. |last2=Schumacher |first2=P. |year=2003 |title=Loneliness and social uses of the internet |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |volume=19 |issue=6 |pages=659–671 |doi=10.1016/S0747-5632(03)00040-2 }}</ref> A nationally representative survey from Common Sense Media in 2018 found that 40% of American teens ages 13–17 thought that social media was "extremely" or "very" important for them to keep up with their friends on a day-to-basis.<ref name=":9" /> The same survey found that 33% of teens said social media was extremely or very important to have meaningful conversations with close friends, and 23% of teens said social media was extremely or very important to document and share highlights from their lives.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|last1=Rideout|first1=Vicky|last2=Robb|first2=Michael, B.|date=2018|title=Social Media, Social Life: Teens Reveal Their Experiences, 2018|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/social-media-social-life-2018|website=Common Sense Media}}</ref> Recently, a Gallup poll from May 2020 showed that 53% of adult social media users in the United States thought that social media was a very or moderately important way to keep in touch with those they cannot otherwise see in-person due to social distancing measures related to the ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ritter|first=Zacc|date=May 21, 2020|title=Americans Use Social Media for COVID-19 Info, Connection|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/311360/americans-social-media-covid-information-connection.aspx|website=Gallup}}</ref>


In social media "]" or "creeping" refers to looking at someone's "timeline, status updates, ], and online bios" to find information about them and their activities.<ref name="Walker">{{cite web |url= https://www.lifewire.com/what-does-creeping-mean-2655280|title=The Ins and Outs of Facebook Creeping|last=Walker |first=Leslie |date=October 23, 2016 |website=www.lifewire.com |publisher=Lifewire |access-date=2018-11-12 }}</ref> A sub-category of creeping is creeping ex-partners after a breakup.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/better-living-technology/201402/why-exes-arent-so-ex-anymore |title=Why Exes Aren't So "Ex" Anymore |last=Fox |first=Jesse |date=February 26, 2014 |website=www.psychologytoday.com |publisher=Psychology Today |access-date=2018-11-12}}</ref>
] explores this topic in her book ''Alone Together'' as she discusses how people confuse social media usage with authentic communication.<ref name="Turkle2012" /> She posits that people tend to act differently online and are less afraid to hurt each other's feelings. Additionally, some online behaviors can cause stress and anxiety, due to the permanence of online posts, the fear of being hacked, or of universities and employers exploring social media pages. Turkle also speculates that people are beginning to prefer texting to face-to-face communication, which can contribute to feelings of loneliness.<ref name="Turkle2012">{{cite book |author=Turkle, S. |year=2012 |title=Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other |location=New York, NY |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=978-0-465-03146-7}}</ref> Nationally representative surveys from 2019 have found this to be the case with teens in the United States<ref name=":9" /> and Mexico.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Robb|first1=Michael B.|last2=Bay|first2=Willow|last3=Vennegaard|first3=Tina|date=2019-10-01|title=The New Normal: Parents, Teens, and Mobile Devices in Mexico|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-new-normal-parents-teens-and-devices-around-the-world|website=Common Sense Media}}</ref> Some researchers have also found that exchanges that involved direct communication and reciprocation of messages correlated with fewer feelings of loneliness.<ref name="Burke2011">{{Cite book |last1=Burke |first1=Moira |last2=Kraut |first2=Robert |last3=Marlow |first3=Cameron |s2cid=8060040 |year=2011 |title=Social capital on Facebook: Differentiating uses and users |journal=Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |volume=7–9 |pages=571–580 |doi=10.1145/1978942.1979023 |isbn=978-1-4503-0228-9 |url=http://www.cameronmarlow.com/media/burke-2011-social.pdf |access-date=2016-03-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151129071100/http://www.cameronmarlow.com/media/burke-2011-social.pdf |archive-date=2015-11-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, that same study showed that passively using social media without sending or receiving messages does not make people feel less lonely unless they were lonely to begin with.


] (creating a false identity) allows bad actors to exploit the lonely.<ref>{{cite book|title=Choices & Connections|last1=McCormack|first1=Steven|last2=Ortiz|first2=Joseph|date=2017|edition=second}}</ref>
The term social media "stalking" or "creeping" have been popularized over the years, and this refers to looking at the person's "timeline, status updates, tweets, and online bios" to find information about them and their activities.<ref name="Walker">{{cite web |url= https://www.lifewire.com/what-does-creeping-mean-2655280|title=The Ins and Outs of Facebook Creeping|last=Walker |first=Leslie |date=October 23, 2016 |website=www.lifewire.com |publisher=Lifewire |access-date=2018-11-12 }}</ref> While social media creeping is common, it is considered to be poor form to admit to a new acquaintance or new date that you have looked through his or her social media posts, particularly older posts, as this will indicate that you were going through their old history.<ref name="Walker" /> A sub-category of creeping is creeping ex-partners' social media posts after a breakup to investigate if there is a new partner or new dating; this can lead to preoccupation with the ex, rumination, and negative feelings, all of which postpone recovery and increase feelings of loss.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/better-living-technology/201402/why-exes-arent-so-ex-anymore |title=Why Exes Aren't So "Ex" Anymore |last=Fox |first=Jesse |date=February 26, 2014 |website=www.psychologytoday.com |publisher=Psychology Today |access-date=2018-11-12}}</ref>


===Invidious comparison===
] has become more prevalent since the advent of social media. Relationships formed with catfish can lead to actions such as supporting them with money and catfish will typically make excuses as to why they cannot meet up or be viewed on camera.<ref>{{cite book|title=Choices & Connections|last1=McCormack|first1=Steven|last2=Ortiz|first2=Joseph|date=2017|edition=second}}</ref>
] proposes that people consciously manage their ] or identity related information in social contexts.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Goffman|first=Erving|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/3091353|title=The presentation of self in everyday life|date=1971|publisher=Penguin|isbn=0-14-021350-3|location=Harmondsworth|oclc=3091353}}</ref> One aspect of social media is the time invested in customizing a personal profile.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Children, Teens, Media, and Body Image|language=en|website=Common Sense Media|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/children-teens-media-and-body-image|access-date=2017-12-03|archive-date=2020-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602201917/https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/children-teens-media-and-body-image|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some users segment their audiences based on the image they want to present, pseudonymity and use of multiple accounts on the same platform offer that opportunity.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=van der Nagel|first=Emily|date=2017-09-02|title=From usernames to profiles: the development of pseudonymity in Internet communication|journal=Internet Histories|volume=1|issue=4|pages=312–331|doi=10.1080/24701475.2017.1389548|s2cid=218589874|issn=2470-1475}}</ref>


A 2016 study reported that teenage girls manipulate their self-presentation on social media to appear beautiful as viewed by their peers.<ref name="Chua 190–197">{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.011 |title=Follow me and like my beautiful selfies: Singapore teenage girls' engagement in self-presentation and peer comparison on social media |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |volume=55 |pages=190–7 |year=2016 |last1=Chua |first1=Trudy Hui Hui |last2=Chang |first2=Leanne |s2cid=17487816 }}</ref> Teenage girls attempt to earn regard and acceptance (likes, comments, and shares). When this does not go well, self-confidence and self-satisfaction can decline.<ref name="Chua 190–197" /> A 2018 survey of American teens ages 13–17 by Common Sense Media reported that 45% said likes are at least somewhat important, and 26% at least somewhat agreed that they feel bad about themselves if nobody responds to their photos.<ref name="Rideout-2018" /> Some evidence suggests that perceived rejection may lead to emotional pain,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Chen|first1=Gina Masullo|year=2015|title=Losing Face on Social Media|journal=Communication Research|volume=42|issue=6|pages=819–38|doi=10.1177/0093650213510937|s2cid=28015890}}</ref> and some may resort to online bullying.<ref>{{cite book|title=Cyberbullying: Bullying in the Digital Age|last1=Kowalski|first1=Robin M.|last2=Limber|first2=Susan P.|last3=Agatston|first3=Patricia W.|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2012}}</ref> according to a 2016 study, users' reward circuits in their brains are more active when their photos are liked by more peers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sherman |first1=Lauren E. |last2=Payton |first2=Ashley A. |last3=Hernandez |first3=Leanna M. |last4=Greenfield |first4=Patricia M. |last5=Dapretto |first5=Mirella |date=July 2016 |title=The Power of the Like in Adolescence: Effects of Peer Influence on Neural and Behavioral Responses to Social Media |journal=Psychological Science |language=en |volume=27 |issue=7 |pages=1027–1035 |doi=10.1177/0956797616645673 |pmid=27247125 |pmc=5387999 |issn=0956-7976}}</ref>
===As a self-presentational tool===
The more time people spend on Facebook, the less satisfied they feel about their life.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Chan |first=TH |s2cid=6850595 |title=Facebook and its Effects on Users' Empathic Social Skills and Life Satisfaction: A Double-Edged Sword Effect |year=2014 |volume=17 |issue=5 |pages=276–280 |journal=Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking |doi=10.1089/cyber.2013.0466 |pmid=24606026}}</ref> ] explains that people will consciously manage their ] or identity related information in social contexts.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Goffman|first=Erving|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/3091353|title=The presentation of self in everyday life|date=1971|publisher=Penguin|isbn=0-14-021350-3|location=Harmondsworth|oclc=3091353}}</ref> In fact, a critical aspect of social networking sites is the time invested in customizing a personal profile, and encourage a sort of social currency based on likes, followers, and comments.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Children, Teens, Media, and Body Image|language=en|website=Common Sense Media|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/children-teens-media-and-body-image#|access-date=2017-12-03}}</ref> Users also tend to segment their audiences based on the image they want to present, pseudonymity and use of multiple accounts across the same platform remain popular ways to negotiate platform expectations and segment audiences.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=van der Nagel|first=Emily|date=2017-09-02|title=From usernames to profiles: the development of pseudonymity in Internet communication|journal=Internet Histories|volume=1|issue=4|pages=312–331|doi=10.1080/24701475.2017.1389548|s2cid=218589874|issn=2470-1475}}</ref>


A 2016 review concluded that social media can trigger a negative feedback loop of viewing and uploading photos, self-comparison, disappointment, and disordered body perception when social success is not achieved.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Holland|first1=G.|last2=Tiggerman|first2=M.|date=2016|title=A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298794212|journal=Body Image|volume=17|pages=101–109|doi=10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.02.008|pmid=26995158}}</ref> One 2016 study reported that Pinterest is directly associated with disordered dieting behavior.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lewallen|first1=Jennifer|last2=Behm-Morawitz|first2=Elizabeth|date=March 30, 2016|title=Pinterest or Thinterest?: Social Comparison and Body Image on Social Media|journal=Social Media + Society|language=en|volume=2|issue=1|page=205630511664055|doi=10.1177/2056305116640559|doi-access=free}}</ref>
However, users may feel pressure to gain their peers' acceptance of their self-presentation. For example, in a 2016 peer-reviewed article by Trudy Hui Hui Chua and Leanne Chang, the authors found that teenage girls manipulate their self-presentation on social media to achieve a sense of beauty that is projected by their peers.<ref name="Chua 190–197">{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.011 |title=Follow me and like my beautiful selfies: Singapore teenage girls' engagement in self-presentation and peer comparison on social media |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |volume=55 |pages=190–7 |year=2016 |last1=Chua |first1=Trudy Hui Hui |last2=Chang |first2=Leanne }}</ref> These authors also discovered that teenage girls compare themselves to their peers on social media and present themselves in certain ways in an effort to earn regard and acceptance. However, when users do not feel like they reached this regard and acceptance, this can actually lead to problems with self-confidence and self-satisfaction.<ref name="Chua 190–197" /> A nationally representative survey of American teens ages 13–17 by Common Sense Media found that 45% said getting "]" on posts is at least somewhat important, and 26% at least somewhat agreed that they feel bad about themselves if nobody comments on or "likes" their photos.<ref name=":9" /> Some evidence suggests that perceived rejection may lead to feeling emotional pain,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Chen|first1=Gina Masullo|year=2015|title=Losing Face on Social Media|journal=Communication Research|volume=42|issue=6|pages=819–38|doi=10.1177/0093650213510937|s2cid=28015890}}</ref> and some may partake in online retaliation such as online bullying.<ref>{{cite book|title=Cyberbullying: Bullying in the Digital Age|last1=Kowalski|first1=Robin M.|last2=Limber|first2=Susan P.|last3=Agatston|first3=Patricia W.|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2012}}</ref> Conversely, according to research from UCLA, users' reward circuits in their brains are more active when their own photos are liked by more peers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wolpert|first=Stuart|title=Teenage Brain on Social Media|url=http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/the-teenage-brain-on-social-media|access-date=2016-05-31}}</ref>


People portray themselves on social media in the most appealing way.<ref name="Chua 190–197" /> However, upon seeing one person's curated persona, other people may question why their own lives are not as exciting or fulfilling. One 2017 study reported that problematic social media use (i.e., feeling addicted to social media) was related to lower life satisfaction and self-esteem.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hawi |first1=N.S. |last2=Samaha |first2=M. |year=2017 |title=The Relations Among Social Media Addiction, Self-Esteem, and Life Satisfaction in University Students |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306048463 |journal=Social Science Computer Review |volume=35 |issue=5 |pages=576–586 |doi=10.1177/0894439316660340 |s2cid=64367207}}</ref> Studies have reported that social media comparisons can have dire effects on physical and mental health.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Stefanone |first1=M.A. |last2=Lackaff |first2=D. |last3=Rosen |first3=D. |date=2011 |title=Contingencies of Self-Worth and Social-Networking-Site Behavior |url=http://www.buffalo.edu/content/dam/cas/communication/files/Stefanone/Stefanone_cyberpsych.2011.pdf |journal=Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking |volume=14 |issue=1–2 |pages=41–9 |doi=10.1089/cyber.2010.0049 |pmid=21329442 |s2cid=8585314 |hdl-access=free |hdl=2152/41152}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Criddle |first=Cristina |date=2021-01-27 |title=Social media damages teenagers' mental health, report says |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55826238 |access-date=2021-01-28 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> In one study, women reported that social media was the most influential source of their body image satisfaction; while men reported them as the second biggest factor.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blackford |first1=Meghan |title=#bodypositive: A Look at Body Image & Social Media |url=https://fherehab.com/news/bodypositive/ |access-date=5 October 2020 |website=FHE Health}}</ref> While monitoring the lives of celebrities long predates social media, the ease and immediacy of direct comparisons of pictures and stories with one's own may increase their impact.
Literature suggests that social media can breed a negative feedback loop of viewing and uploading photos, self-comparison, feelings of disappointment when perceived social success is not achieved, and disordered body perception.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Holland|first1=G.|last2=Tiggerman|first2=M.|date=2016|title=A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298794212|journal=Body Image|volume=17|pages=101–109|doi=10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.02.008|pmid=26995158}}</ref> In fact, one study shows that the microblogging platform, Pinterest is directly associated with disordered dieting behavior, indicating that for those who frequently look at exercise or dieting "pins" there is a greater chance that they will engage in extreme weight-loss and dieting behavior.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lewallen|first1=Jennifer|last2=Behm-Morawitz|first2=Elizabeth|date=March 30, 2016|title=Pinterest or Thinterest?: Social Comparison and Body Image on Social Media|journal=Social Media + Society|language=en|volume=2|issue=1|page=205630511664055|doi=10.1177/2056305116640559|doi-access=free}}</ref>


A 2021 study reported that 87% of women and 65% of men compared themselves to others on social media.<ref>{{cite web |title=Link between social media and body image |url=https://online.king.edu/news/social-media-and-body-image/ |access-date=15 May 2021 |publisher=FHE Health}}</ref>
=== As a health behavior change and reinforcement tool ===
{{Further|Cyberpsychology#Social media and cyberpsychological behavior|Social media and identity}}


Efforts to combat such negative effects focused promoting ]. In a related study, women aged 18–30 were reported posts that contained side-by-side images of women in the same clothes and setting, but one image was enhanced for Instagram, while the other was an unedited, "realistic" version. Women who participated in this experiment reported a decrease in body dissatisfaction.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tiggemann |first1=Marika |last2=Anderberg |first2=Isabella |date=2019-11-16 |title=Social media is not real: The effect of 'Instagram vs reality' images on women's social comparison and body image |journal=New Media & Society |volume=22 |issue=12 |pages=2183–2199 |doi=10.1177/1461444819888720 |s2cid=210505708 |doi-access=free}}{{page needed|date=August 2022}}</ref>
Social media can also function as a supportive system for adolescents' health, because by using social media, adolescents are able to mobilize around health issues that they themselves deem relevant.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Patton |first1=George C. |last2=Sawyer |first2=Susan M. |last3=Santelli |first3=John S. |last4=Ross |first4=David A. |last5=Afifi |first5=Rima |last6=Allen |first6=Nicholas B. |last7=Arora |first7=Monika |last8=Azzopardi |first8=Peter |last9=Baldwin |first9=Wendy |date=June 2016 |title=Our future: a Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing |journal=The Lancet |volume=387 |issue=10036 |pages=2423–2478 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(16)00579-1 |issn=0140-6736 |pmc=5832967 |pmid=27174304}}</ref> For example, in a clinical study among adolescent patients undergoing treatment for ], the participants' expressed that through social media, they could find personalized ] content as well as social support among other adolescents with obesity.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1177/1460458218759699|pmid = 29499615|title = Health literacy in a complex digital media landscape: Pediatric obesity patients' experiences with online weight, food, and health information|journal = Health Informatics Journal|volume = 25|issue = 4|pages = 1343–1357|year = 2018|last1 = Holmberg|first1 = Christopher|last2 = Berg|first2 = Christina|last3 = Dahlgren|first3 = Jovanna|last4 = Lissner|first4 = Lauren|last5 = Chaplin|first5 = John Eric|s2cid = 3687773}}</ref><ref name="media and eating disorders">{{cite web |title=media and eating disorders |date=5 October 2017 |url=https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/media-eating-disorders|publisher=National Eating Disorder Association|access-date=15 May 2021}}</ref> Whilst, social media can provide such information there are a considerable amount of uninformed and incorrect sources which promote unhealthy and dangerous methods of weight loss.<ref name="media and eating disorders"/> As stated by the national eating disorder association there is a high correlation between weight loss content and disorderly eating among women who have been influenced by this negative content.<ref name="media and eating disorders"/> Therefore, there is a need for people to evaluate and identify reliable health information, competencies commonly known as ]. This has led to efforts by governments and public health organizations to use social media to interact with users, to limited success.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1017/dmp.2020.404|pmid = 33089770|title = The Structure of Tweets about Vaccine Safety Between Health Organizations, Experts and the Public: Analyzing Risk Communication Conversations|journal = Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness|volume = 25|issue = 4|pages = 1343–1357|year = 2018|last1 = Manheim|first1 = David|last2 = Gesser-Edelsburg|first2 = Anat|pmc = 7943953|doi-access = free}}</ref>


=== Health ===
Other social media, such as ] sites, have been found in studies to cause significant risk of harm by reinforcing negative health-related behaviors through social networking, especially in adolescents.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Wilson|first1=Jenny|last2=Peebles|first2=Rebecka|date=December 2006|title=Surfing for thinness: A pilot study of pro-eating disorder web site usage in adolescents with eating disorders|journal=Pediatrics|volume=118|issue=6|pages=e1635–e1643|doi=10.1542/peds.2006-1133|pmid=17142493|last3=Hardy|first3=KK|last4=Litt|first4=IF|last5=Wilson |first5=J L|s2cid=22277352}}</ref><ref name=Ransom>{{cite journal|first1=Danielle C|last1=Ransom|first2=Jennifer G|last2=La Guardia|first3=Erik Z|last3=Woody|first4=Jennifer L|last4=Boyd|title=Interpersonal interactions on online forums addressing eating concerns|journal=International Journal of Eating Disorders|volume=43|issue=2|pages=161–170|year=2010|doi=10.1002/eat.20629|pmid=19308991}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Eating Disorders and the Internet |url=http://www.anad.org/get-information/eating-disorders-and-the-internet/ |publisher=National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders |access-date=2010-09-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019032231/http://www.anad.org/get-information/eating-disorders-and-the-internet/ |archive-date=2010-10-19 }}</ref> Social media effects the way a person views themselves. The constant comparison to edited photos, of other individual's and their living situations, can cause many negative emotions. This can lead to not eating, and isolation. As more and more people continue to use social media for the wrong reasons, it increases the feeling of loneliness in adults.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Robinson|first=Lawrence|title=Social Media and Mental Health - HelpGuide.org|url=https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm|access-date=2021-06-21|website=www.helpguide.org|language=en-US}}</ref>
{{Further|Cyberpsychology#Social media and cyberpsychological behavior|Social media and identity}}


==== Adolescents ====
During the ], the spread of information throughout social media regarding treatments against the ] has also influenced different health behaviors.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Carrion-Alvarez|first1=Diego|last2=Tijerina-Salina|first2=Perla X.|date=2020-11-07|title=Fake news in COVID-19: A perspective|journal=Health Promotion Perspectives|volume=10|issue=4|pages=290–291|doi=10.34172/hpp.2020.44|issn=2228-6497|pmc=7722992|pmid=33312921}}</ref> For example, People who use more social media and belief more in conspiracy theory in social media during the COVID-19 pandemic had worse mental health<ref>{{cite journal|title=Belief in a COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory as a Predictor of Mental Health and Well-Being of Health Care Workers in Ecuador: Cross-Sectional Survey Study|last1=Chen|first1=Xi|last2=Zhang|first2=Stephen X.|last3=Jahanshahi|first3=Asghar Afshar|last4=Alvarez-Risco|first4=Aldo|last5=Dai|first5=Huiyang|last6=Li|first6=Jizhen|last7=García Ibarra|first7=Verónica|journal=JMIR Public Health and Surveillance|year=2020|volume=6|number=3|page=e20737|doi=10.2196/20737|pmid=32658859|pmc=7375774 }}</ref> and is predictive of their compliance to health behaviors such as hand-washing during the pandemic.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Social media use as a predictor of handwashing during a pandemic: evidence from COVID-19 in Malaysia|last1=Zhang|first1=Stephen X.|last2=Graf-Vlachy|first2=Lorenz|last3=Kim|first3=Hoe Looi|last4=Su|first4=Rui|last5=Li|first5=Jizhen|journal=Epidemiology and Infection|year=2020|volume=148|page=e261|doi=10.1017/S0950268820002575|pmid=33092675 |pmc=7653491 }}</ref>
Social media can offer a support system for adolescent health, because it allows them to mobilize around health issues that they deem relevant.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Patton |first1=George C. |last2=Sawyer |first2=Susan M. |last3=Santelli |first3=John S. |last4=Ross |first4=David A. |last5=Afifi |first5=Rima |last6=Allen |first6=Nicholas B. |last7=Arora |first7=Monika |last8=Azzopardi |first8=Peter |last9=Baldwin |first9=Wendy |date=June 2016 |title=Our future: a Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing |journal=The Lancet |volume=387 |issue=10036 |pages=2423–2478 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(16)00579-1 |issn=0140-6736 |pmc=5832967 |pmid=27174304}}</ref> For example, in a clinical study among adolescent patients undergoing ] treatment, participants' claimed that social media allowed them to access personalized ] content as well as social support among other adolescents with obesity.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1177/1460458218759699|pmid = 29499615|title = Health literacy in a complex digital media landscape: Pediatric obesity patients' experiences with online weight, food, and health information|journal = Health Informatics Journal|volume = 25|issue = 4|pages = 1343–1357|year = 2018|last1 = Holmberg|first1 = Christopher|last2 = Berg|first2 = Christina|last3 = Dahlgren|first3 = Jovanna|last4 = Lissner|first4 = Lauren|last5 = Chaplin|first5 = John Eric|s2cid = 3687773}}</ref><ref name="media and eating disorders">{{cite web |title=media and eating disorders |date=5 October 2017 |url=https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/media-eating-disorders|publisher=National Eating Disorder Association|access-date=15 May 2021}}</ref>


While social media can provide health information, it typically has no mechanism for ensuring the quality of that information.<ref name="media and eating disorders" /> The ] reported a high correlation between weight loss content and disorderly eating among women who have been influenced by inaccurate content.<ref name="media and eating disorders" /><ref name="Self-presentation in digital media">{{cite journal |last1=Holmberg |first1=Christopher |last2=Berg |first2=Christina |last3=Hillman |first3=Thomas |last4=Lissner |first4=Lauren |last5=Chaplin |first5=John |year=2018 |title=Self-presentation in digital media among adolescent patients with obesity: Striving for integrity, risk-reduction, and social recognition |journal=Digit Health |volume=4 |doi=10.1177/2055207618807603 |pmc=6195003 |pmid=30349733}}</ref> ] offers skills to allow users to spot/avoid such content. Efforts by governments and public health organizations to advance health literacy reportedly achieved limited success.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1017/dmp.2020.404|pmid = 33089770|title = The Structure of Tweets about Vaccine Safety Between Health Organizations, Experts and the Public: Analyzing Risk Communication Conversations|journal = Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness|volume = 25|issue = 4|pages = 1343–1357|year = 2018|last1 = Manheim|first1 = David|last2 = Gesser-Edelsburg|first2 = Anat|pmc = 7943953|doi-access = free}}</ref>
===Effects on individual and collective memory===
News media and ] have been a key feature in the shaping of American collective memory for much of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kitch|first1=Carolyn|year=2002|title=Anniversary Journalism, Collective Memory, and the Cultural Authority to Tell the Story of the American Past|journal=Journal of Popular Culture|volume=36|pages=44–67|doi=10.1111/1540-5931.00030|s2cid=161675942}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Edy|first1=Jill|year=1999|title=Journalistic Uses of Collective Memory|journal=Journal of Communication|volume=49|issue=2|pages=71–85|doi=10.1111/j.1460-2466.1999.tb02794.x}}</ref> Indeed, since the ], news media has influenced ] and ] about national development and trauma. In many ways, mainstream journalists have maintained an authoritative voice as the storytellers of the American past. Their documentary-style narratives, detailed ], and their positions in the present make them prime sources for public memory. Specifically, news media journalists have shaped collective memory on nearly every major national event—from the deaths of social and political figures to the progression of political hopefuls. Journalists provide elaborate descriptions of commemorative events in U.S. history and contemporary popular cultural sensations. Many Americans learn the significance of historical events and political issues through news media, as they are presented on popular news stations.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Pajala|first1=Mary|year=2012|title=Television as an Archive of Memory?|journal=Critical Studies in Television|volume=5|issue=2|pages=133–145|doi=10.7227/cst.5.2.16|s2cid=156717273}}</ref> However, journalistic influence has grown less important, whereas social networking sites such as ], ] and ], provide a constant supply of alternative news sources for users.


Social media such as ] sites reportedly increase risk of harm by reinforcing damaging health-related behaviors through social media, especially among adolescents.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Wilson|first1=Jenny|last2=Peebles|first2=Rebecka|date=December 2006|title=Surfing for thinness: A pilot study of pro-eating disorder web site usage in adolescents with eating disorders|journal=Pediatrics|volume=118|issue=6|pages=e1635–e1643|doi=10.1542/peds.2006-1133|pmid=17142493|last3=Hardy|first3=KK|last4=Litt|first4=IF|last5=Wilson |first5=J L|s2cid=22277352}}</ref><ref name="Ransom">{{cite journal|first1=Danielle C|last1=Ransom|first2=Jennifer G|last2=La Guardia|first3=Erik Z|last3=Woody|first4=Jennifer L|last4=Boyd|title=Interpersonal interactions on online forums addressing eating concerns|journal=International Journal of Eating Disorders|volume=43|issue=2|pages=161–170|year=2010|doi=10.1002/eat.20629|pmid=19308991|s2cid=31581815 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Eating Disorders and the Internet |url=http://www.anad.org/get-information/eating-disorders-and-the-internet/ |publisher=National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders |access-date=2010-09-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019032231/http://www.anad.org/get-information/eating-disorders-and-the-internet/ |archive-date=2010-10-19 }}</ref>
As ] becomes more popular among older and younger generations, sites such as Facebook and YouTube gradually undermine the traditionally authoritative voices of news media. For example, American citizens contest media coverage of various social and political events as they see fit, inserting their voices into the narratives about America's past and present and shaping their own collective memories.<ref>{{cite book|title=On Media Memory: Collective Memory in a New Media Age|last1=Neiger|first1=M.|last2=Meyers|first2=O.|last3=Zandberg|first3=E.|publisher=Springer|date=2011-04-27|isbn=9780230307070|url={{Google books|7mKJDAAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}}}}{{page needed|date=August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Barnhurst|first1=Kevin|last2=Wartella|first2=Ellen|year=1998|title=Young Citizens, American TV Newscasts and the Collective Memory|journal=Critical Studies in Mass Media|volume=15|issue=3|pages=279–305|doi=10.1080/15295039809367049}}</ref> An example of this is the public explosion of the ] in Sanford, Florida. News media coverage of the incident was minimal until social media users made the story recognizable through their constant discussion of the case. Approximately one month after Martin's death, its online coverage by everyday Americans garnered national attention from ] journalists, in turn exemplifying ].<ref>{{Cite journal|title=View of The battle for 'Trayvon Martin': Mapping a media controversy online and off-line|url=https://firstmonday.org/article/view/4947/3821|access-date=2021-04-16|journal=First Monday|date=28 January 2014|doi=10.5210/fm.v19i2.4947|last1=Graeff|first1=Erhardt|last2=Stempeck|first2=Matt|last3=Zuckerman|first3=Ethan|hdl=1721.1/123459|hdl-access=free}}</ref>


==== Pandemic ====
=== Negative interpersonal interactions ===
During the coronavirus pandemic, inaccurate information from all sides spread widely via social media.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rocha |first1=Yasmim Mendes |last2=de Moura |first2=Gabriel Acácio |last3=Desidério |first3=Gabriel Alves |last4=de Oliveira |first4=Carlos Henrique |last5=Lourenço |first5=Francisco Dantas |last6=de Figueiredo Nicolete |first6=Larissa Deadame |date=2023 |title=The impact of fake news on social media and its influence on health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review |journal=Journal of Public Health |language=en |volume=31 |issue=7 |pages=1007–1016 |doi=10.1007/s10389-021-01658-z |issn=2198-1833 |pmc=8502082 |pmid=34660175}}</ref> Topics subject to distortion included treatments, avoiding infection, vaccination, and public policy. Simultaneously, governments and others influenced social media platforms to suppress both accurate and inaccurate information in support of public policy.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Oremus |first=Will |date=2022-10-09 |title=How social media 'censorship' became a front line in the culture war |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/10/09/social-media-content-moderation/ |access-date=2024-05-26 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref> Heavier social media use was reportedly associated with more acceptance of conspiracy theories, leading to worse mental health<ref>{{cite journal|title=Belief in a COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory as a Predictor of Mental Health and Well-Being of Health Care Workers in Ecuador: Cross-Sectional Survey Study|last1=Chen|first1=Xi|last2=Zhang|first2=Stephen X.|last3=Jahanshahi|first3=Asghar Afshar|last4=Alvarez-Risco|first4=Aldo|last5=Dai|first5=Huiyang|last6=Li|first6=Jizhen|last7=García Ibarra|first7=Verónica|journal=JMIR Public Health and Surveillance|year=2020|volume=6|number=3|page=e20737|doi=10.2196/20737|pmid=32658859|pmc=7375774 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and less compliance with public health recommendations.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Social media use as a predictor of handwashing during a pandemic: evidence from COVID-19 in Malaysia|last1=Zhang|first1=Stephen X.|last2=Graf-Vlachy|first2=Lorenz|last3=Kim|first3=Hoe Looi|last4=Su|first4=Rui|last5=Li|first5=Jizhen|journal=Epidemiology and Infection|year=2020|volume=148|page=e261|doi=10.1017/S0950268820002575|pmid=33092675 |pmc=7653491 }}</ref>
{{Further|Cyberbullying}}
Social media use sometimes involves negative interactions between users.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Joys & Ills of Social Media: A Review|last1=Chohan|first1=Usman W.|last2=D'Souza|first2=Aron|date=2020-01-11|journal=SSRN Electronic Journal|doi=10.2139/ssrn.3517813|s2cid=213398742 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339076375}}</ref> Angry or emotional conversations can lead to real-world interactions, which can get users into dangerous situations. Some users have experienced threats of violence online and have feared these threats manifesting themselves offline. Related issues include ], online ], and ']'. According to cyberbullying statistics from the i-Safe Foundation, over half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online, and about the same number have engaged in cyberbullying.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/cyber-bullying-statistics.html | title=Cyber Bullying Statistics| date=July 7, 2015|publisher=Bullying Statistics|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> Both the bully and the victim are negatively affected, and the intensity, duration, and frequency of bullying are the three aspects that increase the negative effects on both of them.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Peebles|first=E|date=2014|title=Cyberbullying: Hiding behind the screen.|journal=Paediatrics & Child Health|volume=19|issue=10|pages=527–528|doi=10.1093/pch/19.10.527|pmid=25587229|pmc=4276384}}</ref>


=== Social comparison === ==== Addiction ====
Social media platforms can serve as a breeding ground for addiction-related behaviors, with studies report that excessive use can lead to addiction-like symptoms. These symptoms include compulsive checking, mood modification, and withdrawal when not using social media, which can result in decreased face-to-face social interactions and contribute to the deterioration of interpersonal relationships and a sense of loneliness.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Meta-analyses of comparative efficacy of antidepressant medications on peripheral BDNF concentration in patients with depression|last1=Chanjuan|first1=Zhou|last2=Jiaju|first2=Zhong|last3=Bin|first3=Zou|last4=Liang|first4=Fang|last5=Jianjun|first5=Chen|last6=Xiao|first6=Deng|last7=Lin|first7=Zhang|last8=Xiang|first8=Zhao|last9=Zehui|first9=Qu|last10=Yang|first10=Lei|last11=Ting|first11= Lei|journal= PLOS ONE|year=2017|volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=e0172270 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0172270|pmid=28241064|pmc=5328267 |bibcode=2017PLoSO..1272270Z |doi-access=free }}</ref>
One phenomenon that is commonly studied with social media is the issue of ]. People compare their own lives to the lives of their friends through their friends' posts.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} Because people are motivated to portray themselves in a way that is appropriate to the situation and serves their best interests,<ref name="Chua 190–197" /> often the things posted online are the positive aspects of people's lives, making other people question why their own lives are not as exciting or fulfilling. One study in 2017 found that problematic social media use (i.e., feeling addicted to social media) was related to lower life satisfaction and self-esteem scores; the authors speculate that users may feel if their life is not exciting enough to put online it is not as good as their friends or family.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Hawi | first1 = N.S. | last2 = Samaha | first2 = M. | s2cid = 64367207 | year = 2017 | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306048463 |title=The Relations Among Social Media Addiction, Self-Esteem, and Life Satisfaction in University Students | journal = Social Science Computer Review | volume = 35 | issue = 5| pages = 576–586 | doi = 10.1177/0894439316660340 }}</ref>


=== Cyberbullying ===
Studies have shown that self-comparison on social media can have dire effects on physical and mental health because they give us the ability to seek approval and compare ourselves.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Stefanone|first1=M.A.|last2=Lackaff|first2=D.|last3=Rosen|first3=D.|date=2011 |title=Contingencies of Self-Worth and Social-Networking-Site Behavior |url=http://www.buffalo.edu/content/dam/cas/communication/files/Stefanone/Stefanone_cyberpsych.2011.pdf |journal=Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking|volume=14 |issue=1–2 |pages=41–9 |doi=10.1089/cyber.2010.0049 |pmid=21329442 |hdl=2152/41152 |s2cid=8585314 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-01-27|title=Social media damages teenagers' mental health, report says|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|last=Criddle|first=Cristina|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55826238|access-date=2021-01-28}}</ref> In one study, women reported that social media are the most influential sources of their body image satisfaction; while men reported them as the second most impacting factor.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blackford |first1=Meghan |title=#bodypositive: A Look at Body Image & Social Media |url=https://fherehab.com/news/bodypositive/ |website=FHE Health |access-date=5 October 2020}}</ref>
{{Excerpt|Cyberbullying}}

Social media has allowed for people to be constantly surrounded and aware of celebrity images and influencers who hold strong online presence with the number of followers they have. This constant online presence has meant that people are far more aware of what others look like and as such body comparisons have become an issue, as people are far more aware of what the desired body type is. A study produced by King university showed that 87% of women and 65% of men compared themselves to images found on social media.<ref>{{cite web |title=Link between social media and body image |url=https://online.king.edu/news/social-media-and-body-image/ |access-date=15 May 2021|publisher=FHE Health}}</ref>

There are efforts to combat these negative effects, such as the use of the tag #instagramversusreality and #instagramversusreallife, that have been used to promote body positivity. In a related study, women aged 18–30 were shown posts using this hashtag that contained side-by-side images of women in the same clothes and setting, but one image was enhanced for Instagram, while the other was an unedited, "realistic" version. Women who participated in this experiment noted a decrease in body dissatisfaction.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Social media is not real: The effect of 'Instagram vs reality' images on women's social comparison and body image|last1=Tiggemann|first1=Marika|last2=Anderberg|first2=Isabella|date=2019-11-16|journal=New Media & Society|volume=22|issue=12|pages=2183–2199|doi=10.1177/1461444819888720|s2cid=210505708 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1461444819888720}}{{page needed|date=August 2022}}</ref>


=== Sleep disturbance === === Sleep disturbance ===
According to a study released in 2017 by researchers from the ], the link between sleep disturbance and the use of social media was clear. It concluded that blue light had a part to play—and how often they logged on, rather than time spent on social media sites, was a higher predictor of disturbed sleep, suggesting "an obsessive 'checking'".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180104-is-social-media-bad-for-you-the-evidence-and-the-unknowns|title=Is social media bad for you? The evidence and the unknowns|last=Brown|first=Jessica|language=en|access-date=2018-06-13|publisher=BBC}}</ref> The strong relationship of social media use and sleep disturbance has significant clinical ramifications for young adults health and well-being.<ref name="Levenson 36–41">{{Cite journal|journal=Preventative Meditation|last1=Levenson|first1=Jessica|last2=Shensa|first2=Ariel|last3=Sidani|first3=Jaime E.|last4=Colditz|first4=Jason B.|last5=Primack|first5=Brian A.|date=April 2016|title=The association between social media use and sleep disturbance among young adults |volume=85|pages=36–41|doi=10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.01.001|pmid=26791323 |pmc=4857587 }}</ref> In a recent study, we have learned that people in the highest quartile for social media use per week report the most sleep disturbance. The median number of minutes of social media use per day is 61 minutes. Lastly, we have learned that females are more inclined to experience high levels of sleep disturbance than males.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Levenson|first1=Jessica C.|last2=Shensa|first2=Ariel|last3=Sidani|first3=Jaime E.|last4=Colditz|first4=Jason B.|last5=Primack|first5=Brian A.|date=April 2016|title=The Association Between Social Media Use and Sleep Disturbance Among Young Adults|journal=Preventive Medicine|volume=85|pages=36–41|pmc=4857587|pmid=26791323|doi=10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.01.001}}</ref> Many teenagers suffer from sleep deprivation as they spend long hours at night on their phones, and this, in turn, could affect grades as they will be tired and unfocused in school.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ritcher |first1=Ruthann |title=Among teens, sleep deprivation an epidemic |url=https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/10/among-teens-sleep-deprivation-an-epidemic.html |access-date=14 November 2020 |work=News Center |publisher=Stanford School of Medicine |date=October 2015 |language=en}}</ref> In a study from 2011, it was found that time spent on Facebook has a strong negative relationship with overall ], but it was unclear if this was related to sleep disturbances.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Junco|first=Reynol|date=September 2011|title=Too Much Face and Not Enough Books |journal=Computers in Human Behavior|volume=28|pages=187–198|doi=10.1016/j.chb.2011.08.026}}</ref> Since blue light has increasingly become an issue smartphone developers have added a night mode feature that does not cause as much strain to the eyes as a blue light would.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-04-07 |title=Is Dark Mode Better For Your Eyes? |url=https://www.healthline.com/health/is-dark-mode-better-for-your-eyes |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=Healthline |language=en}}</ref> A 2017 study reported on a link between sleep disturbance and the use of social media. It concluded that blue light from computer/phone displays—and the frequency rather than the duration of time spent, predicted disturbed sleep, termed "obsessive 'checking{{'"}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180104-is-social-media-bad-for-you-the-evidence-and-the-unknowns|title=Is social media bad for you? The evidence and the unknowns|last=Brown|first=Jessica|language=en|access-date=2018-06-13|publisher=BBC}}</ref> The association between social media use and sleep disturbance has clinical ramifications for young adults.<ref name="Levenson 36–41">{{Cite journal|journal=Preventative Meditation|last1=Levenson|first1=Jessica|last2=Shensa|first2=Ariel|last3=Sidani|first3=Jaime E.|last4=Colditz|first4=Jason B.|last5=Primack|first5=Brian A.|date=April 2016|title=The association between social media use and sleep disturbance among young adults |volume=85|pages=36–41|doi=10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.01.001|pmid=26791323 |pmc=4857587 }}</ref> A recent study reported that people in the highest quartile for weekly social media use experienced the most sleep disturbance. The median number of minutes of social media use per day was 61. Females were more likely to experience high levels of sleep disturbance.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Levenson|first1=Jessica C.|last2=Shensa|first2=Ariel|last3=Sidani|first3=Jaime E.|last4=Colditz|first4=Jason B.|last5=Primack|first5=Brian A.|date=April 2016|title=The Association Between Social Media Use and Sleep Disturbance Among Young Adults|journal=Preventive Medicine|volume=85|pages=36–41|pmc=4857587|pmid=26791323|doi=10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.01.001}}</ref> Many teenagers suffer from sleep deprivation from long hours at night on their phones, and this left them tired and unfocused in school.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ritcher |first1=Ruthann |title=Among teens, sleep deprivation an epidemic |url=https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/10/among-teens-sleep-deprivation-an-epidemic.html |access-date=14 November 2020 |work=News Center |publisher=Stanford School of Medicine |date=October 2015 |language=en}}</ref> A 2011 study reported that time spent on Facebook was negatively associated with ], but the association with sleep disturbance was not established.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Junco|first=Reynol|date=September 2011|title=Too Much Face and Not Enough Books |journal=Computers in Human Behavior|volume=28|pages=187–198|doi=10.1016/j.chb.2011.08.026|s2cid=17799159 }}</ref>


===Emotional effects=== ===Emotional effects===
One studied effect of social media is 'Facebook depression', which affects adolescents who spend too much time on social media.<ref name="Schurgin-2011" /> This may lead to reclusiveness, which can increase loneliness and low self-esteem.<ref name="Schurgin-2011">{{cite journal|last1=Schurgin O'Keeffe|first1=Gwenn|last2=Clarke-Pearson|first2=Kathleen|title=The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families|date=2011|volume=127|issue=4|pages=800–804|doi=10.1542/peds.2011-0054|journal=Pediatrics|pmid=21444588 |s2cid=56801712 |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21444588/}}</ref> Social media curates content to encourage users to keep scrolling.<ref name="Levenson 36–41"/> Studies report children's self-esteem is positively affected by positive comments and negatively affected by negative or lack of comments. This affected self-perception.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Seymour |title=Successes and setbacks of social media: impact on academic life |year=2021 |publisher=Wiley Blackwell |isbn=978-1-119-69523-3 |pages=132}}</ref> A 2017 study of almost 6,000 adolescent students reported that those who self-reported addiction-like symptoms of social media use were more likely to report low self-esteem and high levels of depressive symptoms.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bányai|first1=Fanni|last2=Zsila|first2=Ágnes|last3=Király|first3=Orsolya|last4=Maraz|first4=Aniko|last5=Elekes|first5=Zsuzsanna|last6=Griffiths|first6=Mark D.|last7=Andreassen|first7=Cecilie Schou|last8=Demetrovics|first8=Zsolt|date=January 9, 2017|title=Problematic Social Media Use: Results from a Large-Scale Nationally Representative Adolescent Sample|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=12|issue=1|pages=e0169839|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0169839|pmid=28068404|pmc=5222338|issn=1932-6203|bibcode=2017PLoSO..1269839B|doi-access=free}}</ref>
{{See also|Social media and suicide}}

One studied emotional effect of social media is ''''Facebook depression'''<nowiki/>', which is a type of depression that affects adolescents who spend too much of their free time engaging with social media sites.<ref name=":16" /> This may lead to problems such as reclusiveness which can negatively damage one's health by creating feelings of loneliness and low self-esteem among young people.<ref name=":16">{{cite journal|last1=Schurgin O'Keeffe|first1=Gwenn|last2=Clarke-Pearson|first2=Kathleen|title=The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families|date=2011|volume=127|issue=4|pages=800–804|doi=10.1542/peds.2011-0054|journal=Pediatrics|pmid=21444588 |s2cid=56801712 |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21444588/}}</ref> Using a phone to look at social media before bed has become a popular trend among teenagers and this has led to a lack of sleep and inability to stay awake during school. Social media applications curate content that encourages users to keep scrolling to the point where they lose track of time.<ref name="Levenson 36–41"/> There are studies that show children's self-esteem is positively affected by positive comments on social media and negatively affected ] by negative comments. This affects the way that people look at themselves on a ].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Seymour |title=Successes and setbacks of social media: impact on academic life |year=2021 |publisher=Wiley Blackwell |isbn=9781119695233 |pages=132}}</ref> A 2017 study of almost 6,000 adolescent students showed that those who self-reported addiction-like symptoms of social media use were more likely to report low self-esteem and high levels of depressive symptoms.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bányai|first1=Fanni|last2=Zsila|first2=Ágnes|last3=Király|first3=Orsolya|last4=Maraz|first4=Aniko|last5=Elekes|first5=Zsuzsanna|last6=Griffiths|first6=Mark D.|last7=Andreassen|first7=Cecilie Schou|last8=Demetrovics|first8=Zsolt|date=January 9, 2017|title=Problematic Social Media Use: Results from a Large-Scale Nationally Representative Adolescent Sample|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=12|issue=1|pages=e0169839|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0169839|pmid=28068404|pmc=5222338|issn=1932-6203|bibcode=2017PLoSO..1269839B|doi-access=free}}</ref> From the findings on a population-based study, there is about 37% increase in the likelihood of major depression among adolescents.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-15 |title=Social media and mental health: Depression and psychological effects |url=https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/social-media-and-mental-health |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=www.medicalnewstoday.com |language=en|last=Sherrell|first=Zia}}</ref> In a different study conducted in 2007, those who used the most multiple social media platforms (7 to 11) had more than three times the risk of depression and anxiety than people who used the fewest (0 to 2).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Zagorski|first=Nick|date=January 20, 2017|title=Using Many Social Media Platforms Linked With Depression, Anxiety Risk|journal=Psychiatric News|language=en|volume=52|issue=2|pages=1|doi=10.1176/appi.pn.2017.1b16|issn=0033-2704}}</ref>
A second emotional effect is social media burnout, defined as ambivalence, emotional exhaustion, and ]. Ambivalence is confusion about the benefits from using social media. Emotional exhaustion is stress from using social media. Depersonalization is emotional detachment from social media. The three burnout factors negatively influence the likelihood of continuing on social media.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Han |first1=Bo |year=2018 |title=Social Media Burnout: Definition, Measurement Instrument, and Why We Care |journal=Journal of Computer Information Systems |volume=58 |issue=2 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1080/08874417.2016.1208064 |s2cid=67791822}}</ref>


A third emotional effect is "]" (FOMO), which is the "pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent."<ref name="Przybylski, Andrew K. 2013">{{cite journal|last1=Przybylski|first1=Andrew K.|last2=Murayama|first2=Kou|last3=DeHaan|first3=Cody R.|last4=Gladwell|first4=Valerie|year=2013|title=Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out|journal=Computers in Human Behavior|volume=29|issue=4|pages=1841–1848|doi=10.1016/j.chb.2013.02.014|s2cid=12602767 }}</ref> It is associated with increased scrutiny of friends on social media.<ref name="Przybylski, Andrew K. 2013" />
A second emotional effect is '''social media burnout''', which is defined by Bo Han as ambivalence, emotional exhaustion, and ].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Han|first1=Bo|year=2018|title=Social Media Burnout: Definition, Measurement Instrument, and Why We Care|journal=Journal of Computer Information Systems|volume=58|issue=2|pages=1–9|doi=10.1080/08874417.2016.1208064|s2cid=67791822}}</ref> Ambivalence refers to a user's confusion about the benefits she can get from using a social media site. Emotional exhaustion refers to the stress a user has when using a social media site. Depersonalization refers to the emotional detachment from a social media site a user experiences. The three burnout factors can all negatively influence the user's social media continuance. This study provides an instrument to measure the burnout a user can experience when his or her social media "friends" are generating an overwhelming amount of useless information (e.g., "what I had for dinner", "where I am now").


Social media can also offer support as ] has done for the medical community.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Fuller|first1=Maren Y.|last2=Allen|first2=Timothy Craig|date=2016-09-01|title=Let's Have a Tweetup: The Case for Using Twitter Professionally|url=http://meridian.allenpress.com/aplm/article/140/9/956/196157/Lets-Have-a-Tweetup-The-Case-for-Using-Twitter|journal=Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine|language=en|volume=140|issue=9|pages=956–957|doi=10.5858/arpa.2016-0172-SA|pmid=27195434|issn=1543-2165|doi-access=free}}</ref> X facilitated academic discussion among health professionals and students, while providing a supportive community for these individuals by and allowing members to support each other through likes, comments, and posts.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Liu|first1=Lisa|last2=Woo|first2=Benjamin K P|date=2021-01-19|title=Twitter as a Mental Health Support System for Students and Professionals in the Medical Field|journal=JMIR Medical Education|language=en|volume=7|issue=1|pages=e17598|doi=10.2196/17598|pmid=33464210|pmc=7854042|issn=2369-3762|doi-access=free}}</ref> Access to social media offered a way to keep older adults connected, after the deaths of partners and geographical distance between friends and loved ones.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cotten |first1=Shelia R. |last2=Schuster |first2=Amy M. |last3=Seifert |first3=Alexander |date=2022-06-01 |title=Social media use and well-being among older adults |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X21002451 |journal=Current Opinion in Psychology |volume=45 |pages=101293 |doi=10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.12.005 |pmid=35065352 |s2cid=245302663 |issn=2352-250X}}</ref>
A third emotional effect is the "]" (FOMO), which is defined as the "pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent."<ref name="Przybylski, Andrew K. 2013">{{cite journal|last1=Przybylski|first1=Andrew K.|last2=Murayama|first2=Kou|last3=DeHaan|first3=Cody R.|last4=Gladwell|first4=Valerie|year=2013|title=Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out|journal=Computers in Human Behavior|volume=29|issue=4|pages=1841–1848|doi=10.1016/j.chb.2013.02.014}}</ref> FOMO has been classified by some as a form of social ].<ref name="JWT2012">{{Cite web|date=March 2012|title=Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)|url=http://www.jwtintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/F_JWT_FOMO-update_3.21.12.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626125816/http://www.jwtintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/F_JWT_FOMO-update_3.21.12.pdf|archive-date=2015-06-26|website=]}}</ref> It is associated with checking updates on friends' activities on social media.<ref name="Przybylski, Andrew K. 2013" /> Some speculate that checking updates on friends' activities on social media may be associated with negative influences on people's ] and well-being because it could contribute to negative mood and depressed feelings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/business/10ping.html|title=Feel Like a Wallflower? Maybe It's Your Facebook Wall|date=2011-04-10|last=Wortham|first=J.|work=The New York Times|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/students/lifestyle/living-with-fomo|title=Living with FoMO|last=Shea|first=Michael|date=2015-07-27|publisher=The Skinny|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> Looking at friends' stories or posts of them attending ], ]s, vacations and other events on various social media applications can lead users to feel left out and upset because they are not having as much fun as others. This is a very common issue between young people using certain apps and it continues to affect their personal well-being.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Roberts|first1=James|title=The Social Media Party: Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), Social Media Intensity, Connection, and Well-Being|journal=International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction|year=2020|volume=36|issue=4|pages=386–392|doi=10.1080/10447318.2019.1646517|s2cid=201138032|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334717933}}</ref>


{{Excerpt|Social media and suicide}}
On the other hand, social media can sometimes have a supportive effect on individuals who use it. ] has been used more by the medical community.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Fuller|first1=Maren Y.|last2=Allen|first2=Timothy Craig|date=2016-09-01|title=Let's Have a Tweetup: The Case for Using Twitter Professionally|url=http://meridian.allenpress.com/aplm/article/140/9/956/196157/Lets-Have-a-Tweetup-The-Case-for-Using-Twitter|journal=Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine|language=en|volume=140|issue=9|pages=956–957|doi=10.5858/arpa.2016-0172-SA|pmid=27195434|issn=1543-2165|doi-access=free}}</ref> While Twitter can facilitate academic discussion among health professionals and students, it can also provide a supportive community for these individuals by fostering a sense of community and allowing individuals to support each other through ], likes, and comments.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Liu|first1=Lisa|last2=Woo|first2=Benjamin K P|date=2021-01-19|title=Twitter as a Mental Health Support System for Students and Professionals in the Medical Field|journal=JMIR Medical Education|language=en|volume=7|issue=1|pages=e17598|doi=10.2196/17598|pmid=33464210|pmc=7854042|issn=2369-3762|doi-access=free}}</ref>


==Social impacts{{anchor|Social_impacts_of_social_media}}== ==Social impacts{{anchor|Social_impacts_of_social_media}}==
Media critic ] refers to social media as 'anti-social media' in reference to its negative impacts including on loneliness and political polarization.<ref name=":3" /> ] also uses the term antisocial in reference to its impact on democracy.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Kaufmann |first1=Bruno |last2=Glatthard |first2=Jonas |date=2021-05-07 |title='Humour over rumour': lessons from Taiwan in digital democracy |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/freedom-of-expression-humour-over-rumour-lessons-from-taiwan-in-digital-democracy/46592080 |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=] |language=en-GB}}</ref>


===Disparity=== ===Disparity===
{{Further|Digital divide}} {{Excerpt|Digital divide}}
The ] is a measure of ] in the level of access to technology between households, socioeconomic levels or other demographic categories.<ref name="ZhouLeidig2015">{{cite journal |last1=Zhou |first1=Wei-Xing |last2=Leidig |first2=Mathias |last3=Teeuw |first3=Richard M. |title=Quantifying and Mapping Global Data Poverty |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=10 |issue=11 |year=2015 |pages=e0142076 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0142076 |doi-access=free |pmid=26560884 |pmc=4641581|bibcode=2015PLoSO..1042076L }}</ref><ref name="NTIA95">{{cite web|url=https://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fallingthru.html|title=FALLING THROUGH THE NET: A Survey of the "Have Nots" in Rural and Urban America|date=July 1995|publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> People who are ], living in poverty, elderly people and those living in rural or remote communities may have little or no access to computers and the Internet; in contrast, middle class and upper-class people in urban areas have very high rates of computer and Internet access. Other models argue that within a modern ], some individuals produce Internet content while others only consume it,<ref name="Graham">{{Cite journal |last1=Graham |first1=M. |s2cid=17281619 |title=Time machines and virtual portals: The spatialities of the digital divide |doi=10.1177/146499341001100303 |journal=Progress in Development Studies |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=211–227 |date=July 2011|citeseerx=10.1.1.659.9379 }}</ref><ref name="Reilley">{{cite journal |author=Reilley, Collen A. |title=Teaching Misplaced Pages as a Mirrored Technology |journal=First Monday |volume=16 |number=1–3 |date=January 2011 |doi=10.5210/fm.v16i1.2824 |doi-access=free}}</ref> which could be a result of disparities in the education system where only some teachers integrate technology into the classroom and teach critical thinking.<ref name="Reinhart">{{cite journal |last1=Reinhart |first1=J. |last2=Thomas |first2=E. |last3=Toriskie |first3=J. |year=2011 |title=K-12 Teachers: Technology Use and the Second Level Digital Divide |journal=Journal of Instructional Psychology |volume=38 |issue=3/4 |page=181 }}</ref> While social media has differences among age groups, a 2010 study in the United States found no racial divide.<ref name="KontosEmmons2010">{{cite journal |last1=Kontos |first1=Emily Z. |last2=Emmons |first2=Karen M. |last3=Puleo |first3=Elaine |last4=Viswanath |first4=K. |title=Communication Inequalities and Public Health Implications of Adult Social Networking Site Use in the United States |journal=Journal of Health Communication |volume=15 |issue=Suppl 3 |year=2010 |pages=216–235 |doi=10.1080/10810730.2010.522689 |pmid=21154095 |pmc=3073379}}</ref> Some ] programs offer subsidized data access to certain websites on low-cost plans. Critics say that this is an anti-competitive program that undermines ] and creates a "]"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zdnet.com/article/who-really-wins-from-facebooks-free-internet-plan-for-africa/ |title=Who really wins from Facebook's 'free internet' plan for Africa?|last=Heuler|first=Hilary|date=2015-05-15|work=ZDNet|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> for platforms like ]. A 2015 study found that 65% of ], 61% of ], and 58% of ] agree with the statement that "Facebook is the Internet" compared with only 5% in the US.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://qz.com/333313/milliions-of-facebook-users-have-no-idea-theyre-using-the-internet/ |title=Millions of Facebook users have no idea they're using the internet |last=Mirani|first=Leo |date=February 9, 2015 | publisher = Quartz}}</ref>

] contends that social media in the form of ] create a patina of inclusiveness that covers<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/uruguay-prodded-to-end-ba_b_1144833 |title=Uruguay Prodded by G-20 to End Bank Secrecy |publisher=Huff Post |access-date=2022-08-29|last=Ehrmann|first=Eric|date=December 14, 2011}}</ref> traditional economic interests that are structured to ensure that wealth is pumped up to the top of the economic pyramid, perpetuating the digital divide and post-Marxian class conflict. He also voices concern over the trend that finds social utilities operating in a quasi-] global environment of oligopoly that requires users in economically challenged nations to spend high percentages of annual income to pay for devices and services to participate in the social media lifestyle. ] also contends that social media will increase an information disparity between "winners" – who are able to use the social media actively – and "losers" – who are not familiar with modern technologies or who do not have access to them. People with high social media skills may have better access to information about job opportunities, potential new friends, and social activities in their area, which may enable them to improve their standard of living and their ].


===Political polarization=== ===Political polarization===
{{See also|Social media#Threat to democracy|Media bias#social media|Rage-baiting}}Many critics point to studies showing social media algorithms elevate more partisan and inflammatory content.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 1, 2021 |title=Facebook Disputes Claims It Fuels Political Polarization And Extremism |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/04/01/983155583/facebook-disputes-claims-it-fuels-political-polarization-and-extremism |work=NPR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 27, 2023 |title=New study shows just how Facebook's algorithm shapes conservative and liberal bubbles |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/07/27/1190383104/new-study-shows-just-how-facebooks-algorithm-shapes-conservative-and-liberal-bub |work=NPR |quote=Still, the research sheds light on how Facebook's algorithm works. The studies found liberals and conservatives live in their own political news bubbles more so than elsewhere online. They also show that changing the platform's algorithm substantially changes what people see and how they behave on the site — even if it didn't affect their beliefs during the three-month period researchers studied...'This is interesting, strong evidence that when it comes to politics, the algorithm is biased towards the extremes,' Edelson said. 'This is genuinely new.'}}</ref> Because of ]s that filter and display news content that matches users' political preferences, one potential impact is an increase in ] due to ]. Political polarization is the divergence of political attitudes towards ] extremes. Selective exposure occurs when an individual favors information that supports their beliefs and avoids information that conflicts with them.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Molla |first=Rani |date=2020-11-10 |title=Social media is making a bad political situation worse |url=https://www.vox.com/recode/21534345/polarization-election-social-media-filter-bubble |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=Vox |language=en-US}}</ref> ] compared the impact of social media to the ] and the chaos it unleashed as a result.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Mathew |date=June 9, 2022 |title=Have the dangers of social media been overstated? |url=https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/have-the-dangers-of-social-media-been-overstated.php |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Columbia Journalism Review |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Lewis-Kraus |first=Gideon |date=2022-06-03 |title=How Harmful Is Social Media? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/we-know-less-about-social-media-than-we-think |access-date=2024-10-09 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref><ref name=":4" />
{{Further|topic=the political effects of media in general|Mediatization (media)}}
According to the ] and other research works, a majority of Americans at least occasionally receive news from social media.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.journalism.org/2018/09/10/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2018/|last1=Shearer|first1=Elisa|last2=Matsa|first2=Katerina Eva|title=News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2018 |work=Pew Research Center|date=September 10, 2018|language=en-US|access-date=2018-12-08}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Our Western Spring: The Battle Between Technology and Democracy, Moment of Truth Kindle Edition|publisher=Amazon|year=2022|editor-last=Shvalb|editor-first=Nir|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362648524}}</ref> Because of ]s on social media which filter and display news content which are likely to match their users' political preferences (known as a ]), a potential impact of receiving news from social media includes an increase in ] due to ]<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Hayat|first1=Tsahi|last2=Samuel-Azran|first2=Tal|s2cid=148973729|date=April 3, 2017|title="You too, Second Screeners?" Second Screeners' Echo Chambers During the 2016 U.S. Elections Primaries|journal=Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media|volume=61|issue=2|pages=291–308|doi=10.1080/08838151.2017.1309417|issn=0883-8151}}</ref> Political polarization refers to when an individual's stance on a topic is more likely to be strictly defined by their identification with a specific political party or ] than on other factors. Selective exposure occurs when an individual favors information that supports their beliefs and avoids information that conflicts with their beliefs. A study by Hayat and Samuel-Azran conducted during the ] observed an "]" effect of selective exposure among 27,811 Twitter users following the content of cable news shows.<ref name=":0" /> The Twitter users observed in the study were found to have little interaction with users and content whose beliefs were different from their own, possibly heightening polarization effects.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite journal|title=A Critical Appraisal of the Twitterverse|last1=Chohan|first1=Usman W.|last2=D'Souza|first2=Aron|date=2020-03-26|journal=Social Media Critical Research Series|ssrn=3546890 |access-date=2022-08-29|url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3546890}}</ref> Another 2016 study using U.S. elections, conducted by Evans and Clark, revealed gender differences in the political use of Twitter between candidates.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Evans and Clark|first=Heather and Jennifer|date=2016|title='You Tweet Like a Girl!': How Female Candidates Campaign on Twitter|journal=American Politics Research|volume=44|issue=2|pages=326|doi=10.1177/1532673X15597747|s2cid=155159860}}</ref> Whilst politics is a ] arena, on social media the situation appears to be the opposite, with women discussing policy issues at a higher rate than their male counterparts. The study concluded that an increase in female candidates directly correlates to an increase in the amount of attention paid to policy issues, potentially heightening political polarization.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Evans and Clark|first=Heather and Jennifer|date=2016|title='You Tweet Like a Girl!': How Female Candidates Campaign on Twitter|journal=American Politics Research|volume=44|issue=2|pages=343|doi=10.1177/1532673X15597747|s2cid=155159860}}</ref>


Aviv Ovadya argues that these algorithms incentivize the creation of divisive content in addition to promoting existing divisive content,<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Ovadya |first=Aviv |date=May 17, 2022 |title=Bridging-Based Ranking |url=https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/bridging-based-ranking |access-date=2024-07-17 |website=Belfer Center at ] |pages=3, 10–13 |language=en |quote=Chronological feeds are just 'recency-biased ranking' systems with their own problems...'Choose your own ranking systems' are not quite good enough}}</ref> but could be designed to reduce polarization instead.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ovadya |first=Aviv |date=May 17, 2022 |title=Bridging-Based Ranking |url=https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/bridging-based-ranking |access-date=2024-07-17 |website=Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University |pages=21–23, 28 |language=en}}</ref> In 2017, Facebook gave its new emoji reactions five times the weight in its algorithms as its like button, which data scientists at the company in 2019 confirmed had disproportionately boosted toxicity, misinformation and low-quality news.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Merrill |first1=Jeremy B. |last2=Oremus |first2=Will |date=October 26, 2021 |title=Five points for anger, one for a 'like': How Facebook's formula fostered rage and misinformation |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/26/facebook-angry-emoji-algorithm/ |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> Some popular ideas for how to combat selective exposure have had no or opposite impacts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Klepper |first=David |date=2023-07-27 |title=Deep dive into Meta's algorithms shows that America's political polarization has no easy fix |url=https://apnews.com/article/facebook-instagram-polarization-misinformation-social-media-f0628066301356d70ad2eda2551ed260 |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=AP News |language=en |quote=When they replaced the algorithm with a simple chronological listing of posts from friends — an option Facebook recently made available to users — it had no measurable impact on polarization...Likewise, reducing the content that Facebook users get from accounts with the same ideological alignment had no significant effect on polarization, susceptibility to misinformation or extremist views.}}</ref><ref name="Volfovsky-2018">{{Cite journal |last1=Volfovsky |first1=Alexander |last2=Merhout |first2=Friedolin |last3=Mann |first3=Marcus |last4=Lee |first4=Jaemin |last5=Hunzaker |first5=M. B. Fallin |last6=Chen |first6=Haohan |last7=Bumpus |first7=John P. |last8=Brown |first8=Taylor W. |last9=Argyle |first9=Lisa P. |date=September 11, 2018 |title=Exposure to opposing views on social media can increase political polarization |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=115 |issue=37 |pages=9216–9221 |bibcode=2018PNAS..115.9216B |doi=10.1073/pnas.1804840115 |issn=1091-6490 |pmc=6140520 |pmid=30154168 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> Some advocate for ] as a solution.<ref name="Mihailidis-2017">{{Cite journal |last1=Mihailidis |first1=Paul |last2=Viotty |first2=Samantha |date=March 27, 2017 |title=Spreadable Spectacle in Digital Culture: Civic Expression, Fake News, and the Role of Media Literacies in "Post-Fact" Society |journal=American Behavioral Scientist |volume=61 |issue=4 |pages=441–454 |doi=10.1177/0002764217701217 |issn=0002-7642 |s2cid=151950124}}</ref> Others argue that less social media,<ref name=":1" /> or more ]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-30 |title=Loss of newspapers contributes to political polarization |url=https://apnews.com/article/ecf440606c824f9d9671f2fb22a2ffce |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Moore |first=Thomas |date=May 21, 2021 |title=Study: Decline in local journalism increases political polarization |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/554824-study-decline-in-local-journalism-increases-political-polarization/ |work=The Hill}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Dunaway |first1=Johanna |last2=Darr |first2=Joshua P. |last3=Hitt |first3=Matthew P. |date=2021-05-27 |title=Local newspapers can help reduce polarization with opinion pages that focus on local issues |url=http://theconversation.com/local-newspapers-can-help-reduce-polarization-with-opinion-pages-that-focus-on-local-issues-158834 |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref> could help address political polarization.
Efforts to combat selective exposure in social media may also cause an increase in political polarization.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Volfovsky|first1=Alexander|last2=Merhout|first2=Friedolin|last3=Mann|first3=Marcus|last4=Lee|first4=Jaemin|last5=Hunzaker|first5=M. B. Fallin|last6=Chen|first6=Haohan|last7=Bumpus|first7=John P.|last8=Brown|first8=Taylor W.|last9=Argyle|first9=Lisa P.|date=September 11, 2018|title=Exposure to opposing views on social media can increase political polarization|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=115|issue=37|pages=9216–9221|doi=10.1073/pnas.1804840115|issn=1091-6490|pmc=6140520|pmid=30154168|bibcode=2018PNAS..115.9216B |doi-access=free}}</ref> A study examining Twitter activity conducted by Bail et al. paid Democrat and Republican participants to follow Twitter handles whose content was different from their political beliefs (Republicans received liberal content and Democrats received conservative content) over a six-week period.<ref name=":3" /> At the end of the study, both ] and ] participants were found to have increased political polarization in favor of their own parties, though only Republican participants had an increase that was statistically significant.<ref name=":3" />


===Stereotyping===
Though research has shown evidence that social media plays a role in increasing political polarization, it has also shown evidence that social media use leads to a persuasion of political beliefs.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last1=Diehl|first1=Trevor|last2=Weeks|first2=Brian E|last3=Gil de Zúñiga|first3=Homero|s2cid=7876343|date=July 9, 2016|title=Political persuasion on social media: Tracing direct and indirect effects of news use and social interaction|journal=New Media & Society|volume=18|issue=9|pages=1875–1895|doi=10.1177/1461444815616224|issn=1461-4448}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last1=Greenwood|first1=Molly M.|last2=Sorenson|first2=Mary E.|last3=Warner|first3=Benjamin R.|date=April 2016|title=Ferguson on Facebook: Political persuasion in a new era of media effects|journal=Computers in Human Behavior|volume=57|pages=1–10|doi=10.1016/j.chb.2015.12.003|issn=0747-5632}}</ref> An online survey consisting of 1,024 U.S. participants was conducted by Diehl, Weeks, and Gil de Zuñiga, which found that individuals who use social media were more likely to have their political beliefs persuaded than those who did not.<ref name=":4" /> In particular, those using social media as a means to receive their news were the most likely to have their political beliefs changed.<ref name=":4" /> Diehl et al. found that the persuasion reported by participants was influenced by the exposure to diverse viewpoints they experienced, both in the content they saw as well as the political discussions they participated in.<ref name=":4" /> Similarly, a study by Hardy and colleagues conducted with 189 students from a Midwestern state university examined the persuasive effect of watching a political comedy video on Facebook.<ref name=":5" /> Hardy et al. found that after watching a Facebook video of the comedian/political commentator ] performing a segment on his show, participants were likely to be persuaded to change their viewpoint on the topic they watched (either ] or the ]) to one that was closer to the opinion expressed by Oliver.<ref name=":5" /> Furthermore, the persuasion experienced by the participants was found to be reduced if they viewed comments by Facebook users which contradicted the arguments made by Oliver.<ref name=":5" />
{{See also|Stereotype}}
A 2018 study reported that social media increases the power of stereotypes.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Díaz-Fernández|first1=Antonio M.|last2=del-Real-Castrillo|first2=Cristina|date=July 1, 2018|title=Spies and security: Assessing the impact of animated videos on intelligence services in school children|journal=Comunicar|language=es|volume=26|issue=56|pages=81–89|doi=10.3916/c56-2018-08|issn=1134-3478|doi-access=free|hdl=10272/15122|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Stereotypes can have both negative and positive connotations. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, youth were accused of responsibility for spreading the disease.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Young adults, unfairly blamed for COVID-19 spread, now face stress and uncertain futures |url=https://beyond.ubc.ca/young-adults-blamed-for-covid/|last1=Knight|first1=Rod|last2=Jauffret-Roustide|first2=Marie|last3=Bolduc|first3=Naseeb|last4=Coulard|first4=Pierre-julien|date=2020-12-03|access-date=2022-04-07 |website=Beyond |publisher=] |language=en}}</ref> Elderly people get stereotyped as lacking knowledge of proper behavior on social media.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ng |first=Reuben |date=2021-08-21 |title=Societal Age Stereotypes in the U.S. and U.K. from a Media Database of 1.1 Billion Words |journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |volume=18 |issue=16 |pages=8822 |doi=10.3390/ijerph18168822 |issn=1661-7827 |pmc=8391425 |pmid=34444578|doi-access=free }}</ref> Social media platforms usually amplify these stereotypes by reinforcing age-based biases through certain algorithms as well as user-generated content. Unfortunately, these stereotypes contribute to social divide and negatively impact the way users interact online.<ref>Kroon, Anne C., and Martine van Selm. “Good Intentions Aside: Stereotype Threat in the Face of Media Strategies to Counter Age Bias.” Research on Aging 46, no. 9/10 (October 2024): 480–91. https://doi.org/10.1177/01640275241249117 </ref>


===Communication===
Research has also shown that social media use may not have an effect on polarization at all.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last1=Lee|first1=Jae Kook|last2=Choi|first2=Jihyang|last3=Kim|first3=Cheonsoo|last4=Kim|first4=Yonghwan|date=January 30, 2014|title=Social Media, Network Heterogeneity, and Opinion Polarization|journal=Journal of Communication|volume=64|issue=4|pages=702–722|doi=10.1111/jcom.12077|issn=0021-9916}}</ref> A U.S. national survey of 1,032 participants conducted by Lee et al. found that participants who used social media were more likely to be exposed to a diverse number of people and amount of opinion than those who did not, although using social media was not correlated with a change in political polarization for these participants.<ref name=":6" />
Social media allows for mass ] and ], despite different ways of communicating in various cultures.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/ampu/crosscult.html|title=Working on Common Cross-cultural Communication Challenges|website=www.pbs.org|last1=DuPraw|first1=Marcelle E.|last2=Axner|first2=Marya|date=1997|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref>


Social media has affected the way youth communicate, by introducing new forms of language.<ref>{{cite book | doi=10.1007/978-3-030-84230-7 | title=Esperanto Revolutionaries and Geeks | date=2021 | last1=Fians | first1=Guilherme | isbn=978-3-030-84229-1 | s2cid=245721938 }}</ref> Novel acronyms save time, as illustrated by "]", which is the ubiquitous shortcut for "laugh out loud".
In a study examining the potential polarizing effects of social media on the political views of its users, Mihailidis and Viotty suggest that a new way of engaging with social media must occur to avoid polarization.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last1=Mihailidis|first1=Paul|last2=Viotty|first2=Samantha|s2cid=151950124|date=March 27, 2017|title=Spreadable Spectacle in Digital Culture: Civic Expression, Fake News, and the Role of Media Literacies in "Post-Fact" Society|journal=American Behavioral Scientist|volume=61|issue=4|pages=441–454|doi=10.1177/0002764217701217|issn=0002-7642}}</ref> The authors note that ] (described as methods which give people skills to critique and create media) are important to using social media in a responsible and productive way, and state that these literacies must be changed further in order to have the most effectiveness.<ref name=":7" /> In order to decrease polarization and encourage cooperation among social media users, Mihailidis and Viotty suggest that media literacies must focus on teaching individuals how to connect with other people in a caring way, embrace differences, and understand the ways in which social media has a real impact on the political, social, and cultural issues of the society they are a part of.<ref name=":7" />


The ] was created to simplify searching for information and to allow users to highlight topics of interest in the hope of attracting the attention of others. Hashtags can be used to advocate for a movement, mark content for future use, and allow other users to contribute to a discussion.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Saxton|first1=Gregory D.|last2=Niyirora|first2=Jerome N.|last3=Guo|first3=Chao|last4=Waters|first4=Richard D.|date=Spring 2015|title=#AdvocatingForChange: The Strategic Use of Hashtags in Social Media Advocacy|journal=Advances in Social Work|volume=16|pages=154–169|doi=10.18060/17952|doi-access=free}}</ref>
===Stereotyping===
Recent research has demonstrated that social media, and media in general, have the power to increase the scope of stereotypes not only in children but people of all ages.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Díaz-Fernández|first1=Antonio M.|last2=del-Real-Castrillo|first2=Cristina|date=July 1, 2018|title=Spies and security: Assessing the impact of animated videos on intelligence services in school children|journal=Comunicar|language=es|volume=26|issue=56|pages=81–89|doi=10.3916/c56-2018-08|issn=1134-3478|doi-access=free}}</ref> Both cases of stereotyping of the youth and the elderly are prime examples of ]. The presumed characteristics of the individual being stereotyped can have both negative and positive connotations but frequently carry an opposing viewpoint. For example, the youth on social media platforms are often depicted as lazy, immature individuals who oftentimes have no drive or passion for other activities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Charlotte |title=Three ways teenagers are misrepresented in society |url=http://theconversation.com/three-ways-teenagers-are-misrepresented-in-society-101557 |date=2018-08-29|access-date=2022-04-07 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}</ref> For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the youth were accused for the spread of the disease and were blamed for the continuous lockdowns across the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Young adults, unfairly blamed for COVID-19 spread, now face stress and uncertain futures - Beyond |url=https://beyond.ubc.ca/young-adults-blamed-for-covid/|last1=Knight|first1=Rod|last2=Jauffret-Roustide|first2=Marie|last3=Bolduc|first3=Naseeb|last4=Coulard|first4=Pierre-julien|date=2020-12-03|access-date=2022-04-07 |website=beyond.ubc.ca |language=en}}</ref> These misrepresentations make it difficult for the youth to find new efforts and prove others wrong, especially when a large group of individuals believe that the stereotypes are highly accurate. Considering the youthful groups that are present on social media are frequently in a new stage of their lives and preparing to make life-changing decisions, it is essential that the stereotypes are diminished so that they do not feel invalidated. Further, stereotyping often occurs for the elderly as they are presumed to be a group of individuals who are unaware of the proper functions and slang usage on social media.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ng |first=Reuben |date=2021-08-21 |title=Societal Age Stereotypes in the U.S. and U.K. from a Media Database of 1.1 Billion Words |journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |volume=18 |issue=16 |pages=8822 |doi=10.3390/ijerph18168822 |issn=1661-7827 |pmc=8391425 |pmid=34444578|doi-access=free }}</ref> These stereotypes often seek to exclude older generations from participating in trends or engaging them in other activities on digital platforms.


For some young people, social media and texting have largely replaced in person communications, made worse by pandemic isolation, delaying the development of conversation and other social skills.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Using Social Media Affects Teenagers |url=https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/ |access-date=2022-10-20 |website=Child Mind Institute |language=en-us}}</ref>
===Effects on youth communication===
Social media has allowed for mass ] and ]. As different cultures have different ], cultural themes, ], and world views, they also communicate differently.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/ampu/crosscult.html|title=Working on Common Cross-cultural Communication Challenges|website=www.pbs.org|last1=DuPraw|first1=Marcelle E.|last2=Axner|first2=Marya|date=1997|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> The emergence of social media platforms fused together different cultures and their communication methods, blending together various cultural thinking patterns and expression styles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311535510|title=The Impact of Social Media on Intercultural Communication|last1=Prakapienė|first1=Dalia|last2=Prakapas|first2=Romas|website=Research Gate|access-date=3 December 2019|date=August 2016}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=December 2019}}


What is socially acceptable is now heavily based on social media.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Anderson |first1=Monica |last2=Jiang |first2=Jingjing |title=1. Teens and their experiences on social media |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/11/28/teens-and-their-experiences-on-social-media/ |website=Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech |access-date=21 November 2020 |date=28 November 2018}}</ref> The ] reported that bullying, the making of non-inclusive friend groups, and sexual experimentation have increased cyberbullying, privacy issues, and sending sexual images or messages. ] and ] became rampant, particularly among minors, with legal implications and resulting trauma risk.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lalli|first=Jaideep Singh|date=2021-08-05|title=Maryland's Underage Sexting Case: Punishing Revenge Porn Victims?: Case Analysis of In Re: S.K., 215 A.3d 300 (Md. 2019)|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/25166069211033212|journal=Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice|language=en|pages= |doi=10.1177/25166069211033212|s2cid=241531975|issn=2516-6069}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Osterday|first=Mitchell|date=2015–2016|title=Protecting Minors from Themselves: Expanding Revenge Porn Laws to Protect the Most Vulnerable|url=https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/inlawrev/article/view/21002|journal=Indiana Law Review|volume=49|issue=2|pages=555|doi=10.18060/4806.0075|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Phippen|first1=Andy|url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315149691/sexting-revenge-pornography-andy-phippen-maggie-brennan|title=Sexting and Revenge Pornography: Legislative and Social Dimensions of a Modern Digital Phenomenon|last2=Brennan|first2=Maggie|date=2020-12-07|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-315-14969-1|location=London|doi=10.4324/9781315149691|s2cid=228921617}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Paat|first1=Yok-Fong|last2=Markham|first2=Christine|date=2021-01-02|title=Digital crime, trauma, and abuse: Internet safety and cyber risks for adolescents and emerging adults in the 21st century|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/15332985.2020.1845281|journal=Social Work in Mental Health|volume=19|issue=1|pages=18–40|doi=10.1080/15332985.2020.1845281|s2cid=228869238|issn=1533-2985}}</ref> However, adolescents can learn basic social and technical skills online.<ref name="center4research.org">{{Cite web |last1=Mir |first1=Eline |last2=Novas |first2=Caroline |last3=Seymour |first3=Meg |date=2018-08-10 |title=Social Media and Adolescents' and Young Adults' Mental Health |url=http://www.center4research.org/social-media-affects-mental-health/ |access-date=2020-02-29 |website=National Center for Health Research |language=en-US}}</ref> Social media, can strengthen relationships just by keeping in touch, making more friends, and engaging in community activities.<ref name="Schurgin-2011" />
Social media has affected the way youth communicate, by introducing new forms of language.<ref>Fians, Guilherme (2021) Esperanto Revolutionaries and Geeks: Language Politics, Digital Media and the Making of an International Community. Cham, London, and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-84230-7</ref> Abbreviations have been introduced to cut down on the time it takes to respond online. The commonly known "]" has become globally recognized as the abbreviation for "laugh out loud" thanks to social media and use by people of all ages particularly as people grow up.


== Regulation by government authorities ==
Another trend that influences the way youth communicates is the use of hashtags. With the introduction of social media platforms such as ], ], and ] the hashtag was created to easily organize and search for information. Hashtags can be used when people want to advocate for a movement, store content or tweets from a movement for future use, and allow other social media users to contribute to a discussion about a certain movement by using existing hashtags. Using hashtags as a way to advocate for something online makes it easier and more accessible for more people to acknowledge it around the world.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Saxton|first1=Gregory D.|last2=Niyirora|first2=Jerome N.|last3=Guo|first3=Chao|last4=Waters|first4=Richard D.|date=Spring 2015|title=#AdvocatingForChange: The Strategic Use of Hashtags in Social Media Advocacy|journal=Advances in Social Work|volume=16|pages=154–169|doi=10.18060/17952|doi-access=free}}</ref> As hashtags such as #tbt ("]") become a part of online communication, it influenced the way in which youth share and communicate in their daily lives. Because of these changes in linguistics and communication etiquette, researchers of media semiotics{{who|date=November 2018}} have found that this has altered youth's communications habits and more.<ref>Crystal, David (2008) Txting: The gr8 db8. Oxford: Oxford University Press.</ref>{{vague|date=November 2018}}


=== Situation by geographical region ===
Social media is a great way to learn about your community and the world around you, but as social media progressed younger audiences have lowered their ability to effectively communicate. Because of the digital nature, teens have stopped worrying about the consequences that social media has. They often don't think about what they are sending and take longer to figure out what to say. In return, during real-life settings, it's harder for them to carry on conversations. Social media also creates a toxic environment where people ] each other, so in person they act the same way and don't worry about the consequences. This can not only affect themselves but people around them.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Using Social Media Affects Teenagers |url=https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/ |access-date=2022-10-20 |website=Child Mind Institute |language=en-us}}</ref>
{{Expand section|date=July 2024}}


==== Australia ====
Social media has offered a new platform for ] with both positive and negative communication. From Facebook comments to likes on Instagram, how the youth communicate, and what is socially acceptable is now heavily based on social media.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Anderson |first1=Monica |last2=Jiang |first2=Jingjing |title=1. Teens and their experiences on social media |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/11/28/teens-and-their-experiences-on-social-media/ |website=Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech |access-date=21 November 2020 |date=28 November 2018}}</ref> Social media does make kids and young adults more susceptible to peer pressure. The ] has also shown that bullying, the making of non-inclusive friend groups, and sexual experimentation have increased situations related to cyberbullying, issues with privacy, and the act of sending sexual images or messages to someone's mobile device. This includes issues of ] and ] among minors, and the resulting legal implications and issues, and resulting risk of ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lalli|first=Jaideep Singh|date=2021-08-05|title=Maryland's Underage Sexting Case: Punishing Revenge Porn Victims?: Case Analysis of In Re: S.K., 215 A.3d 300 (Md. 2019)|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/25166069211033212|journal=Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice|language=en|pages=25166069211033212|doi=10.1177/25166069211033212|s2cid=241531975|issn=2516-6069}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Osterday|first=Mitchell|date=2015–2016|title=Protecting Minors from Themselves: Expanding Revenge Porn Laws to Protect the Most Vulnerable|url=https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/inlawrev/article/view/21002|journal=Indiana Law Review|volume=49|issue=2|pages=555|doi=10.18060/4806.0075|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Phippen|first1=Andy|url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315149691/sexting-revenge-pornography-andy-phippen-maggie-brennan|title=Sexting and Revenge Pornography: Legislative and Social Dimensions of a Modern Digital Phenomenon|last2=Brennan|first2=Maggie|date=2020-12-07|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-315-14969-1|location=London|doi=10.4324/9781315149691|s2cid=228921617}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Paat|first1=Yok-Fong|last2=Markham|first2=Christine|date=2021-01-02|title=Digital crime, trauma, and abuse: Internet safety and cyber risks for adolescents and emerging adults in the 21st century|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/15332985.2020.1845281|journal=Social Work in Mental Health|volume=19|issue=1|pages=18–40|doi=10.1080/15332985.2020.1845281|s2cid=228869238|issn=1533-2985}}</ref> On the other hand, social media also benefits the youth and how they communicate.<ref name="center4research.org">{{Cite web|url=http://www.center4research.org/social-media-affects-mental-health/|title=Social Media and Adolescents' and Young Adults' Mental Health|last1=Mir|first1=Eline|last2=Novas|first2=Caroline|last3=Seymour|first3=Meg|date=2018-08-10|website=National Center for Health Research|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-29}}</ref> Adolescents can learn basic social and technical skills that are essential in society.<ref name="center4research.org"/> Through the use of social media, kids and young adults are able to strengthen relationships by keeping in touch with friends and family, making more friends, and participating in community engagement activities and services.<ref name=":16"/>
In July 2014, in response to ]' release of a secret suppression order made by the ], media lawyers were quoted in the ]n media to the effect that "anyone who tweets a link to the WikiLeaks report, posts it on Facebook, or shares it in any way online could also face charges".<ref>{{cite news |last=Cooper |first=Mex |date=July 30, 2014 |title=Social media users could be charged for sharing WikiLeaks story |url=http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/social-media-users-could-be-charged-for-sharing-wikileaks-story-20140730-zye0b.html |access-date=2022-08-29 |publisher=]}}</ref>


In November 2024, the federal government passed the '']'' introduced by the ] banning people under the age of 16 from using most social media platforms, which would come into effect in late 2025.<ref name="kayemenon">{{cite news |last1=Kaye |first1=Byron |last2=Menon |first2=Praveen |title=Australia passes social media ban for children under 16 |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/australia-passes-social-media-ban-children-under-16-2024-11-28/ |access-date=3 December 2024 |work=Reuters |date=29 November 2024}}</ref> Presented by Minister for Communications ], the bill was created as an attempt at reducing social media harms for young people and responding to the concerns of parents.<ref name="21nov24hansard">{{cite report |date=21 November 2024 |title=House of Representatives: Hansard: Thursday, 21 November 2024: Proof |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/api/hansard/link/?id=chamber/hansardr/28041/toc&linktype=pdf&fulltranscript=True |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |page=6{{hyphen}}10 |access-date=3 December 2024}}</ref> The stated penalty for breach of the new laws on the part of social media platforms was a financial penalty of ]49.5 million.<ref name="21nov24hansard" /><ref name="kayemenon" /> The ban would apply to many major social media platforms, including ], ], ] and ], but would exempt platforms deemed to meet educational or health needs of people under 16, including ] and ].<ref name="21nov24hansard" /> Supporters of the ban included the advocacy group 36 Months<ref name="manfieldabc">{{cite news |last1=Manfield |first1=Evelyn |title=YouTube exemption backed by group behind push for under-16 social media ban |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-21/youtube-allowed-under-social-media-ban-under-16s/104629944 |access-date=3 December 2024 |work=ABC News |date=21 November 2024}}</ref> and media corporation ] which ran a campaign titled ''Let Them Be Kids'',<ref name="kayemenon" /> whilst opposers expressed concern that the ban could cause isolation amongst teenagers belonging to marginalised groups such as the ] community or migrant/] backgrounds,<ref name="kapernickmoseley">{{cite news |last1=Kapernick |first1=Kerri |last2=Moseley |first2=Amelia |title=Federal government's looming social media ban may be bad for isolated, marginalised teenagers |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-24/social-media-ban-detrimental-isolated-teens/104500932 |access-date=3 December 2024 |work=ABC News |date=24 October 2024}}</ref> and that the ban could stifle creativity and freedom of expression amongst young people.<ref name="toumaguardian">{{cite news |last1=Touma |first1=Rafqa |title=Protecting or restricting? The effect of social media bans on the big dreams of young Australians |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/dec/03/australia-labor-social-media-ban-impact-children |access-date=3 December 2024 |work=Guardian |date=3 December 2024}}</ref>
==Criticism, debate and controversy{{anchor|Criticisms}}==


==== Egypt ====
Criticisms of social media range from criticisms of the ease of use of specific platforms and their capabilities, disparity of information available, issues with trustworthiness and reliability of information presented,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Flanigin|first1=Andrew J.|last2=Metzger|first2=Miriam|s2cid=33591074 |title=The role of site features, user attributes, and information verification behaviors on the perceived credibility of web-based information. |journal=New Media and Society |year=2007 |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=319–342 |url=http://www.annehelmond.nl/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/319.pdf |access-date=2014-02-15 |doi=10.1177/1461444807075015}}</ref> the impact of social media use on an individual's concentration,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Paul |first1=Jomon Aliyas |last2=Baker |first2=Hope M. |last3=Cochran |first3=Justin Daniel |title=Effect of online social networking on student academic performance |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |date=November 2012 |volume=28 |issue=6 |pages=2117–2127 |doi=10.1016/j.chb.2012.06.016}}</ref> ownership of media content, and the meaning of interactions created by social media. Although some social media platforms, such as servers in the decentralized ], offer users the opportunity to cross-post between independently run servers using a standard protocol such as ], the dominant social network platforms have been criticized for poor ] between platforms, which leads to the creation of information silos, viz. isolated pockets of data contained in one social media platform.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hinchiffe |first=Don |title=Are social media silos holding back business |url=http://www.zdnet.com/are-social-media-silos-holding-back-business-results-7000017227/|date=2013-06-25|publisher=ZDNet.com |access-date=2014-02-15}}</ref> However, it is also argued that social media has positive effects, such as allowing the democratization of the Internet<ref name=usersoftheworld/> while also allowing individuals to advertise themselves and form friendships.{{sfn|Rainie|Wellman|2012|p=19–30}} have noted that the term "social" cannot account for technological features of a platform alone, hence the level of sociability should be determined by the actual performances of its users. There has been a dramatic decrease in face-to-face interactions as more and more social media platforms have been introduced with the threat of ] and online ]s including ] being more prevalent.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Greene-Colozzi|first1=Emily A.|last2=Winters|first2=Georgia M.|last3=Blasko|first3=Brandy|last4=Jeglic|first4=Elizabeth L.|date=2020-10-02|title=Experiences and Perceptions of Online Sexual Solicitation and Grooming of Minors: A Retrospective Report|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2020.1801938|journal=Journal of Child Sexual Abuse|volume=29|issue=7|pages=836–854|doi=10.1080/10538712.2020.1801938|issn=1053-8712|pmid=33017275|s2cid=222159972}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last1=Henshaw|first1=Marie|title=Chapter Five - Online child sexual offending|date=2020-01-01|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128194348000052|work=Child Sexual Abuse|pages=85–108|editor-last=Bryce|editor-first=India|publisher=Academic Press|language=en|isbn=978-0-12-819434-8|access-date=2021-12-31|last2=Darjee|first2=Rajan|last3=Clough|first3=Jonathan A.|editor2-last=Petherick|editor2-first=Wayne}}</ref> Social media may expose children to images of alcohol, ], and sexual behaviors.{{Relevance inline|date=April 2013}}<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ray |first=Munni |s2cid=22467923 |title=Effect of Electronic Media on Children |journal=Indian Pediatrics |volume=47 |issue=7 |pages=561–8 |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20683108/|publisher=Springer-Verlag |access-date=2013-02-04|pmid=20683108 |year=2010 |doi=10.1007/s13312-010-0128-9 }}</ref> In regards to cyber-bullying, it has been proven that individuals who have no experience with cyber-bullying often have a better well-being than individuals who have been bullied online.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Spears |first1=B. A. |last2=Taddeo |first2=C. M. |last3=Daly |first3=A. L. |last4=Stretton |first4=A. |last5=Karklins |first5=L. T. |s2cid=10315516 |year=2015 |title=Cyberbullying, help-seeking and mental health in young Australians: Implications for public health |journal=International Journal of Public Health |volume=60 |issue=2 |pages=219–226 |doi=10.1007/s00038-014-0642-y |pmid=25572385 }}</ref>
On 27 July 2020, in Egypt, two women were sentenced to two years of imprisonment for posting ] videos, which the government claimed as "violating family values".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Walsh |first1=Declan |date=28 July 2020 |title=Egypt Sentences Women to 2 Years in Prison for TikTok Videos |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/world/middleeast/egypt-women-tiktok-prison.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728211112/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/world/middleeast/egypt-women-tiktok-prison.html |archive-date=2020-07-28 |access-date=28 July 2020 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>


==== Thailand ====
Twitter is increasingly a target of heavy activity of marketers. Their actions focused on gaining massive numbers of followers, include use of advanced scripts and manipulation techniques that distort the prime idea of social media by abusing human trustfulness.<ref>{{cite web |last=Trimarchi |first=Maria |title=5 Myths About Twitter |url=https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/tech-myths/5-myths-about-twitter.htm |publisher=Howstuffworks |access-date=2017-10-22|date=July 24, 2009 }}</ref> British-American entrepreneur and author ] criticized social media in his 2007 book '']'', writing, "Out of this anarchy, it suddenly became clear that what was governing the infinite monkeys now inputting away on the Internet was the law of digital Darwinism, the survival of the loudest and most opinionated. Under these rules, the only way to intellectually prevail is by infinite filibustering."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Keen |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Keen |title=The Cult of the Amateur |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-385-52081-2 |page=15|year=2007 }}</ref>
In the ], the public was explicitly instructed not to 'share' or 'like' dissenting views on social media or face prison.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}
This is also relative to the issue "justice" in the social network. For example, the phenomenon "]" in Asia raised the discussion of "private-law" brought by social network platform. Comparative media professor ] contends in her book '']'' (2013) that to understand the full weight of social media, their technological dimensions should be connected to the social and the cultural. She critically describes six social media platforms. One of her findings is the way Facebook had been successful in framing the term 'sharing' in such a way that third party use of user data is neglected in favor of intra-user connectedness. The fragmentation of modern society, in part due to social media, has been likened to a modern ].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Haidt |first1=Jonathan |title=Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/ |work=The Atlantic |date=11 April 2022 |language=en|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref>


==== United States ====
] attracted international coverage when she explicitly left social media.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sales|first1=Nancy Jo|title=American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers|date=Feb 23, 2016|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|location=New York, USA|isbn=978-0-385-35392-2|url-access=registration|url={{Google books|ur7JDQAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref>
Historically, platforms were responsible for moderating the content that they presented. They set rules for what was allowable, decided which content to promote and which to ignore. The US enacted the ] in 1996. ] of that act exempted internet platforms from legal liability for content authored by third parties.
{{Blockquote|text=No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." (47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(1)).|author=US Congress|title=Communications Decency Act Section 230}}In 2024, legislation was enacted in ] requiring social media companies to verify the age of people with accounts, and to prohibit holding an account for people aged under 14, and between 14 and 16 in the absence of parental approval.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hatter |first1=Lynn |last2=Andrews |first2=Adrian |date=2024-03-25 |title=DeSantis signs social media ban for minors, among the strictest in the nation |url=https://health.wusf.usf.edu/health-news-florida/2024-03-25/desantis-signs-social-media-ban-for-minors-among-the-strictest-in-the-nation |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=Health News Florida |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2024-03-26 |title=Ron DeSantis signs Florida social media ban for children into law |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/26/ron-desantis-florida-social-media-ban-children |access-date=2024-07-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>


==== European Union ====
===Trustworthiness and reliability===
The ] initially took a similar approach.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schlag |first=Gabi |date=2023-08-31 |title=European Union's Regulating of Social Media: A Discourse Analysis of the Digital Services Act |url=https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/6735 |journal=Politics and Governance |language=en |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=168–177, p. 168 |doi=10.17645/pag.v11i3.6735 |issn=2183-2463 |doi-access=free }}</ref> However, in 2020, the ] presented two legislative proposals: The ] and the ]. Both proposals were enacted in July 2022. The DSA entered into force on 17 February 2024, the DMA in March 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-15 |title=The Digital Services Act package {{!}} Shaping Europe's digital future |url=https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-services-act-package |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref> This legislation can be summarized in the following four objectives, articulated by ]:
There has been speculation{{by whom|date=May 2019}} that social media has become perceived as a trustworthy source of information by a large number of people.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Westerman|first1=David|last2=Spence|first2=Patric R.|last3=Van Der Heide|first3=Brandon|date=2014-01-01|title=Social Media as Information Source: Recency of Updates and Credibility of Information|journal=Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication|language=en|volume=19|issue=2|pages=171–183|doi=10.1111/jcc4.12041|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/article/view/16371|title=Undergraduates' Use of Social Media as Information Sources|last1=Kim|first1=Kyung=Sun|last2=Sin|first2=Sei-Ching Joanna|last3=Yoo-Lee|first3=Eun Young|journal=College & Research Libraries|volume=75|number=4|year=2014|pages=442–457 |doi=10.5860/crl.75.4.442|doi-access=free}}</ref> The continuous interpersonal connectivity on social media, for example, may lead to people regarding peer recommendations as indicators of the reliability of information sources. This trust can be exploited by marketers, who can utilize consumer-created content about brands and products to influence public perceptions.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dickey |first1=Irene J. |last2=Lewis |first2=William F. |title=The Evolution (Revolution) of Social Media and Social Networking as a Necessary Topic in the Marketing Curriculum: A Case for Integrating Social Media into Marketing Classes |url=https://ecommons.udayton.edu/mgt_fac_pub/32/|publisher=University of Dayton |journal=Advances in Marketing: Embracing Challenges and Change - A Global Perspective |access-date=2017-11-14 |year=2010 |series=Management and Marketing Faculty Publications, Paper 32 }}</ref><ref name=Confessore>{{cite news|last1=Confessore|first1=Nicholas|title=The Follower Factory|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/27/technology/100000005704904.app.html?emc=edit_ta_20180127&nl=top-stories&nlid=72995439&ref=headline |work=The New York Times|date=January 27, 2018|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref>


* "What is illegal offline must also be illegal online".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schlag |first=Gabi |date=2023-08-31 |title=European Union's Regulating of Social Media: A Discourse Analysis of the Digital Services Act |url=https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/6735 |journal=Politics and Governance |language=en |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=168–177 |doi=10.17645/pag.v11i3.6735 |issn=2183-2463 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
Social media has been found to magnify misinformation, particularly in the immediate aftermath of a crisis event before much information is known about said event. These "information holes" in the wake of a major disaster become filled by speculation and false information on social media platforms, which are then shared by other users and sometimes by news organisations, amplifying the spread of said misinformation in a positive feedback loop.<ref name="KrutrökAndLindgren2022">{{cite journal |last1=Krutrök |first1=Moa Erikkson |last2=Lindgren |first2=Simon |date=2 February 2022 |title=Social media amplification loops and false alarms: Towards a Sociotechnical understanding of misinformation during emergencies |journal=] |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=81–95 |doi=10.1080/10714421.2022.2035165 |s2cid=246522902 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The trustworthiness of information found on social media platforms can be improved by ]. Some social media has started to employ this.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-partnership-reuters-idUSKBN2062K4|title=Facebook starts fact-checking partnership with Reuters|newspaper=Reuters|date=February 12, 2020|accessdate=March 2, 2022|via=www.reuters.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/story/trump-speech-twitter-fact-check/|title=Two to Tango: Twitter Fact-Checks the Fact-Checkers|first=Angela|last=Watercutter|magazine=Wired|accessdate=March 2, 2022|via=www.wired.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9229632?hl=en|title=See fact checks in YouTube search results - YouTube Help|website=support.google.com|accessdate=March 2, 2022}}</ref>
* "Very large online platforms" must therefore, among other things
** delete illegal content (propaganda, election interference, hate crimes and online harms such as harassment and child abuse) and better protect fundamental rights
** redesign their systems to ensure a "high level of privacy, security and protection of minors", by prohibiting advertising based on personal data, designing recommender systems to minimize risks for children and demonstrating this to the ] via a risk assessment, and
** not use sensitive personal data such as race, gender and religion to target advertising.<ref>{{Cite news |last=O'Carroll |first=Lisa |date=2023-08-25 |title=How the EU Digital Services Act affects Facebook, Google and others |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/25/how-the-eu-digital-services-act-affects-facebook-google-and-others |access-date=2023-11-26 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>


Violators could face a complete ban in Europe or fines of up to 6% of global sales. Such content moderation requires extensive investment by platform providers.<ref name="Puig Larrauri-2023">{{Cite web |last=Puig Larrauri |first=Helena |date=2023-04-06 |title=SOCIETAL DIVIDES AS A TAXABLE NEGATIVE EXTERNALITY OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS. An exploration of the rationale for regulating algorithmically mediated platforms differently. |url=https://www.next-now.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/Societal%20Divides%20as%20a%20taxable%20negative%20externality%20of%20digital%20platforms_0.pdf}}</ref> Enforcement resources may not be sufficient to ensure compliance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What impact will the EU's Digital Services Act have? |publisher=DW |date=August 25, 2023 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/what-impact-will-the-eus-digital-services-act-have/a-66631337 |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref>
], a 2009–2010 ] fellow at ], contended that information uploaded to Twitter may have little relevance to the masses of people who do not use Twitter. In an article for the magazine '']'' titled "Iran: Downside to the 'Twitter Revolution'", Morozov wrote:
{{blockquote |y its very design Twitter only adds to the noise: it's simply impossible to pack much context into its 140 characters. All other biases are present as well: in a country like Iran it's mostly pro-Western, technology-friendly and iPod-carrying young people who are the natural and most frequent users of Twitter. They are a tiny and, most important, extremely untypical segment of the Iranian population (the number of Twitter users in Iran — a country of more than seventy million people — was estimated at less than twenty thousand before the protests).<ref name=Morozov>{{cite journal |last1=Morozov |first=Evgeny |s2cid=143473583 |title=Iran: Downside to the 'Twitter Revolution' |journal=] |date=Fall 2009 |volume=56 |issue=4 |pages=10–14 |doi=10.1353/dss.0.0092 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/317135/pdf }}</ref>}}


The DSA allows a country to require information to be deleted that is illegal only in that jurisdiction. According to Patrick Breyer from the ], a problem could arise from the Hungarian government requesting a video to be deleted that is critical of Victor Orban, as he foresaw the potential for such determinations to be applied EU-wide.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beckmann |first=Holger |title=Digital Services Act: Was illegal ist, muss raus aus dem Netz |url=https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/digital-services-act-100.html |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=tagesschau.de |language=de}}</ref>
Professor ] of ] casts doubt on the conventional wisdom that social media are open and participatory. He also speculates on the emergence of "anti-social media" used as "instruments of pure control".<ref name=Auer2011>{{cite journal |last=Auer |first=Matthew R. |s2cid=153590593 |year=2011 |title=The Policy Sciences of Social Media |journal=Policy Studies Journal |volume=39 |issue=4 |pages=709–736 |doi=10.1111/j.1541-0072.2011.00428.x |ssrn=1974080 }}</ref>


====Data harvesting and data mining==== === Discussions and proposals ===
] ]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Romer |first=Paul |date=2019-05-06 |title=Opinion {{!}} A Tax That Could Fix Big Tech |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/06/opinion/tax-facebook-google.html |access-date=2023-11-26 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> advocated taxing negative externalities of social media platforms.<ref name="Puig Larrauri-2023" /> Similar to a carbon tax – negative social effects could be compensated for by a financial levy on the platforms.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Writer |first=Guest |date=2023-04-06 |title=Negative Externalities of Digital Platforms Should Be Taxed Today |url=https://www.ictworks.org/tax-negative-externalities-of-digital-platforms/ |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=ICTworks}}</ref> Assuming that the tax did not deter the actions that produced the externalities, the revenue raised could be used to address them. However, consensus has yet to emerge on how to measure or mitigate the harms, nor to craft a tax, .
{{Further|Social media mining}}
Social media 'mining' is a type of ], a technique of ] to detect patterns. Social media mining is a process of representing, analyzing, and extracting actionable patterns from data collected from people's activities on social media. Google mines data in many ways including using an ] in ] to analyze information in emails. This use of the information will then affect the type of advertisements shown to the user when they use Gmail. Facebook has partnered with many data mining companies such as ] and ] to use customer information for ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Leaver|first=Tama|date=May 2013|title=The Social Media Contradiction: Data Mining and Digital Death|url=http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/viewArticle/625|journal=M/C Journal|volume=16|issue=2|doi=10.5204/mcj.625|access-date=2018-06-20|doi-access=free}}</ref> Massive amounts of data from social platforms allows scientists and ] researchers to extract insights and build product features.<ref name=":15">{{cite report|chapter=The big data ecosystem at LinkedIn|last1=Sumbaly|first1=Roshan|last2=Kreps|first2=Jay|last3=Shah|first3=Sam|title=Proceedings of the 2013 international conference on Management of data - SIGMOD '13 |publisher=SIGMOD '13: Proceedings of the 2013 ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data|date=June 2013|pages=1125–1134|doi=10.1145/2463676.2463707|isbn=9781450320375 |chapter-url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2463676.2463707}}</ref>


Another proposal is to invoke ].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mazúr |first1=Ján |last2=Patakyová |first2=Mária T. |date=2019-09-30 |title=Regulatory Approaches to Facebook and Other Social Media Platforms: Towards Platforms Design Accountability |url=https://journals.muni.cz/mujlt/article/view/11822 |journal=Masaryk University Journal of Law and Technology |language=en |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=219–242 |doi=10.5817/MUJLT2019-2-4 |s2cid=211391599 |issn=1802-5951|doi-access=free }}</ref> The idea is to restrict the platforms' market power by controlling mergers '']'' and tightening the law. This would be achieved through a supranational enforcement mechanism and the deterrent effect of high fines.
Ethical questions of the extent to which a company should be able to utilize a user's information have been called "]".<ref name=":2" /> Users tend to click through ] agreements when signing up on social media platforms, and they do not know how their information will be used by companies. This leads to questions of privacy and surveillance when user data is recorded. Some social media outlets have added capture time and ] that helps provide information about the context of the data as well as making their data more accurate.


In a 2024 opinion piece, Megan Moreno and Jenny Radesky, professors of pediatrics, wrote about the need for "nuanced" policy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Moreno |first1=Megan A. |last2=Radesky |first2=Jenny S. |date=2024-07-22 |title=Benefits and Harms of Proposed Social Media Legislation |url=https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2821471 |journal=JAMA Pediatrics |volume=178 |issue=9 |pages=857–858 |language=en |doi=10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2380 |pmid=39037793 |issn=2168-6203 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> They regarded access which is contingent upon parental consent as harmful. They commented that a focus on increasing age restrictions "may serve to distract from making sure platforms are following guidelines and best practices for all ages".<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Radesky |first1=Jenny |last2=Moreno |first2=Megan |date=2024-04-04 |title=Online child safety laws could help or hurt – 2 pediatricians explain what's likely to work and what isn't |url=http://theconversation.com/online-child-safety-laws-could-help-or-hurt-2-pediatricians-explain-whats-likely-to-work-and-what-isnt-226436 |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref>
On April 10, 2018, in a hearing held in response to revelations of data harvesting by ], ], the ] chief executive, faced questions from senators on a variety of issues, from privacy to the company's business model and the company's mishandling of data. This was Mr. Zuckerberg's first appearance before Congress, prompted by the revelation that Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm linked to the Trump campaign, harvested the data of an estimated 87&nbsp;million Facebook users to psychologically profile voters during the 2016 election. Zuckerberg was pressed to account for how third-party partners could take data without users' knowledge. Lawmakers questioned him on the proliferation of so-called fake news on Facebook, Russian interference during the ] and censorship of conservative media.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/us/politics/mark-zuckerberg-testimony.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180411094752/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/us/politics/mark-zuckerberg-testimony.html |archive-date=2018-04-11 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Mark Zuckerberg Testimony: Senators Question Facebook's Commitment to Privacy|work=The New York Times|date=10 April 2018 |access-date=2018-06-13|language=en}}</ref>

In June 2024, US Surgeon General ] called for social media platforms to contain a warning about the impact they have on the mental health of young people.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Murthy |first=Vivek H. |date=2024-06-17 |title=Opinion {{!}} Surgeon General: Why I'm Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/17/opinion/social-media-health-warning.html |access-date=2024-06-17 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

== Business models ==
The business model of most social media platforms is based on selling slots to advertisers. Platforms provide access to data about each user, which allows them to deliver ads that are individually relevant to them. This strongly incents platforms to arrange their content so that users view as much content as possible, increasing the number of ads that they see. Platforms such as X add paid user subscriptions in part to reduce their dependence on advertising revenues.<ref>{{Cite web |last=L |first=Frank |date=March 1, 2023 |title=5 Winning Social Media Business Models + Examples |url=https://getstream.io/blog/social-media-business-models/ |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=getstream.io |language=en}}</ref>

==Criticism, debate and controversy{{anchor|Criticisms}}==

The enormous reach and impact of social media has naturally led to a stream of criticism, debate, and controversy. Criticisms include platform capabilities, content moderation and reliability,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Flanigin|first1=Andrew J.|last2=Metzger|first2=Miriam|s2cid=33591074 |title=The role of site features, user attributes, and information verification behaviors on the perceived credibility of web-based information. |journal=New Media and Society |year=2007 |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=319–342 |url=http://www.annehelmond.nl/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/319.pdf |access-date=2014-02-15 |doi=10.1177/1461444807075015}}</ref> impact on concentration, mental health,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Paul |first1=Jomon Aliyas |last2=Baker |first2=Hope M. |last3=Cochran |first3=Justin Daniel |title=Effect of online social networking on student academic performance |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |date=November 2012 |volume=28 |issue=6 |pages=2117–2127 |doi=10.1016/j.chb.2012.06.016}}</ref> content ownership, and the meaning of interactions, and poor cross-platform ],<ref>{{cite web |last=Hinchiffe |first=Don |title=Are social media silos holding back business |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/are-social-media-silos-holding-back-business-results/|date=2013-06-25|publisher=ZDNet.com |access-date=2014-02-15}}</ref> decrease in face-to-face interactions, ], ], particularly of children, and ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Greene-Colozzi|first1=Emily A.|last2=Winters|first2=Georgia M.|last3=Blasko|first3=Brandy|last4=Jeglic|first4=Elizabeth L.|date=2020-10-02|title=Experiences and Perceptions of Online Sexual Solicitation and Grooming of Minors: A Retrospective Report|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2020.1801938|journal=Journal of Child Sexual Abuse|volume=29|issue=7|pages=836–854|doi=10.1080/10538712.2020.1801938|issn=1053-8712|pmid=33017275|s2cid=222159972}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last1=Henshaw|first1=Marie|title=Chapter Five - Online child sexual offending|date=2020-01-01|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128194348000052|work=Child Sexual Abuse|pages=85–108|editor-last=Bryce|editor-first=India|publisher=Academic Press|language=en|isbn=978-0-12-819434-8|access-date=2021-12-31|last2=Darjee|first2=Rajan|last3=Clough|first3=Jonathan A.|editor2-last=Petherick|editor2-first=Wayne}}</ref>

In 2007 ] wrote, "Out of this anarchy, it suddenly became clear that what was governing the infinite monkeys now inputting away on the Internet was the law of digital Darwinism, the survival of the loudest and most opinionated. Under these rules, the only way to intellectually prevail is by infinite filibustering."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Keen |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Keen |title=The Cult of the Amateur |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-385-52081-2 |page=15|year=2007 }}</ref>

===Trustworthiness and reliability===
{{See also|The Disinformation Project}}
Social media has become a regular source of news and information. A 2021 Pew Research Center poll reported roughly 70% of users regularly get news from social media,<ref name="Fuchs-2017" /> despite the presence of ] and misinformation. Platforms typically do not take responsibility for content accuracy, and many do not vet content at all, although in some cases, content the platform finds problematic is deleted or access to it is reduced.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 12, 2020 |title=Facebook starts fact-checking partnership with Reuters |newspaper=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-partnership-reuters-idUSKBN2062K4 |access-date=March 2, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Watercutter |first=Angela |title=Two to Tango: Twitter Fact-Checks the Fact-Checkers |url=https://www.wired.com/story/trump-speech-twitter-fact-check/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=March 2, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=See fact checks in YouTube search results - YouTube Help |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9229632?hl=en |access-date=March 2, 2022 |website=support.google.com}}</ref> Content distribution algorithms otherwise typically ignore substance, responding instead to the contents' virality.

In 2018, researchers reported that fake news spread almost 70% faster than truthful news on X.<ref name="Schivinski-2020" /> Social media bots on social media increase the reach of both true and false content and if wielded by bad actors misinformation can reach many more users.<ref name="Tao-2016" /> Some platforms attempt to discover and block bots, with limited success.<ref name="Pavlik-2015" /> Fake news seems to receive more user engagement, possibly because it is relatively novel, engaging users' curiosity and increasing spread.<ref name="Sterling-2016" /> Fake news often propagates in the immediate aftermath of an event, before conventional media are prepared to publish.<ref name="Dewzilla-2020" /><ref name="Edwards-2016" />

====Data harvesting and data mining====
{{Excerpt|Social media mining}}


===Critique of activism=== ===Critique of activism===
{{Further|Social media activism}} {{Further|Social media activism}}
For ] writer ], the role of social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, in revolutions and protests is overstated.<ref name="Gladwell 2010-10-04">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/small-change-3 |first=Malcolm|last=Gladwell |title=Small Changes – Why the revolution will not be tweeted |magazine=] |date=October 4, 2010 |access-date=2012-11-15}}</ref> On one hand, social media makes it easier for individuals, and in this ], to express themselves. On the other hand, it is harder for that expression to have an impact.<ref name="Gladwell 2010-10-04" /> Gladwell distinguishes between social media activism and high-risk activism, which brings real changes. Activism and especially high-risk activism involves strong-tie relationships, hierarchies, coordination, motivation, exposing oneself to high risks, making sacrifices.<ref name="Gladwell 2010-10-04" /> Gladwell discusses that social media are built around weak ties and he argues that "social networks are effective at increasing participation — by lessening the level of motivation that participation requires."<ref name="Gladwell 2010-10-04" /> According to him, "Facebook activism succeeds not by motivating people to make a real sacrifice, but by motivating them to do the things that people do when they are not motivated enough to make a real sacrifice."<ref name="Gladwell 2010-10-04" /> ] considers the role of social media in revolutions and protests to be overstated. He concluded that while social media makes it easier for ] to express themselves, that expression likely has no impact beyond social media. What he called "high-risk activism" involves strong relationships, coordination, commitment, high risks, and sacrifice.<ref name="Gladwell 2010-10-04">{{cite magazine |last=Gladwell |first=Malcolm |date=October 4, 2010 |title=Small Changes – Why the revolution will not be tweeted |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/small-change-3 |access-date=2012-11-15 |magazine=]}}</ref> Gladwell claimed that social media are built around weak ties and argues that "social networks are effective at increasing participation—by lessening the level of motivation that participation requires."<ref name="Gladwell 2010-10-04" /> According to him, "Facebook activism succeeds not by motivating people to make a real sacrifice, but by motivating them to do the things that people do when they are not motivated enough to make a real sacrifice."<ref name="Gladwell 2010-10-04" />


Disputing Gladwell's theory, in the study "Perceptions of Social Media for Politics: Testing the ] Hypothesis", Kwak and colleagues (2018) conducted a survey which found that people who are politically expressive on social media are also more likely to participate in offline political activity.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kwak|first1=Nojin|last2=Lane|first2=Daniel S|last3=Weeks|first3=Brian E|last4=Kim|first4=Dam Hee|last5=Lee|first5=Slgi S|last6=Bachleda|first6=Sarah|date=April 1, 2018|title=Perceptions of Social Media for Politics: Testing the Slacktivism Hypothesis|journal=Human Communication Research|volume=44|issue=2|pages=197–221|doi=10.1093/hcr/hqx008|issn=0360-3989}}</ref> Disputing Gladwell's theory, a 2018 survey reported that people who are politically expressive on social media are more likely to participate in offline political activity.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kwak|first1=Nojin|last2=Lane|first2=Daniel S|last3=Weeks|first3=Brian E|last4=Kim|first4=Dam Hee|last5=Lee|first5=Slgi S|last6=Bachleda|first6=Sarah|date=April 1, 2018|title=Perceptions of Social Media for Politics: Testing the Slacktivism Hypothesis|journal=Human Communication Research|volume=44|issue=2|pages=197–221|doi=10.1093/hcr/hqx008|issn=0360-3989}}</ref>


===Ownership of content=== ===Content ownership===
Social media content is generated by users. However, content ownership is defined by the Terms of Service to which users agree. Platforms control access to the content, and may make it available to third parties.<ref name=Jones>{{cite web |url=http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.805/student-papers/fall05-papers/facebook.pdf |last1=Jones |first1=Harvey |last2=Soltren |first2=José Hiram |title=Facebook: Threats to Privacy |publisher=MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab |year= 2005 |access-date=2018-04-04 }}</ref>
]
Social media content is generated through social media interactions done by users through the site. There has always been a huge debate on the ownership of the content on social media platforms because it is generated by the users and hosted by the company. Added to this is the danger to the security of information, which can be leaked to third parties with economic interests in the platform, or parasites who comb the data for their own databases.<ref name=Jones>{{cite web |url=http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.805/student-papers/fall05-papers/facebook.pdf |last1=Jones |first1=Harvey |last2=Soltren |first2=José Hiram |title=Facebook: Threats to Privacy |publisher=MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab |year= 2005 |access-date=2018-04-04 }}</ref>
]
In order for social media platforms such as , , , and to publish your content online, they must be issued a license from the copyright owners. A license is a legitimate right that allows them to carry out a specific task. Simply put, you grant each platform permission to use your content in accordance with their terms and conditions even if you control the stuff you submit to social media. Although each of these licenses differs differently from the others, they all give the social media sites permission to utilize your copyrighted work however they see fit. Theoretically, they could make commercial use of it and even sell or sublicense their license to a third party for that party's use; however, because each license specifically states that it is "royalty free" you would never earn a share of the revenue.


Although platform's terms differ, generally they all give permission to utilize users' copyrighted works at the platform's discretion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Cadie |date=2015-05-20 |title=What you really sign up for when you use social media |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/20/what-you-really-sign-up-for-when-you-use-social-media.html |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=] |language=}}</ref>
After being acquired by in 2012, made headlines when it revealed it intended to use user posts in adverts without seeking permission from or paying their users. To determine if that is still the case, let's examine the .<ref name=":111">{{Cite web |title=Help Center |url=https://help.instagram.com/478745558852511 |access-date=2022-12-03 |website=help.instagram.com}}</ref> states: ""Some of the service is supported by advertising revenue and may display advertisements and promotions, and you herby agree that may place such advertising and promotions on the Service or on, about, or in conjunction with your content. The manner, mode and extent of such advertising and promotions are subject to change without specific notice to you.<ref name=":111"/> expressly disclaims ownership of the images you share in the terms, yet it appears that this practice of using user content for their own purposes has not stopped. They have a similar provision in their conditions regarding offering a transferrable and non-exclusive license to use and display your work as and do. is clear that they may use or remix your content for marketing and advertising without your permission or prior notification.

After its acquisition by Facebook in 2012, Instagram revealed it intended to use content in ads without seeking permission from or paying its users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCullagh |first=Declan |date=2012-12-17 |title=Instagram says it now has the right to sell your photos |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/instagram-says-it-now-has-the-right-to-sell-your-photos/ |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodriguez |first=Salvador |date=2012-12-17 |title=Instagram may have ads, let companies use your photos for the ads |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-dec-17-la-fi-tn-instagram-sell-photos-terms-of-service-20121217-story.html |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=]}}</ref> It then reversed these changes, with then-CEO ] promising to update the terms of service.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=McCullagh |first1=Declan |last2=Tam |first2=Donna |title=Instagram apologizes to users: We won't sell your photos |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/instagram-apologizes-to-users-we-wont-sell-your-photos/ |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sottek |first=T.C. |date=2012-12-18 |title=Instagram says 'it's not our intention to sell your photos' |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/12/18/3781860/instagram-on-its-new-tos-its-not-our-intention-to-sell-your-photos |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=]}}</ref>


===Privacy=== ===Privacy===
{{main|Privacy concerns with social networking services}} {{main|Privacy concerns with social networking services}}
Privacy rights advocates warn users about the collection of their personal data. Information is captured without the user's knowing ]. Data may be applied to law enforcement or other governmental purposes.<ref name="Auer2011">{{cite journal |last=Auer |first=Matthew R. |year=2011 |title=The Policy Sciences of Social Media |journal=Policy Studies Journal |volume=39 |issue=4 |pages=709–736 |doi=10.1111/j.1541-0072.2011.00428.x |s2cid=153590593 |ssrn=1974080}}</ref><ref name=Jones/> Information may be offered for third party use.
Privacy rights advocates warn users on social media about the collection of their personal data. Some information is captured without the user's knowledge or ] through electronic tracking and third-party applications. Data may also be collected for law enforcement and governmental purposes,<ref name=Auer2011/> by ] using ] techniques.<ref name=Jones/> Data and information may also be collected for third party use. When information is shared on social media, that information is no longer private. There have been many cases in which young persons especially, share personal information, which can attract predators. It is very important to monitor what you share and to be aware of who you could potentially be sharing that information with. Teens especially share significantly more information on the internet now than they have in the past. Teens are much more likely to share their personal information, such as email address, phone number, and school names.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/teens-social-media-and-privacy/ |title=Teens, Social Media, and Privacy |last1=Madden |first1=Mary|last2=Lenhart|first2=Amanda|last3=Cortesi|first3=Sandra|last4=Gasser|first4=Urs|last5=Duggan|first5=Maeve|last6=Smith|first6=Aaron|last7=Beaton|first7=Meredith|date=May 21, 2013 |website=Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech |access-date=2016-11-29 }}</ref> Studies suggest that teens are not aware of what they are posting and how much of that information can be accessed by third parties.

There are arguments that "privacy is dead" and that with social media growing more and more, some heavy social media users appear to have become quite unconcerned with privacy. Others argue, however, that people are still very concerned about their privacy, but are being ignored by the companies running these social networks, who can sometimes make a profit off of sharing someone's personal information. There is also a disconnect between social media user's words and their actions. Studies suggest that surveys show that people want to keep their lives private, but their actions on social media suggest otherwise. Everyone leaves a trail when they use social media. Every time someone creates a new social media account, they provide personal information that can include their name, birthdate, geographic location, and personal interests. In addition, companies collect data on user behaviors. All of this data is stored and leveraged by companies to better target advertising to their users.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Social Media Privacy Issues for 2020: Threats & Risks|url=https://sopa.tulane.edu/blog/key-social-media-privacy-issues-2020|access-date=2020-11-12|publisher=Tulane University}}</ref>

Another factor is ignorance of how accessible social media posts are. Some social media users who have been criticized for inappropriate comments stated that they did not realize that anyone outside their circle of friends would read their posts; in fact, on some social media sites, unless a user selects higher ], their content is shared with a wide audience.

According to a 2016 article diving into the topic of sharing privately and the effect social media has on expectations of privacy, "1.18 billion people will log into their ] accounts, 500 million tweets will be sent, and there will be 95 million photos and videos posted on ]" in a day. Much of the privacy concerns individuals face stem from their own posts on a form of a social network. Users have the choice to share voluntarily and have been ingrained into society as routine and normative. Social media are a snapshot of our lives; a community we have created on the behaviors of sharing, posting, liking, and communicating. Sharing has become a phenomenon which social media and networks have uprooted and introduced to the world.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/05/sunday-review/we-want-privacy-but-cant-stop-sharing.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141005195936/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/05/sunday-review/we-want-privacy-but-cant-stop-sharing.html |archive-date=2014-10-05 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=We Want Privacy, but Can't Stop Sharing|last=Murphy|first=Kate|date=October 4, 2014|work=The New York Times}}</ref> The idea of privacy is redundant; once something is posted, its accessibility remains constant even if we select who is potentially able to view it. People desire privacy in some shape or form, yet also contribute to social media, which makes it difficult to maintain privacy.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mills|first=Max|s2cid=151703849|title=Sharing Privately|journal=Journal of Media Law|volume=9|pages=45–71|doi=10.1080/17577632.2016.1272235|year=2017}}</ref> Mills offers options for reform which include copyright and the application of the law of confidence; more radically, a change to the concept of privacy itself.


Young people are prone to sharing personal information that can attract predators.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/teens-social-media-and-privacy/ |title=Teens, Social Media, and Privacy |last1=Madden |first1=Mary|last2=Lenhart|first2=Amanda|last3=Cortesi|first3=Sandra|last4=Gasser|first4=Urs|last5=Duggan|first5=Maeve|last6=Smith|first6=Aaron|last7=Beaton|first7=Meredith|date=May 21, 2013 |website=Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech |access-date=2016-11-29 }}</ref>
A 2014 ] survey found that 91% of Americans "agree" or "strongly agree" that people have lost control over how personal information is collected and used by all kinds of entities. Some 80% of social media users said they were concerned about advertisers and businesses accessing the data they share on social media platforms, and 64% said the government should do more to regulate advertisers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/27/americans-complicated-feelings-about-social-media-in-an-era-of-privacy-concerns/|last=Rainie|first=Lee|title=Americans' complicated feelings about social media in an era of privacy concerns|date=March 27, 2018|work=Pew Research Center|access-date=2018-06-13|language=en-US}}</ref>


While social media users claim to want to keep their data private, their behavior does not reflect that concern, as many users expose significant personal data on their profiles.
According to ''The Wall Street Journal'' published on February 17, 2019, According to UK law, Facebook did not protect certain aspects of the user data.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-k-committee-rebukes-facebook-in-call-for-social-media-regulation-11550448060#comments_sector|title=U.K. Lawmakers Rebuke Facebook in Call for Social-Media Regulation|last1=Fidler|first1=Stephen|last2=Wells|first2=Georgia|date=2019-02-17|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref>


In addition, platforms collect data on user behaviors that are not part of their personal profiles. This data is made available to third parties for purposes that include targeted advertising.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Social Media Privacy Issues for 2020: Threats & Risks|date=8 November 2019 |url=https://sopa.tulane.edu/blog/key-social-media-privacy-issues-2020|access-date=2020-11-12|publisher=Tulane University}}</ref>
The US government announced banning ] and ] from the States over national security concerns. The shutdown was announced for September 20, 2020. Access to TikTok was extended until 12 November 2020,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54205231|title=TikTok and WeChat: US to ban app downloads in 48 hours|work=BBC News|date=18 September 2020|access-date=18 September 2020}}</ref> and a federal court ruling on October 30, 2020, has blocked further implementation of restrictions that would lead to TikTok's shutdown.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-10-30|title=Judge postpones Trump's TikTok ban in suit brought by users|url=https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-entertainment-pennsylvania-courts-3573972d3aa6bee78304e3195ffe4ade|last=O'Brien|first=Matt|access-date=2020-11-29|website=AP NEWS}}</ref>


A 2014 ] survey reported that 91% of Americans "agree" or "strongly agree" that people have lost control over how personal information is collected and used. Some 80% of social media users said they were concerned about advertisers and businesses accessing the data they share on social media platforms, and 64% said the government should do more to regulate advertisers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/27/americans-complicated-feelings-about-social-media-in-an-era-of-privacy-concerns/|last=Rainie|first=Lee|title=Americans' complicated feelings about social media in an era of privacy concerns|date=March 27, 2018|work=Pew Research Center|access-date=2018-06-13|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2019, UK legislators criticized Facebook for not protecting certain aspects of user data.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-k-committee-rebukes-facebook-in-call-for-social-media-regulation-11550448060#comments_sector|title=U.K. Lawmakers Rebuke Facebook in Call for Social-Media Regulation|last1=Fidler|first1=Stephen|last2=Wells|first2=Georgia|date=2019-02-17|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref>
Additionally, in 2019 the Pentagon issued guidance to the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and other government agencies that identified "the potential risk associated with using the TikTok app and directs appropriate action for employees to take in order to safeguard their personal information."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/dec/21/us-navy-bans-tiktok-from-mobile-devices-saying-its-a-cybersecurity-threat|title=US Navy bans TikTok from mobile devices saying it's a cybersecurity threat|work=The Guardian|date=21 December 2019|access-date=6 January 2023}}</ref> As a result, the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, and Department of Homeland Security banned the installation and use of TikTok on government devices, including blacklisting it on intranet services.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/us-government-agencies-have-banned-tiktok-app-2020-2|title=US government agencies are banning TikTok, the social media app teens are obsessed with, over cybersecurity fears — here's the full list|work=Business Insider|date=25 February 2020|access-date=6 January 2023}}</ref>


In 2019 the ] issued guidance to the military, Coast Guard and other government agencies that identified "the potential risk associated with using the TikTok app and directs appropriate action for employees to take in order to safeguard their personal information."<ref>{{cite news |date=21 December 2019 |title=US Navy bans TikTok from mobile devices saying it's a cybersecurity threat |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/dec/21/us-navy-bans-tiktok-from-mobile-devices-saying-its-a-cybersecurity-threat |access-date=6 January 2023 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> As a result, the military, Coast Guard, ], and ] banned the installation and use of TikTok on government devices.<ref>{{cite news |date=25 February 2020 |title=US government agencies are banning TikTok, the social media app teens are obsessed with, over cybersecurity fears — here's the full list |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/us-government-agencies-have-banned-tiktok-app-2020-2 |access-date=6 January 2023 |work=Business Insider}}</ref>
=== Criticism of commercialization ===
The commercial development of social media has been criticized as the actions of consumers in these settings have become increasingly value-creating, for example when consumers contribute to the marketing and branding of specific products by posting positive reviews. As such, value-creating activities also increase the value of a specific product, which could, according to marketing professors Bernad Cova and Daniele Dalli (2009), lead to what they refer to as "double exploitation".<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cova |first1=Bernard |last2=Dalli |first2=Daniele |s2cid=54610246 |date=2009 |title=Working consumers: the next step in marketing theory? |journal=Marketing Theory |doi=10.1177/1470593109338144 |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=315–339|url=https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/36717/1/MPRA_paper_36717.pdf }}</ref>


In 2020 The US government attempted to ban ] and ] from the States over national security concerns. However, a federal court blocked the move.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-10-30|title=Judge postpones Trump's TikTok ban in suit brought by users|url=https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-entertainment-pennsylvania-courts-3573972d3aa6bee78304e3195ffe4ade|last=O'Brien|first=Matt|access-date=2020-11-29|website=AP NEWS}}</ref> In 2024, the US Congress passed a law directing TikTok's parent company ] to divest the service or see the service banned from operating in the US. The company sued, challenging the constitutionality of the ban.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-28 |title=U.S. court to hear challenges to potential TikTok ban in September |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/28/us-court-to-hear-challenges-to-potential-tiktok-ban-in-september.html |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref>
As social media usage has become increasingly widespread, social media has to a large extent come to be subjected to ] by ] and advertising agencies.<ref>{{Cite thesis |url=https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/2077/27913/1/gupea_2077_27913_1.pdf |title=Marketing fads and fashions – exploring digital marketing practices and emerging organisational fields |last=Pihl |first=Christofer|type=Licentiate thesis|publisher=Gothenburg University |year=2011|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> In 2014 Christofer Laurell, a ] researcher, suggested that the social media landscape currently consists of three types of places because of this development: consumer-dominated places, professionally dominated places and places undergoing commercialization.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:682055/FULLTEXT01.pdf |title=Commercialising social media: a study of fashion (blogo)spheres |last=Laurell |first=Christofer|publisher=Stockholm University |year=2014|isbn= 978-91-7447-769-6}}</ref> As social media becomes commercialized, this process has been shown to create novel forms of value networks stretching between consumer and producer<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pihl |first=Christofer |s2cid=167869913 |date=2013 |title=When customers create the ad and sell it –a value network approach|script-title=zh:消费者制作广告并销售——价值网络方法|journal=Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science |doi=10.1080/21639159.2013.763487|volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=127–143}}</ref> in which a combination of personal, private and commercial contents are created.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pihl |first1=Christofer |last2=Sandström |first2=Christian |date=2013 |title=Value creation and appropriation in social media –the case of fashion bloggers in Sweden |journal=International Journal of Technology Management |doi=10.1504/IJTM.2013.052673 |volume=61 |issue=3/4 |page=309}}</ref>


===Debate over addiction=== ===Addiction===
{{Main|Problematic social media use}} {{Main|Problematic social media use}}
{{See also|Digital media use and mental health}}


{{Excerpt|Internet addiction disorder|only=paragraphs}}Research suggests that social media platforms trigger a cycle of compulsive behavior, which reinforces addictive patterns and makes it harder for individuals to break the cycle.<ref>Hou, Yubo, Dan Xiong, Tonglin Jiang, Lily Song, and Qi Wang. “Social Media Addiction: Its Impact, Mediation, and Intervention.” Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace 13, no. 1 (February 21, 2019). https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2019-1-4.</ref>
As one of the biggest preoccupations among adolescents is social media usage, in 2011 researchers began using the term "Facebook addiction disorder" (F.A.D.), a form of ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/digital/facebook-addiction-disorder-the-6-symptoms-of-f-a-d/ |title=Facebook Addiction Disorder — The 6 Symptoms of F.A.D. |work=AdWeek |date=May 2, 2011|last=Summers|first=Amy|access-date=2011-05-02}}</ref> FAD is characterized by compulsive use of the social networking site Facebook, which generally results in physical or psychological complications. The disorder, although not classified in the latest ] (DSM-5) or by the World Health Organization, has been the subject of several studies focusing on the negative effects of social media use on the psyche. One German study published in 2017 investigated a correlation between excessive use of the social networking site and ]; the results were published in the journal '']''. According to the findings: "FAD was significantly positively related to the personality trait narcissism and to negative mental health variables (], ], and ] symptoms)".<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Brailovskaia | first1 = J. | last2=Margraf|first2=J. | year = 2017 | title = Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) among German students—A longitudinal approach | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 12 | issue = 12| pages = 2423–2478 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0189719 | pmid = 29240823 | pmc = 5730190 | bibcode = 2017PLoSO..1289719B | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=Nan |last2=Zhou |first2=Guangyu |title=COVID-19 Stress and Addictive Social Media Use (SMU): Mediating Role of Active Use and Social Media Flow |journal=Frontiers in Psychiatry |date=9 February 2021 |volume=12 |pages=635546 |doi=10.3389/fpsyt.2021.635546|pmid=33633616 |pmc=7899994 |doi-access=free }}</ref>


===Debate over use by young people===
In 2020, Netflix released '']'', which raises concerns about the problematic effects of social media. In the documentary, mental health experts and former employees of social media companies explain how social media is designed to be addictive. One example that's shown is when an ] detects that someone has not visited Facebook for some time, it may choose different notifications that it predicts are most likely to cause them to re-visit the platform. This AI takes into account everything that each person has done on that platform.
{{See also|Social media in education}}
Whether to restrict the use of phones and social media among young people has been debated since smartphones became ubiquitous.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kist |first=W. |date=December 2012 |title=Class, Get Ready to Tweet: Social Media in the Classroom |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ991339 |journal=Our Children: The National PTA Magazine |pages=10–11 |volume=38 |number=3}}</ref> A study of Americans aged 12–15, reported that teenagers who used social media over three hours/day doubled their risk of negative mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety.<ref>{{Cite web |last=KATELLA |first=KATHY |date=January 8, 2024 |title=How Social Media Affects Your Teen's Mental Health: A Parent's Guide |url=https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/social-media-teen-mental-health-a-parents-guide |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=Yale Medicine |language=en}}</ref> Platforms have not tuned their algorithms to prevent young people from viewing inappropriate content. A 2023 study of Australian youth reported that 57% had seen disturbingly violent content, while nearly half had regular exposure to sexual images.<ref>{{Cite web |last=eSafety Commissioner |date=August 2023 |title=Inappropriate content: factsheet |url=https://www.esafety.gov.au/educators/training-for-professionals/professional-learning-program-teachers/inappropriate-content-factsheet}}</ref> Further, youth are prone to misuse social media for ].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Santre |first=Siriporn |date=2023-02-01 |title=Cyberbullying in adolescents: a literature review |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijamh-2021-0133/html |journal=International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health |language=en |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.1515/ijamh-2021-0133 |pmid=35245420 |issn=2191-0278}}</ref>


The documentary also raises concerns about the correlation between child and teen suicides and suicide attempts and increasing social media usage in the United States, particularly usage on mobile.<ref>{{Cite AV media |title=Watch The Social Dilemma|publisher=Netflix Official Site |url=https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224|type=Film|access-date=2022-04-13 |website=www.netflix.com |language=en}}</ref> As result, phones have been banned from some schools, and some schools in the US have blocked social media websites.<ref>{{Cite web |agency=Associated Press |date=2024-02-27 |title=Phones are distracting students in class. More states are pressing schools to ban them |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/phones-are-distracting-students-class-states-are-pressing-schools-ban-rcna140629 |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>


===Censorship{{anchor|Censorship_incidents}}===
Turning off social media notifications temporarily or long-term may help reduce problematic social media use.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://psychcentral.com/blog/portion-control-in-social-media-how-limiting-time-increases-well-being/|title=Portion-Control in Social Media? How Limiting Time Increases Well-Being|last=Kane|first=Suzanne|date=December 6, 2018|website=World of Psychology|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-29|archive-date=August 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814172809/https://psychcentral.com/blog/portion-control-in-social-media-how-limiting-time-increases-well-being/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In certain cases and for some users, changes in their web browsing environments can be helpful in compensating for self-regulatory problems. For instance, a study involving 157 online learners on massive open online courses examined the impact of self-regulatory intervention on learners’ web browsing behavior. The results showed that, on average, learners spend half of their time online on YouTube and social media, and Less than 2% of visited websites account for nearly 80% of their time spent online. Further, the study found that modifying the learners' web environment, specifically by providing support in self-regulation, was associated with changes in behavior, including a reduction in time spent online, particularly on websites related to entertainment. This suggests there is a potential for interventions to improve self-regulatory skills, which may effectively help learners reduce excessive social media usage and manage their signs of social media misuse more effectively.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.caeai.2022.100111 |title=From procrastination to engagement? An experimental exploration of the effects of an adaptive virtual assistant on self-regulation in online learning |year=2023 |last1=Pogorskiy |first1=Eduard |last2=Beckmann |first2=Jens F. |journal=Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence |volume=4 |pages=100111|s2cid=254612244 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
{{Main|Internet censorship|Internet censorship in China|Internet censorship in India}}


Social media often features in political struggles. In some countries, ] or ] monitor or control citizens' use of social media. For example, in 2013 some social media was banned in ] after the Taksim ]. Both X and YouTube were temporarily suspended in the country by a court's decision. A law granted immunity to Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) personnel. The TİB was also given the authority to block access to specific websites without a court order.<ref>{{cite web|first=Salih|last=Sarıkaya |title=Social Media Ban In Turkey: What Does It Mean? by Salih Sarıkaya |url=http://www.salihsarikaya.com/en/social-media-ban-in-turkey-what-does-it-mean-by-salih-sarikaya/ |date=October 30, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006012638/http://www.salihsarikaya.com/en/social-media-ban-in-turkey-what-does-it-mean-by-salih-sarikaya/ |archive-date=2014-10-06 }}</ref> Yet TİB's 2014 blocking of ] was ruled by the constitutional court to violate free speech.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-twitter-ban-idUSBREA311BF20140402 |title=Turkey's Twitter ban violates free speech: constitutional court |work=Reuters |date=April 2, 2014|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref>
===Debate over use in academic settings===
{{Main|Use of social media in education|Social media in education}}
Having social media in the classroom was a controversial topic in the 2010s. Many parents and educators have been fearful of the repercussions of having social media in the classroom.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kist |first=W. |date=2013|title=Class, Get Ready to Tweet: Social Media in the Classroom|url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ991339|journal=Our Children: The National PTA Magazine|volume=38|number=3|pages=10–11}}</ref> There are concerns that social media tools can be misused for ] or sharing inappropriate content. As result, cell phones have been banned from some classrooms, and some schools have blocked many popular social media websites. Many schools have realized that they need to loosen restrictions, teach digital citizenship skills, and even incorporate these tools into classrooms. Some schools permit students to use ]s or ]s in class, as long as the students are using these devices for academic purposes, such as doing research. Using Facebook in class allows for the integration of multimodal content such as student-created photographs and video and URLs to other texts, in a platform that many students are already familiar with. Twitter can be used to enhance communication building and critical thinking and it provides students with an informal "]", and extend discussion outside of class time.


==== United States ====
===Censorship by governments{{anchor|Censorship_incidents}}===
{{Main|Internet censorship}} {{Excerpt|Internet censorship in the United States|only=paragraphs}}

Social media often features in political struggles to control public perception and online activity. In some countries, ] or ] monitor or control citizens' use of social media. For example, in 2013 some social media was banned in ] after the Taksim ]. Both Twitter and YouTube were temporarily suspended in the country by a court's decision. A new law, passed by ], has granted immunity to Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) personnel. The TİB was also given the authority to block access to specific websites without the need for a court order.<ref>{{cite web|first=Salih|last=Sarıkaya |title=Social Media Ban In Turkey: What Does It Mean? by Salih Sarıkaya |url=http://www.salihsarikaya.com/en/social-media-ban-in-turkey-what-does-it-mean-by-salih-sarikaya/ |date=October 30, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006012638/http://www.salihsarikaya.com/en/social-media-ban-in-turkey-what-does-it-mean-by-salih-sarikaya/ |archive-date=2014-10-06 }}</ref> Yet TİB's 2014 blocking of Twitter was ruled by the constitutional court to violate free speech.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-twitter-ban-idUSBREA311BF20140402 |title=Turkey's Twitter ban violates free speech: constitutional court |work=Reuters |date=April 2, 2014|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> More recently, in the ], the public was explicitly instructed not to 'share' or 'like' dissenting views on social media or face prison. In July of that same year, in response to ]' release of a secret suppression order made by the ], media lawyers were quoted in the ]n media to the effect that "anyone who tweets a link to the WikiLeaks report, posts it on Facebook, or shares it in any way online could also face charges".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/social-media-users-could-be-charged-for-sharing-wikileaks-story-20140730-zye0b.html |title=Social media users could be charged for sharing WikiLeaks story |first=Mex|last=Cooper |publisher=] |date=July 30, 2014|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> On 27 July 2020, in Egypt, two women were sentenced to two years of imprisonment for posting ] videos, which the government claims are "violating family values".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/world/middleeast/egypt-women-tiktok-prison.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728211112/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/world/middleeast/egypt-women-tiktok-prison.html |archive-date=2020-07-28 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Egypt Sentences Women to 2 Years in Prison for TikTok Videos|access-date=28 July 2020|website=The New York Times|date=28 July 2020|last1=Walsh|first1=Declan}}</ref>


===Decentralization and open standards=== ===Decentralization and open standards===
], ], ], ] and other compatible software packages operate as a loose federation of mostly volunteer-operated servers, called the ], which connect with each other through the open source protocol ]. In early 2019, Mastodon successfully blocked the spread of violent right-wing extremism when the Twitter alternative ] tried to associate with Mastodon, and their independent servers quickly contained its dissemination.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/372488/twitter-wants-social-media-to-be-more-like-email|title=Twitter Wants Social Media to Be More Like Email|last=Kan|first=Michael|date=2019-12-11|work=PC Magazine|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref> While the dominant social media platforms are not interoperable, open source protocols such as ] have been adopted by platforms such as ], ], ], and ]. They operate as a loose federation of mostly volunteer-operated servers, called the ]. However, in 2019, Mastodon blocked ] from connecting to it, claiming that it spread violent, right-wing extremism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/372488/twitter-wants-social-media-to-be-more-like-email|title=Twitter Wants Social Media to Be More Like Email|last=Kan|first=Michael|date=2019-12-11|work=PC Magazine|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref>


In December 2019, Twitter CEO ] made a similar suggestion, stating that efforts would be taken to achieve an "open and decentralized standard for social media". Rather than "]", such standards would allow a more scalable, and customizable approach to content moderation and censorship, and involve a number of companies, in the way that e-mail servers work.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} In December 2019, ] CEO ] advocated an "open and decentralized standard for social media". He joined ] to bring it to reality.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kang |first=Jay Caspian |date=2023-05-12 |title=What Bluesky Tells Us About the Future of Social Media |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/what-bluesky-tells-us-about-the-future-of-social-media |access-date=2024-05-29 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref>


===Deplatforming=== ===Deplatforming===
{{Main|Deplatforming|Twitter suspensions}} {{see also|Twitter suspensions}}
{{excerpt|Deplatforming|only=paragraphs}}
] is a form of Internet censorship in which controversial speakers or speech are suspended, banned, or otherwise shut down by social media platforms and other service providers that normally provide a venue for free expression.<ref name=Reynolds>{{cite news |title=When Digital Platforms Become Censors |first=Glenn Harlan |last=Reynolds |date=August 18, 2018 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-digital-platforms-become-censors-1534514122?mod=rsswn |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330045941/https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-digital-platforms-become-censors-1534514122?mod=rsswn |archive-date=2019-03-30 }}</ref> These kinds of actions are similar to alternative dispute resolution.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Van Loo|first=Rory|date=2021|title=Federal Rules of Platform Procedure|url=https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/905|journal=University of Chicago Law Review|volume=829}}</ref>{{rp|4}} As early as 2015, platforms such as ] began to enforce selective bans based, for example, on ] that prohibit "]".<ref name=ACM>{{cite journal |title=You Can't Stay Here: The Efficacy of Reddit's 2015 Ban Examined Through Hate Speech |first1=Eshwar |last1=Chandrasekharan |first2=Umashanti |last2=Pavalanathan |first3=Anirudh|last3=Srinivasan|first4=Adam|last4=Glynn|first5=Jacob|last5=Eisenstein|first6=Eric|last6=Gilber |s2cid=22713682 |journal=Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction |volume=1 |issue=CSCW |date=November 2017 |doi=10.1145/3134666 |page=Article 31 |url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3134666}}</ref> According to technology journalist ], "]'s efforts to pull the plug on dissenting opinions" have included, {{as of|2018|lc=yes}}, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube "devising excuses to suspend ideologically disfavored accounts".<ref name=McCullagh>{{cite magazine |title=Deplatforming Is a Dangerous Game |first=Declan |last=McCullagh |date=February 2019 |magazine=] |url=https://reason.com/archives/2019/01/20/deplatforming |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331055502/https://reason.com/archives/2019/01/20/deplatforming |archive-date=2019-03-31 }}</ref>


=== Threat to democracy ===
Most people see social media platforms as censoring objectionable political views.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/08/19/most-americans-think-social-media-sites-censor-political-viewpoints/|title = Most Americans Think Social Media Sites Censor Political Viewpoints|date = 19 August 2020|last1=Vogels|first1=Emily A.|last2=Perrin|first2=Andrew|last3=Anderson|first3=Monica|publisher=Pew Research Center|access-date=2022-08-29}}</ref>
{{See also|Democratic backsliding|The Social Dilemma}}


A number of commentators and experts have argued that social media companies have incentives that to maximize user engagement with ], emotive and controversial material that discourages a healthy discourse that democracies depend on.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gal |first=Uri |date=2024-01-26 |title=Opinion: Anti-social media: What can be done to stop platforms from driving democracies apart? |url=https://www.abc.net.au/religion/ethics-social-media-tiktok-pulling-democratic-society-apart/103393442 |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=ABC Religion & Ethics |language=en-AU}}</ref> Zack Beauchamp of ] calls it an authoritarian medium because of how it is incentivized to stir up hate and division that benefits aspiring autocrats.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beauchamp |first=Zack |date=2019-01-22 |title=Social media is rotting democracy from within |url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/22/18177076/social-media-facebook-far-right-authoritarian-populism |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=Vox |language=en-US}}</ref> '']'' describes social media as vulnerable to manipulation by autocrats.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 4, 2017 |title=Once considered a boon to democracy, social media have started to look like its nemesis |url=https://www.economist.com/briefing/2017/11/04/once-considered-a-boon-to-democracy-social-media-have-started-to-look-like-its-nemesis |access-date=2024-07-15 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> Informed dialogue, a shared sense of reality, mutual consent and participation can all suffer due to the business model of social media.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Deb |first1=Anamitra |last2=Donohue |first2=Stacy |last3=Glaisyer |first3=Tom |date=October 31, 2017 |title=Is Social Media a Threat to Democracy? |url=https://gijn.org/stories/is-social-media-a-threat-to-democracy/ |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=] |language=en-US}}</ref> ] can be one byproduct.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 20, 2017 |title='#Republic' Author Describes How Social Media Hurts Democracy |url=https://www.npr.org/2017/02/20/516292286/-republic-author-describes-how-social-media-hurts-democracy |work=NPR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hull |first=Gordon |date=2017-11-06 |title=Why social media may not be so good for democracy |url=http://theconversation.com/why-social-media-may-not-be-so-good-for-democracy-86285 |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-31 |title=What's driving America's partisan divide and what might be done to reverse it |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/whats-driving-americas-partisan-divide-and-what-might-be-done-to-reverse-it |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=PBS News |language=en-us}}</ref> This can have implications for the likelihood of ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goo |first=Sara Kehaulani |date=Jun 28, 2022 |title=Nobelist Maria Ressa: Social media is corroding U.S. democracy |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/06/28/maria-ressa-social-media-democracy |work=Axios}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> ] argues for a range of solutions including privacy protections and enforcing anti-trust laws.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Naughton |first=John |date=2018-06-25 |title=Anti-Social Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy by Siva Vaidhyanathan – review |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/25/anti-social-media-how-facebook-disconnects-us-undermines-democracy-siva-vaidhyanathan-review |access-date=2024-07-14 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref> ] describes ] as one possible solution to the divisiveness of traditional discourse on social media that has damaged democracies, citing the use of its algorithm to instead prioritize finding consensus.<ref name=":2">{{Cite magazine |last=Leonard |first=Andrew |date=July 30, 2020 |title=How Taiwan's Unlikely Digital Minister Hacked the Pandemic |url=https://www.wired.com/story/how-taiwans-unlikely-digital-minister-hacked-the-pandemic/ |access-date=2024-05-04 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Miller |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Miller (author) |date=2020-09-27 |title=How Taiwan's 'civic hackers' helped find a new way to run the country |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/27/taiwan-civic-hackers-polis-consensus-social-media-platform |access-date=2024-02-27 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
=== Reproduction of class distinctions ===
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2020}}
According to ] (2011), the media plays a large role in shaping people's perceptions of specific ]s. When looking at the site ], after adults started to realize how popular the site was becoming with teens, news media became heavily concerned with teen participation and the potential dangers they faced using the site. As a result, teens avoided joining the site because of the associated risks (e.g. child predators and lack of control), and parents began to publicly denounce the site. Ultimately, the site was labeled as dangerous, and many were detracted from interacting with the site.<ref name=":17" />


=== Extremist groups ===
As Boyd also describes, when ] initially launched in 2004, it solely targeted college students and access was intentionally limited. Facebook started as a ]-only ] before expanding to all other ] schools. It then made its way to other top universities and ultimately to a wider range of schools. Because of its origins, some saw Facebook as an "elite" ]. While it was very open and accepting to some, it seemed to outlaw and shun most others who did not fit that "elite" categorization. These narratives propagated by the media influenced the large movement of teenage users from one ] to another.<ref name=":17">{{Cite book|last=Boyd|first=Danah|title=Race After the Internet|publisher=Routledge|year=2011|editor-last=Nakamura|editor-first=Lisa|pages=203–222|chapter=White Flight in Networked Publics? How Race and Class Shaped American Teen Engagement with MySpace and Facebook|author-link=Danah boyd|editor-last2=Chow-White|editor-first2=Peter}}</ref>

=== Use by extremist groups ===
{{Main|Terrorism and social media}} {{Main|Terrorism and social media}}
According to ''LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media'' (2018) by ] and ], the use of effective social media marketing techniques is not only limited to celebrities, corporations, and governments, but also extremist groups to carry out political objectives based on extremist ideologies.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Giangreco|first=Leigh|date=2018-11-29|title=How Trump, ISIS and Russia have mastered the Internet as a weapon|language=en-US|newspaper=]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/how-trump-isis-and-russia-have-mastered-the-internet-as-a-weapon/2018/11/29/5a6e44c8-c58e-11e8-9b1c-a90f1daae309_story.html|access-date=2021-01-22|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The use of social media by ] and ] has been used primarily to influence operations in areas of operation and gain the attention of sympathizers of extremist ideologies. Social media platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and various encrypted-messaging applications have been used to increase the recruiting of members into these extremist groups, both locally and internationally.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Awan|first=Imran|date=2017-04-01|title=Cyber-Extremism: Isis and the Power of Social Media|journal=Society|language=en|volume=54|issue=2|pages=138–149|doi=10.1007/s12115-017-0114-0|s2cid=54069174|issn=1936-4725|doi-access=free}}</ref> Larger platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and various others have received backlash for allowing this type of content on their platform (see ]). The use of social media to further extremist objectives is not only limited to ], but also extreme nationalist groups across the world, and more prominently, ] groups based out of the United States. According to ''LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media'',<ref>''LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media'' (2018) by ] and Emerson T. Brooking</ref> the use of effective social media marketing techniques includes not only celebrities, corporations, and governments, but also extremist groups.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Giangreco|first=Leigh|date=2018-11-29|title=How Trump, ISIS and Russia have mastered the Internet as a weapon|language=en-US|newspaper=]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/how-trump-isis-and-russia-have-mastered-the-internet-as-a-weapon/2018/11/29/5a6e44c8-c58e-11e8-9b1c-a90f1daae309_story.html|access-date=2021-01-22|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The use of social media by ] and ] has been used to influence public opinion where it operates and gain the attention of sympathizers. Social media platforms and encrypted-messaging applications have been used to recruit members, both locally and internationally.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Awan|first=Imran|date=2017-04-01|title=Cyber-Extremism: Isis and the Power of Social Media|journal=Society|language=en|volume=54|issue=2|pages=138–149|doi=10.1007/s12115-017-0114-0|s2cid=54069174|issn=1936-4725|doi-access=free}}</ref> Platforms have endured backlash for ]. Extreme nationalist groups, and more prominently, US ] have used similar online tactics. As many traditional social media platforms banned ], several platforms became popular among right-wing extremists to carry out planning and communication including of events; these application became known as "]". Platforms such as ], ], and ] were used during the ], to coordinate attacks.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Experts say echo chambers from apps like Parler and Gab contributed to attack on Capitol|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/experts-echo-chambers-apps-parler-gab-contributed-attack/story?id=75141014|last=Romero|first=Laura|date=2021-01-12|access-date=2021-01-22|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref> Members shared tips on how to avoid law enforcement and their plans on carrying out their objectives; some users called for killing law enforcement officers and politicians.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Murdock|first=Jason|date=2021-01-13|title=Amazon shut down Parler after users called for politicians, police to be killed: Lawsuit|url=https://www.newsweek.com/amazon-web-services-parler-lawsuit-user-threats-1561179|access-date=2021-01-22|website=Newsweek|language=en}}</ref>

==== 2021 United States Capitol attack ====
{{Main|January 6 United States Capitol attack}}

As many of the traditional social media platforms banned hate speech (see ]), several platforms have become popular among right-wing extremists to carry out planning and communication of thoughts and organized events; these application became known as "]". Platforms such as ], ], and ] were used during the 2021 storming of the US Capitol in ]. The use of this social media was used to coordinate attacks on the Capitol.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Experts say echo chambers from apps like Parler and Gab contributed to attack on Capitol|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/experts-echo-chambers-apps-parler-gab-contributed-attack/story?id=75141014|last=Romero|first=Laura|date=2021-01-12|access-date=2021-01-22|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref> Several members within these groups shared tips on how to avoid law enforcement and what their plans were with regards to carrying out their objectives; some users called for killings of law enforcement and politicians.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Murdock|first=Jason|date=2021-01-13|title=Amazon shut down Parler after users called for politicians, police to be killed: Lawsuit|url=https://www.newsweek.com/amazon-web-services-parler-lawsuit-user-threats-1561179|access-date=2021-01-22|website=Newsweek|language=en}}</ref>


== Deceased users == == Deceased users ==
{{Further|Death and the Internet}} {{Further|Death and the Internet}}
Social media content, like most content on the web, will continue to persist unless the user deletes it. This brings up the inevitable question of what to do once a social media user dies, and no longer has access to their content.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-12-30|title=What happens to social media after you die|url=https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/this-is-what-happens-to-all-your-social-media-accounts-after-you-die/news-story/6af9db68910ec664752bdd7693875541|access-date=2020-11-27|website=NewsComAu|language=en}}</ref> As it is a topic that is often left undiscussed, it is important to note that each social media platform, e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, has created its own guidelines for users who have died.<ref name=":18">{{Cite web|date=2017-03-08|title=Social Media Accounts After a Loved One Dies|url=https://beyond.life/help-centre/admin-legal/social-media-accounts-loved-one-dies/|access-date=2020-11-27|website=Beyond|language=en-GB}}</ref> In most cases on social media, the platforms require a next-of-kin to prove that the user is deceased, and then give them the option of closing the account or maintaining it in a 'legacy' status. Ultimately, social media users should make decisions about what happens to their social media accounts before they pass, and make sure their instructions are passed on to their next-of-kin. Social media content, persists unless the user deletes it. After a user dies, unless the platform is notified, their content remains.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-12-30|title=What happens to social media after you die|url=https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/this-is-what-happens-to-all-your-social-media-accounts-after-you-die/news-story/6af9db68910ec664752bdd7693875541|access-date=2020-11-27|website=NewsComAu|language=en}}</ref> Each platform has created guidelines for this situation.<ref name="Beyond-2017">{{Cite web|date=2017-03-08|title=Social Media Accounts After a Loved One Dies|url=https://beyond.life/help-centre/admin-legal/social-media-accounts-loved-one-dies/|access-date=2020-11-27|website=Beyond|language=en-GB}}</ref> In most cases on social media, the platforms require a next-of-kin to prove that the user is deceased, and give them the option of closing the account or maintaining it in a 'legacy' status.
{| class="wikitable" {| class="wikitable"
|+Guidelines for users who have died, by platform<ref name=":18" /> |+Guidelines for users who have died, by platform<ref name="Beyond-2017" />
!Platform !Platform
!Guideline !Guideline
|- |-
|Twitter<ref>{{Cite web|title=How to contact Twitter about a deceased family member's account|url=https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/contact-twitter-about-a-deceased-family-members-account|access-date=2020-11-28|website=help.twitter.com|language=en}}</ref> |X<ref>{{Cite web|title=How to contact Twitter about a deceased family member's account|url=https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/contact-twitter-about-a-deceased-family-members-account|access-date=2020-11-28|website=help.twitter.com|language=en}}</ref>
|If a user has died, the company will work with an immediate family member to deactivate the account. Additionally, Twitter will not give the account to any person(s), regardless of the relationship. |The company works with an immediate family member to deactivate the account. Additionally, X will not give the account to any other person, regardless of the relationship.
|- |-
|Facebook |Facebook
|Facebook provides users the option of having their account permanently deleted when one dies. There is also an option for 'legacy contact' which means that the Facebook user can have a family and/or friend take over the account once the person has died. The 'legacy contact' option is under the security tab at the bottom of the page. |Users have the option of having their account permanently deleted after death. Users can identify a 'legacy contact' who would take over the account after.
|- |-
|Instagram<ref>{{Cite web|title=Instagram Help Center|url=https://help.instagram.com/contact/452224988254813?helpref=faq_content|access-date=2020-12-01|website=help.instagram.com}}</ref> |Instagram<ref>{{Cite web|title=Instagram Help Center|url=https://help.instagram.com/contact/452224988254813?helpref=faq_content|access-date=2020-12-01|website=help.instagram.com}}</ref>
|There are two options for people who have died. Similar to Facebook, the user can have the account memorialized with proof of death. The other option is to have the account deleted. |Users can have the account memorialized or deleted with proof of death.
|- |-
|LinkedIn<ref>{{Cite web|title=Deceased LinkedIn Member|url=https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/2842/deceased-linkedin-member?lang=en|access-date=2020-12-01|website=LinkedIn Help|language=en}}</ref> |LinkedIn<ref>{{Cite web|title=Deceased LinkedIn Member|url=https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/2842/deceased-linkedin-member?lang=en|access-date=2020-12-01|website=LinkedIn Help|language=en}}</ref>
|A family member can request that the account be shut down. The family member must provide the URL to the account, proof of relationship, the account user's email address, date of death, a link to the obituary, and the name of the last company the deceased worked for. |A family member can request that the account be deleted. The family member must identify the account, submit proof of relationship, the user's email address, date of death, a link to the obituary, and the name of the last company the deceased worked for.
|- |-
|Pinterest |Pinterest
|To delete the account of someone who has died, one must email the company with the URL of the account. One must also provide a death certificate and/or provide a link to the obituary as well as proof of relationship to the deceased. |Must email the company with the URL of the account along with a death certificate or a link to the obituary, as well as proof of relationship to the deceased.
|- |-
|YouTube<ref>{{Cite web|title=Submit a request regarding a deceased user's account |url=https://support.google.com/accounts/troubleshooter/6357590?hl=en#ts=6357650 |website=google.account.help.com |language=en}}</ref> |YouTube<ref>{{Cite web|title=Submit a request regarding a deceased user's account |url=https://support.google.com/accounts/troubleshooter/6357590?hl=en#ts=6357650 |website=google.account.help.com |language=en}}</ref>
|YouTube provides three capabilities for a deceased user's account: (1) they can close the account, (2) they can transfer payments from the account to an immediate family member and legal representative of the user's estate, and (3) they can provide the data in the account to a family member. All three capabilities require (1) the requestor's government-issued ID or driver's license, (2) the decedent's death certificate, and (3) additional supporting documentation. |A representative can close the account, transfer payments from the account to an immediate family member and legal representative of the user's estate, and can provide the data in the account to a family member. All three capabilities require the requestor's government-issued ID or driver's license, the decedent's death certificate, and additional supporting documentation.
|- |-
|]
|The heir must supply the user's death certificate, authentication of family relationship. The successor can then obtain the assets.
|} |}


==See also==<!-- alphabetical order please --> ==See also==
<!-- Alphabetical order please -->
<!-- please add a short description ], via {{subst:AnnotatedListOfLinks}} or {{Annotated link}} --> <!-- Please add a short description ], via {{subst:AnnotatedListOfLinks}} or {{Annotated link}} -->
{{div col|colwidth=20em|small=yes}} {{div col|colwidth=20em|small=yes}}
* {{Annotated link |Attention inequality}} * {{Annotated link |Attention inequality}}
* {{Annotated link |Augmented reality}}
* {{Annotated link |Citizen media}} * {{Annotated link |Citizen media}}
* {{Annotated link |Coke Zero Facial Profiler}}
* {{Annotated link |Connectivism}} * {{Annotated link |Connectivism}}
* {{Annotated link |Connectivity (media)}} * {{Annotated link |Connectivity (media)}}
* {{Annotated link |News aggregator|Content aggregator}}
* {{Annotated link |Culture jamming}} * {{Annotated link |Culture jamming}}
* {{Annotated link |Deplatforming}} * {{Annotated link |Digital detox}}
* {{Annotated link |Psychological effects of Internet use}}
* {{Annotated link |Internet#Politics and political revolutions|Internet politics}}
* {{Annotated link |Landing page}}
* {{Annotated link |List of online video platforms}}
* {{Annotated link |List of image-sharing websites}}
* {{Annotated link |List of social bookmarking websites}} * {{Annotated link |List of social bookmarking websites}}
* {{Annotated link |List of social networking services}} * {{Annotated link |List of social networking services}}
* {{Annotated link |Metcalfe's law}} * {{Annotated link |Metcalfe's law}}
* {{Annotated link |MMORPG}}
* {{Annotated link |Networked learning}} * {{Annotated link |Networked learning}}
* {{Annotated link |New media}} * {{Annotated link |New media}}
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* {{Annotated link |Online research community}} * {{Annotated link |Online research community}}
* {{Annotated link |Participatory media}} * {{Annotated link |Participatory media}}
* {{Annotated link |Social media and the Arab Spring}} * {{Annotated link |Psychological effects of Internet use}}
* {{Annotated link |Media bias#Social media bias|Social media bias}}
* {{Annotated link |Social influence bias}} * {{Annotated link |Social influence bias}}
* {{Annotated link |Social media and psychology}} * {{Annotated link |Social media and psychology}}
* {{Annotated link |Digital detox}} * {{Annotated link |Social media in education}}
* {{Annotated link |Social media mining}} * {{Annotated link |Social media mining}}
* {{Annotated link |Social media optimization}} * {{Annotated link |Social media optimization}}
* {{Annotated link |Social media surgery}} * {{Annotated link |Social media surgery}}
* {{Annotated link |The Disinformation Project}} * {{Annotated link |Social networking service}}
* {{Annotated link |The medium is the message}}
{{div col end}} {{div col end}}
<!-- alphabetical order please --> <!-- alphabetical order please -->
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==Further reading== ==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |last=Agozzino |first=Alisa |year=2012 |title=Building A Personal Relationship Through Social Media: A Study Of Millenial Students' Brand Engagement |journal=Ohio Communication Journal |volume=50 |pages=181–204}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Al-Rahmi|first1=Waleed Mugahed|last2=Othman|first2=Mohd Shahizan|date=2013|title=The Impact of Social Media use on Academic Performance among university students: A Pilot Study|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283723637|journal=Journal of Information Systems Research and Innovation|pages=1–10}}
* {{cite book |last=Aral |first=Sinan |year=2020 |title=The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health—and How We Must Adapt |isbn=978-0-525-57451-4 |publisher=Currency}} * {{cite book |last=Aral |first=Sinan |year=2020 |title=The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health—and How We Must Adapt |isbn=978-0-525-57451-4 |publisher=Currency}}
* {{cite book |last=Benkler |first=Yochai |author-link=Yochai Benkler |year=2006 |title=The Wealth of Networks |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven |isbn=978-0-300-11056-2 |oclc=61881089|title-link=The Wealth of Networks }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Beshears |first1=Michael L. |year=2016 |doi=10.1007/s12103-016-9380-4 |title=Effectiveness of Police Social Media Use|journal=American Journal of Criminal Justice|volume=42|issue=3|pages=489–501 |s2cid=151928750}}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Blankenship | first1 = M | year = 2011 | title = How social media can and should impact higher education | journal = The Education Digest | volume = 76 | issue = 7| page = 39 | id = {{ProQuest|848431918}} }}
* {{cite book |last=Fuchs |first=Christian |year=2014 |title=Social Media: A Critical Introduction |publisher=Sage|location=London|author-link=Christian Fuchs (sociologist)|isbn=978-1-4462-5731-9}} * {{cite book |last=Fuchs |first=Christian |year=2014 |title=Social Media: A Critical Introduction |publisher=Sage|location=London|author-link=Christian Fuchs (sociologist)|isbn=978-1-4462-5731-9}}
* Kroon, Anne C., and Martine van Selm. “Good Intentions Aside: Stereotype Threat in the Face of Media Strategies to Counter Age Bias.” Research on Aging 46, no. 9/10 (October 2024): 480–91. https://doi.org/10.1177/01640275241249117.
* {{cite book |last=Gentle |first=Anne |year=2012 |title=Conversation and Community: The Social Web for Documentation |publisher=XML Press |location=Laguna Hills, CA |isbn=978-1-937434-10-6 |oclc=794490599 |edition=2nd}}
* Hou, Yubo, Dan Xiong, Tonglin Jiang, Lily Song, and Qi Wang. “Social Media Addiction: Its Impact, Mediation, and Intervention.” Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace 13, no. 1 (February 21, 2019). https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2019-1-4.
* {{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Steven Berlin |author-link=Steven Berlin Johnson |year=2005 |title=Everything Bad Is Good for You |publisher=Riverhead Books |location=New York |isbn=978-1-57322-307-2 |oclc=57514882|title-link=Everything Bad Is Good for You }}
* {{cite web |url=http://marketingland.com/use-seo-data-social-media-strategy-219705 |last=Jordan|first=Kasteler |date=2017 |title=How to use SEO data in your social media strategy}}
* {{cite book |last1=Jue |first1=Arthur L.|last2=Alcalde Marr|first2=Jackie|last3=Kassotakis|first3=Mary Ellen|title=Social media at work : how networking tools propel organizational performance |year=2010 |publisher=Jossey-Bass |location=San Francisco, CA |isbn=978-0-470-40543-7 |edition=1st |url=https://archive.org/details/socialmediaatwor0000juea }}
* {{cite book |last1=Lardi |first1=Kamales |last2=Fuchs |first2=Rainer |year=2013 |title=Social Media Strategy – A step-by-step guide to building your social business |publisher=vdf |location=Zurich |isbn=978-3-7281-3557-5 |edition=1st}}
* {{cite book |last1=Li |first1=Charlene |last2=Bernoff |first2=Josh |year=2008 |title=Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies |publisher=Harvard Business Press |location=Boston |isbn=978-1-4221-2500-7 |oclc=423555651|title-link=Groundswell (book) }}
* {{Cite journal |author=Mateus, Samuel |url=https://www.academia.edu/3248766 |date=2012 |title=Social Networks Scopophilic dimension – social belonging through spectatorship|journal=Observatorio (OBS*) Journal |issue=Special Issue|doi=10.15847/obsOBS000605 |s2cid=142933378 |doi-access=free }}
* {{Cite book |last1=McHale |first1=Robert |last2=Garulay |first2=Eric |year=2012 |title=Navigating Social Media Legal Risks: Safeguarding Your Business |url=http://books.slashdot.org/story/12/08/13/1315256/book-review-navigating-social-media-legal-risks/ |publisher=Que |isbn=978-0-7897-4953-6 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Piskorski |first=Mikołaj Jan |author-link=Mikolaj Piskorski |year=2014 |title=A Social Strategy: How We Profit from Social Media |location=Princeton, NJ |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-691-15339-1 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Powell |first1=Guy R. |last2=Groves |first2=Steven W. |last3=Dimos |first3=Jerry |year=2011 |title=ROI of Social Media: How to improve the return on your social marketing investment |url=https://archive.org/details/roiofocialmediah0000powe |url-access=registration |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |location=New York |isbn=978-0-470-82741-3 |oclc=0470827416}}
* {{cite book |last=Rheingold |first=Howard |title=Smart mobs: The next social revolution |year=2002 |publisher=Perseus Pub. |location=Cambridge, MA |isbn=978-0-7382-0608-0 |page= |edition=1st printing |url=https://archive.org/details/smartmobsnextsoc00rhei/page/288 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Schoen |first1=Harald |last2=Gayo-Avello |first2=Daniel |last3=Takis Metaxas |first3=Panagiotis |last4=Mustafaraj |first4=Eni |last5=Strohmaier |first5=Markus |last6=Gloor |first6=Peter |doi=10.1108/IntR-06-2013-0115 |title=The power of prediction with social media |journal=Internet Research |volume=23 |issue=5 |pages=528–543 |year=2013 |citeseerx=10.1.1.460.3885 }}
* {{Cite book | last1 = Schrape | first1 = JF | title = Society, Regulation and Governance | year = 2017 | chapter = Reciprocal irritations: Social media, mass media and the public sphere | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318723400 | journal = New Modes of Shaping Social Change? | pages = 138–150 | doi=10.4337/9781786438386.00016| isbn = 978-1-78643-838-6 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Scoble |first1=Robert |author-link1=Robert Scoble |last2=Israel |first2=Shel |author-link2=Shel Israel |year=2006 |title=Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers |publisher=John Wiley |location=Hoboken, NJ |isbn=978-0-471-74719-2 |oclc=61757953|title-link=Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers }}
* {{cite book |last=Shirky |first=Clay |author-link=Clay Shirky |year=2008 |title=Here Comes Everybody |publisher=Penguin Press |location=New York |isbn=978-1-59420-153-0 |oclc=458788924|title-link=Here Comes Everybody (book)}}
* {{cite news |last=Siegel|first=Alyssa |work=Psychology Tomorrow |url=http://psychologytomorrowmagazine.com/how-social-media-affects-our-relationships/ |date=September 7, 2015 |title=How Social Media Affects Our Relationships}}
* {{cite book |last=Surowiecki |first=James |author-link=James Surowiecki |year=2004 |title=The Wisdom of Crowds |publisher=Anchor Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-385-72170-7 |oclc=156770258|title-link=The Wisdom of Crowds }}
* {{cite book |last1=Tapscott |first1=Don |author-link1=Don Tapscott |last2=Williams |first2=Anthony D. |author-link2=Anthony D. Williams (author) |year=2006 |title=Wikinomics |publisher=Portfolio |location=New York |isbn=978-1-59184-138-8 |oclc=318389282|title-link=Wikinomics }}
* {{cite web |last=Tedesco |first=Laura Anne |date=October 2000 |title=Lascaux (ca. 15,000 B.C.) |website=Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History |location=New York |publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/lasc/hd_lasc.htm}}
* {{cite book |last=Watts |first=Duncan J. |title=Six degrees: The science of a connected age |year=2003 |publisher=Vintage |location=London |isbn=978-0-09-944496-1 |page=368 }}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Scholia|topic}} {{Scholia|topic}}
{{Wikinews|New American Psychological Association guidelines: Parents should advise teenagers on social media use, impose restrictions}}
*{{Commons category-inline}} *{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Online social networking}}{{Computer-mediated communication}}{{Media culture}} {{Online social networking}}{{Computer-mediated communication}}{{Media culture}}
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Latest revision as of 08:27, 26 December 2024

Virtual online communities

Social media app icons on a smartphone screen

Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the creation, sharing and aggregation of content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongst virtual communities and networks. Common features include:

The term social in regard to media suggests platforms enable communal activity. Social media can enhance and extend human networks. Users access social media through web-based apps or custom apps on mobile devices. These interactive platforms allow individuals, communities, and organizations to share, co-create, discuss, participate in, and modify user-generated or self-curated content. Social media is used to document memories, learn, and form friendships. They may be used to promote people, companies, products, and ideas. Social media can be used to consume, publish, or share news.

Popular social media platforms with over 100 million registered users include Twitter, Facebook, WeChat, ShareChat, Instagram, Pinterest, QZone, Weibo, VK, Tumblr, Baidu Tieba, Threads and LinkedIn. Depending on interpretation, other popular platforms that are sometimes referred to as social media services include YouTube, Letterboxd, QQ, Quora, Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, LINE, Snapchat, Viber, Reddit, Discord, and TikTok. Wikis are examples of collaborative content creation.

Social media outlets differ from old media (e.g. newspapers, TV, and radio broadcasting) in many ways, including quality, reach, frequency, usability, relevancy, and permanence. Social media outlets operate in a dialogic transmission system (many sources to many receivers) while traditional media operate under a monologic transmission model (one source to many receivers). For instance, a newspaper is delivered to many subscribers, and a radio station broadcasts the same programs to a city.

Social media has been criticized for a range of negative impacts on children and teenagers, including exposure to inappropriate content, exploitation by adults, sleep problems, attention problems, feelings of exclusion, and various mental health maladies. Social media has also received criticism as worsening political polarization and undermining democracy. Major news outlets often have strong controls in place to avoid and fix false claims, but social media's unique qualities bring viral content with little to no oversight. "Algorithms that track user engagement to prioritize what is shown tend to favor content that spurs negative emotions like anger and outrage. Overall, most online misinformation originates from a small minority of “superspreaders,” but social media amplifies their reach and influence."

History

See also: Timeline of social media

Early computing

The PLATO system was launched in 1960 at the University of Illinois and subsequently commercially marketed by Control Data Corporation. It offered early forms of social media features with innovations such as Notes, PLATO's message-forum application; TERM-talk, its instant-messaging feature; Talkomatic, perhaps the first online chat room; News Report, a crowdsourced online newspaper, and blog and Access Lists, enabling the owner of a note file or other application to limit access to a certain set of users, for example, only friends, classmates, or co-workers.

ARPANET, which came online in 1969, had by the late 1970s enabled exchange of non-government/business ideas and communication, as evidenced by the network etiquette (or "netiquette") described in a 1982 handbook on computing at MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. ARPANET evolved into the Internet in the 1990s. Usenet, conceived by Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis in 1979 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, was the first open social media app, established in 1980.

A bulletin board system menu, featuring opinion polls and a "Who's been on today?" query

A precursor of the electronic bulletin board system (BBS), known as Community Memory, appeared by 1973. Mainstream BBSs arrived with the Computer Bulletin Board System in Chicago, which launched on February 16, 1978. Before long, most major US cities had more than one BBS, running on TRS-80, Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, IBM PC, Commodore 64, Sinclair, and others. CompuServe, Prodigy, and AOL were three of the largest BBS companies and were the first to migrate to the Internet in the 1990s. Between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s, BBSes numbered in the tens of thousands in North America alone. Message forums were the signature BBS phenomenon throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.

In 1991, Tim Berners-Lee integrated HTML hypertext software with the Internet, creating the World Wide Web. This breakthrough led to an explosion of blogs, list servers, and email services. Message forums migrated to the web, and evolved into Internet forums, supported by cheaper access as well as the ability to handle far more people simultaneously.

These early text-based systems expanded to include images and video in the 21st century, aided by digital cameras and camera phones.

Social media platforms

SixDegrees, launched in 1997, is often regarded as the first social media site.

The evolution of online services progressed from serving as channels for networked communication to becoming interactive platforms for networked social interaction with the advent of Web 2.0.

Social media started in the mid-1990s with the invention of platforms like GeoCities, Classmates.com, and SixDegrees.com. While instant messaging and chat clients existed at the time, SixDegrees was unique as it was the first online service designed for people to connect using their actual names instead of anonymously. It boasted features like profiles, friends lists, and school affiliations, making it "the very first social networking site". The platform's name was inspired by the "six degrees of separation" concept, which suggests that every person on the planet is just six connections away from everyone else.

In the early 2000s, social media platforms gained widespread popularity with the likes of Friendster and Myspace, followed by Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

Research from 2015 reported that globally, users spent 22% of their online time on social networks, likely fueled by the availability of smartphones. As of 2023 as many as 4.76 billion people used social media some 59% of the global population.

Definition

A 2015 review identified four features unique to social media services:

In 2019, Merriam-Webster defined social media as "forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos)."

Services

Social media encompasses an expanding suite of services:

Some services offer more than one type of service.

Mobile social media

Mobile social media refers to the use of social media on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. It is distinguished by its ubiquity, since users no longer have to be at a desk in order to participate on a computer. Mobile services can further make use of the user's immediate location to offer information, connections, or services relevant to that location.

According to Andreas Kaplan, mobile social media activities fall among four types:

  • Space-timers (location and time-sensitive): Exchange of messages with relevance for a specific location at a specific point in time (posting about a traffic jam)
  • Space-locators (only location sensitive): Posts/messages with relevance for a specific location, read later by others (e.g. a restaurant review)
  • Quick-timers (only time sensitive): Transfer of traditional social media mobile apps to increase immediacy (e.g. posting status updates)
  • Slow-timers (neither location nor time sensitive): Transfer of traditional social media applications to mobile devices (e.g. watching a video)

Elements and function

Virality

Main article: Viral phenomenon

Certain content has the potential to spread virally, an analogy for the way viral infections spread contagiously from individual to individual. One user spreads a post across their network, which leads those users to follow suit. A post from a relatively unknown user can reach vast numbers of people within hours. Virality is not guaranteed; few posts make the transition.

Viral marketing campaigns are particularly attractive to businesses because they can achieve widespread advertising coverage at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing campaigns. Nonprofit organizations and activists may also attempt to spread content virally.

Social media sites provide specific functionality to help users re-share content, such as X's and Facebook's "like" option.

Bots

Main article: Internet bot

Bots are automated programs that operate on the internet. They automate many communication tasks. This has led to the creation of an industry of bot providers.

Chatbots and social bots are programmed to mimic human interactions such as liking, commenting, and following. Bots have also been developed to facilitate social media marketing. Bots have led the marketing industry into an analytical crisis, as bots make it difficult to differentiate between human interactions and bot interactions. Some bots violate platforms' terms of use, which can result in bans and campaigns to eliminate bots categorically. Bots may even pose as real people to avoid prohibitions.

'Cyborgs'—either bot-assisted humans or human-assisted bots—are used for both legitimate and illegitimate purposes, from spreading fake news to creating marketing buzz. A common use claimed to be legitimate includes posting at a specific time. A human writes a post content and the bot posts it a specific time. In other cases, cyborgs spread fake news. Cyborgs may work as sock puppets, where one human pretends to be someone else, or operates multiple accounts, each pretending to be a person.

Patents

Main article: Software patent

A multitude of United States patents are related to social media, growing rapidly. As of 2020, over 5000 social media patent applications had been published in the United States. Only slightly over 100 patents had been issued.

Platform convergence

As an instance of technological convergence, various social media platforms adapted functionality beyond their original scope, increasingly overlapping with each other.

Examples are the social hub site Facebook launching an integrated video platform in May 2007, and Instagram, whose original scope was low-resolution photo sharing, introducing the ability to share quarter-minute 640×640 pixel videos (later extended to a minute with increased resolution). Instagram later implemented stories (short videos self-destructing after 24 hours), a concept popularized by Snapchat, as well as IGTV, for seekable videos. Stories were then adopted by YouTube.

X, whose original scope was text-based microblogging, later adopted photo sharing, then video sharing, then a media studio for business users, after YouTube's Creator Studio.

The discussion platform Reddit added an integrated image hoster replacing the external image sharing platform Imgur, and then an internal video hosting service, followed by image galleries (multiple images in a single post), known from Imgur. Imgur implemented video sharing.

YouTube rolled out a Community feature, for sharing text-only posts and polls.

Usage statistics

Main article: List of social platforms with at least 100 million active users

According to Statista, it is estimated that, in 2022, around 3.96 billion people were using social media globally. This number is up from 3.6 billion in 2020.

The following is a list of the most popular social networking services based on the number of active users as of January 2024 per Statista.

Social networking services with the most users, January 2024
# Network Number of users (millions) Country of origin
1 Facebook 3,049 United States
2 YouTube 2,491 United States
3 WhatsApp 2,000 United States
3 Instagram 2,000 United States
5 TikTok 1,526 China
6 WeChat 1,336 China
7 Facebook Messenger 979 United States
8 Telegram 800 Russia
9 Douyin 752 China
10 Snapchat 750 United States
11 Kuaishou 685 China
12 Twitter 619 United States

Usage: before the pandemic

A 2009 study suggested that individual differences may help explain who uses social media: extraversion and openness have a positive relationship with social media, while emotional stability has a negative sloping relationship with social media. A 2015 study reported that people with a higher social comparison orientation appear to use social media more heavily than people with low social comparison orientation.

Common Sense Media reported that children under age 13 in the United States use social networking services although many social media sites require users to be 13 or older. In 2017, the firm conducted a survey of parents of children from birth to age 8 and reported that 4% of children at this age used social media sites such as Instagram, Snapchat, or (now-defunct) Musical.ly "often" or "sometimes". Their 2019 survey surveyed Americans ages 8–16 and reported that about 31% of children ages 8–12 use social media. In that survey, teens aged 16–18 were asked when they started using social media. the median age was 14, although 28% said they started to use it before reaching 13.

Usage: during the pandemic

Usage by minors

Social media played a role in communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, a survey by Cartoon Network and the Cyberbullying Research Center surveyed Americans tweens (ages 9–12) and reported that the most popular application was YouTube (67%). (as age increased, tweens were more likely to have used social media apps and games.) Similarly, Common Sense Media's 2020 survey of Americans ages 13–18 reported that YouTube was the most popular (used by 86% of 13- to 18-year-olds). As children aged, they increasingly utilized social media services and often used YouTube to consume content.

Apps used by U.S. tweens (ages 9–12), 2019-2020
Platform Overall Boys Girls 9-year-olds 12-year-olds
YouTube 67% 68% 66% 53.6% 74.6%
Minecraft 48% 61% 35% 43.6% 49.9%
Roblox 47% 44% 49% 41.2% 41.7%
Google Classroom 45% 48% 41% 39.6% 49.3%
Fortnite 31% 43% 20% 22.2% 38.9%
TikTok 30% 23% 30% 16.8% 37%
YouTube Kids 26% 24% 28% 32.7% 22.1%
Snapchat 16% 11% 21% 5.6% 22.3%
Facebook Messenger Kids 15% 12% 18% 19.1% 10.4%
Instagram 15% 12% 19% 3% 28.8%
Discord 8% 11% 5% 0.7% 14.4%
Facebook 8% 6% 9% 2.2% 15%
Twitch 5% 7% 2% 1.0% 9.9%
None of the above 5% 6% 5% 9.6% 3.3%
Social media platforms used by U.S. kids in 2020 (ages 13–18) and 2017 (ages 10–18)
Platform 2020 2017
YouTube 86% 70%
Instagram 69% 60%
Snapchat 68% 59%
TikTok 47% N/A
Facebook 43% 63%
Twitter 28% 36%
Reddit 14% 6%
Another social networking service 2% 3%
Do not use social networking service 4% 6%

Reasons for use by adults

While adults were using social media before the COVID-19 pandemic, more started using it to stay socially connected and to get pandemic updates.

"Social media have become popularly use to seek for medical information and have fascinated the general public to collect information regarding corona virus pandemics in various perspectives. During these days, people are forced to stay at home and the social media have connected and supported awareness and pandemic updates."

Healthcare workers and systems became more aware of social media as a place people were getting health information:

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media use has accelerated to the point of becoming a ubiquitous part of modern healthcare systems."

This also led to the spread of disinformation. On December 11, 2020, the CDC put out a "Call to Action: Managing the Infodemic". Some healthcare organizations used hashtags as interventions and published articles on their Twitter data:

"Promotion of the joint usage of #PedsICU and #COVID19 throughout the international pediatric critical care community in tweets relevant to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and pediatric critical care."

However others in the medical community were concerned about social media addiction, as it became an increasingly important context and therefore "source of social validation and reinforcement" and were unsure whether increased social media use was harmful.

Use by organizations

Government

Governments may use social media to (for example):

Law enforcement

Social media has been used extensively in civil and criminal investigations. It has also been used to search for missing persons. Police departments often make use of official social media accounts to engage with the public, publicize police activity, and burnish law enforcement's image; conversely, video footage of citizen-documented police brutality and other misconduct has sometimes been posted to social media.

In the United States, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement identifies and track individuals via social media, and has apprehended some people via social media-based sting operations. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (also known as CPB) and the United States Department of Homeland Security use social media data as influencing factors during the visa process, and monitor individuals after they have entered the country. CPB officers have also been documented performing searches of electronics and social media behavior at the border, searching both citizens and non-citizens without first obtaining a warrant.

Reputation management

As social media gained momentum among the younger generations, governments began using it to improve their image, especially among the youth. In January 2021, Egyptian authorities were reported to be using Instagram influencers as part of its media ambassadors program. The program was designed to revamp Egypt's image and to counter the bad press Egypt had received because of the country's human rights record. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates participated in similar programs. Similarly, Dubai has extensively relied on social media and influencers to promote tourism. However, Dubai laws have kept these influencers within limits to not offend the authorities, or to criticize the city, politics or religion. The content of these foreign influencers is controlled to make sure that nothing portrays Dubai in a negative light.

Business

Main article: Social media use by businesses

Many businesses use social media for marketing, branding, advertising, communication, sales promotions, informal employee-learning/organizational development, competitive analysis, recruiting, relationship management/loyalty programs, and e-Commerce. Companies use social-media monitoring tools to monitor, track, and analyze conversations to aid in their marketing, sales and other programs. Tools range from free, basic applications to subscription-based, tools. Social media offers information on industry trends. Within the finance industry, companies use social media as a tool for analyzing market sentiment. These range from marketing financial products, market trends, and as a tool to identify insider trading. To exploit these opportunities, businesses need guidelines for use on each platform.

Business use of social media is complicated by the fact that the business does not fully control its social media presence. Instead, it makes its case by participating in the "conversation". Business uses social media on a customer-organizational level; and an intra-organizational level.

Social media can encourage entrepreneurship and innovation, by highlighting successes, and by easing access to resources that might not otherwise be readily available/known.

Marketing

Main article: Social media marketing

Social media marketing can help promote a product or service and establish connections with customers. Social media marketing can be divided into paid media, earned media, and owned media. Using paid social media firms run advertising on a social media platform. Earned social media appears when firms do something that impresses stakeholders and they spontaneously post content about it. Owned social media is the platform markets itself by creating/promoting content to its users.

Primary uses are to create brand awareness, engage customers by conversation (e.g., customers provide feedback on the firm) and providing access to customer service. Social media's peer-to-peer communication shifts power from the organization to consumers, since consumer content is widely visible and not controlled by the company.

Social media personalities, often referred to as "influencers", are Internet celebrities who are sponsored by marketers to promote products and companies online. Research reports that these endorsements attract the attention of users who have not settled on which products/services to buy, especially younger consumers. The practice of harnessing influencers to market or promote a product or service to their following is commonly referred to as influencer marketing.

In 2013, the United Kingdom Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) began advising celebrities to make it clear whether they had been paid to recommend a product or service by using the hashtag #spon or #ad when endorsing. The US Federal Trade Commission issued similar guidelines.

Social media platforms also enable targeting specific audiences with advertising. Users of social media can share, and comment on the advertisement, turning passive consumers into active promoters and even producers. Targeting requires extra effort by advertisers to understand how to reach the right users. Companies can use humor (such as shitposting) to poke fun at competitors. Advertising can even inspire fanart which can engage new audiences. Hashtags (such as #ejuice and #eliquid) are one way to target interested users.

User content can trigger peer effects, increasing consumer interest even without influencer involvement. A 2012 study focused on this communication reported that communication among peers can affect purchase intentions: direct impact through encouraging conformity, and an indirect impact by increasing product engagement. This study claimed that peer communication about a product increased product engagement.

Politics

Main article: Social media use in politics See also: Social impact of YouTube, Use of social media in the Wisconsin protests, and Social media and political communication in the United States

Social media have a range of uses in politics. Politicians use social media to spread their messages and influence voters.

Dounoucos et al. reported that Twitter use by candidates was unprecedented during the US 2016 election. The public increased its reliance on social-media sites for political information. In the European Union, social media amplified political messages. Foreign-originated social-media campaigns attempt to influence political opinion in another country.

Activism

See also: Social media and the Arab Spring

Social media was influential in the Arab Spring in 2011. However, debate persists about the extent to which social media facilitated this. Activists have used social media to report the abuse of human rights in Bahrain. They publicized the brutality of government authorities, who they claimed were detaining, torturing and threatening individuals. Conversely, Bahrain's government used social media to track and target activists. The government stripped citizenship from over 1,000 activists as punishment.

Militant groups use social media as an organizing and recruiting tool. Islamic State (also known as ISIS) used social media. In 2014, #AllEyesonISIS went viral on Arabic X.

Propaganda

This section is an excerpt from State-sponsored Internet propaganda. State-sponsored Internet propaganda is Internet manipulation and propaganda that is sponsored by a state. States have used the Internet, particularly social media to influence elections, sow distrust in institutions, spread rumors, spread disinformation, typically using bots to create and spread contact. Propaganda is used internally to control populations, and externally to influence other societies.

Recruiting

This section is an excerpt from Social media use in hiring.

Social media use in hiring refers to the examination by employers of job applicants' (public) social media profiles as part of the hiring assessment. For example, the vast majority of Fortune 500 companies use social media as a tool to screen prospective employees and as a tool for talent acquisition.

This practice raises ethical questions. Employers and recruiters note that they have access only to information that applicants choose to make public. Many Western-European countries restrict employer's use of social media in the workplace. States including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin protect applicants and employees from surrendering usernames and passwords for social media accounts. Use of social media as caused significant problems for some applicants who are active on social media. A 2013 survey of 17,000 young people in six countries found that one in ten people aged 16 to 34 claimed to have been rejected for a job because of social media activity.

Social media services have been reported to affect deception in resumes. While these services do not affect deception frequency, it does increase deception about interests and hobbies.

Science

Scientists use social media to share their scientific knowledge and research on platforms such as ResearchGate, LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and Academia.edu. The most common platforms are X and blogs. The use of social media reportedly has improved the interaction between scientists, reporters, and the general public. Over 495,000 opinions were shared on X related to science between September 1, 2010, and August 31, 2011. Science related blogs respond to and motivate public interest in learning, following, and discussing science. Posts can be written quickly and allow the reader to interact in real time with authors. One study in the context of climate change reported that climate scientists and scientific institutions played a minimal role in online debate, exceeded by nongovernmental organizations.

Academia

Academicians use social media activity to assess academic publications, to measure public sentiment, identify influencer accounts, or crowdsource ideas or solutions. Social media such as Facebook, X are also combined to predict elections via sentiment analysis. Additional social media (e.g. YouTube, Google Trends) can be combined to reach a wider segment of the voting population, minimise media-specific bias, and inexpensively estimate electoral predictions which are on average half of a percentage point off the real vote share.

School admissions

In some places, students have been forced to surrender their social media passwords to school administrators. Few laws protect student's social media privacy. Organizations such as the ACLU call for more privacy protection. They urge students who are pressured to give up their account information to resist.

Colleges and universities may access applicants' internet services including social media profiles as part of their admissions process. According to Kaplan, Inc, a corporation that provides higher education preparation, in 2012 27% of admissions officers used Google to learn more about an applicant, with 26% checking Facebook. Students whose social media pages include questionable material may be disqualified from admission processes.

"One survey in July 2017, by the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers, reported that 11 percent of respondents said they had refused to admit an applicant based on social media content. This includes 8 percent of public institutions, where the First Amendment applies. The survey reported that 30 percent of institutions acknowledged reviewing the personal social media accounts of applicants at least some of the time."

Court cases

Social media comments and images have been used in court cases including employment law, child custody/child support, and disability claims. After an Apple employee criticized his employer on Facebook, he was fired. When the former employee sued Apple for unfair dismissal, the court, after examining the employee's Facebook posts, reported in favor of Apple, stating that the posts breached Apple's policies. After a couple broke up, the man posted song lyrics "that talked about fantasies of killing the rapper's ex-wife" and made threats. A court reported him guilty. In a disability claims case, a woman who fell at work claimed that she was permanently injured; the employer used her social media posts to counter her claims.

Courts do not always admit social media evidence, in part, because screenshots can be faked or tampered with. Judges may consider emojis into account to assess statements made on social media; in one Michigan case where a person alleged that another person had defamed them in an online comment, the judge disagreed, noting that an emoji after the comment that indicated that it was a joke. In a 2014 case in Ontario against a police officer regarding alleged assault of a protester during the G20 summit, the court rejected the Crown's application to use a digital photo of the protest that was anonymously posted online, because it included no metadata verifying its provenance.

On April 9, 2024, the Spirit Lake Tribe in North Dakota and Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin have sued social media companies (Meta Platforms-Facebook, Instagram; Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and Google) companies accused of ‘deliberate misconduct’. Their lawsuit describes “a sophisticated and intentional effort that has caused a continuing, substantial, and longterm burden to the Tribe and its members,” leaving scarce resources for education, cultural preservation and other social programs.

Use by individuals

News source

This section is an excerpt from Social media as a news source.

Social media as a news source is defined as the use of online social media platforms such as Instagram, Tik Tok, and Facebook rather than the use of traditional media platforms like the newspaper or live TV to obtain news. Television had just begun to turn a nation of people who once listened to media content into watchers of media content between the 1950s and the 1980s when the popularity of social media had also began creating a nation of media content creators. Content creators are currently some of the most wealthy people nowadays. Almost half of Americans use social media as a news source, according to the Pew Research Center.

These are participatory platforms that allow user-generated content and sharing content within one's own virtual network. Using social media as a news source allows users to engage with news in a variety of ways including:

  • Consuming and discovering news
  • Sharing or reposting news
  • Posting one's own photos, videos, or reports of news (i.e., engage in citizen or participatory journalism)
  • Commenting on news posts

Using social media as a news source has become an increasingly more popular way for people of all age groups to obtain current and important information. Just like many other new forms of technology there are going to be pros and cons. There are ways that social media positively affects the world of news and journalism but it is important to acknowledge that there are also ways in which social media has a negative effect on the news. With this accessibility, people now have more ways to consume false news, biased news, and even disturbing content.

In 2019, the Pew Research Center created a poll that reported Americans are wary about the ways that social media sites share news and certain content. This wariness of accuracy grew as awareness that social media sites could be exploited by bad actors who concoct false narratives and fake news.

Social tool

Social media are used to socialize with friends and family pursue romance and flirt, but not all social needs can be fulfilled by social media. For example, a 2003 article reported that lonely individuals are more likely to use the Internet for emotional support than others. A 2018 survey from Common Sense Media reported that 40% of American teens ages 13–17 thought that social media was "extremely" or "very" important for them to connect with their friends. The same survey reported that 33% of teens said social media was extremely or very important to conduct meaningful conversations with close friends, and 23% of teens said social media was extremely or very important to document and share their lives. A 2020 Gallup poll reported that 53% of adult social media users in the United States thought that social media was a very or moderately important way to keep in touch with people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Alone Together Sherry Turkle considered how people confuse social media usage with authentic communication. She claimed that people act differently online and are less concerned about hurting others' feelings. Some online encounters can cause stress and anxiety, due to the difficulty purging online posts, fear of getting hacked, or of universities and employers exploring social media pages. Turkle speculated that many people prefer texting to face-to-face communication, which can contribute to loneliness. Surveys from 2019 reported evidence among teens in the United States and Mexico. Some researchers reported that exchanges that involved direct communication and reciprocal messages correlated with less loneliness.

In social media "stalking" or "creeping" refers to looking at someone's "timeline, status updates, tweets, and online bios" to find information about them and their activities. A sub-category of creeping is creeping ex-partners after a breakup.

Catfishing (creating a false identity) allows bad actors to exploit the lonely.

Invidious comparison

Self-presentation theory proposes that people consciously manage their self-image or identity related information in social contexts. One aspect of social media is the time invested in customizing a personal profile. Some users segment their audiences based on the image they want to present, pseudonymity and use of multiple accounts on the same platform offer that opportunity.

A 2016 study reported that teenage girls manipulate their self-presentation on social media to appear beautiful as viewed by their peers. Teenage girls attempt to earn regard and acceptance (likes, comments, and shares). When this does not go well, self-confidence and self-satisfaction can decline. A 2018 survey of American teens ages 13–17 by Common Sense Media reported that 45% said likes are at least somewhat important, and 26% at least somewhat agreed that they feel bad about themselves if nobody responds to their photos. Some evidence suggests that perceived rejection may lead to emotional pain, and some may resort to online bullying. according to a 2016 study, users' reward circuits in their brains are more active when their photos are liked by more peers.

A 2016 review concluded that social media can trigger a negative feedback loop of viewing and uploading photos, self-comparison, disappointment, and disordered body perception when social success is not achieved. One 2016 study reported that Pinterest is directly associated with disordered dieting behavior.

People portray themselves on social media in the most appealing way. However, upon seeing one person's curated persona, other people may question why their own lives are not as exciting or fulfilling. One 2017 study reported that problematic social media use (i.e., feeling addicted to social media) was related to lower life satisfaction and self-esteem. Studies have reported that social media comparisons can have dire effects on physical and mental health. In one study, women reported that social media was the most influential source of their body image satisfaction; while men reported them as the second biggest factor. While monitoring the lives of celebrities long predates social media, the ease and immediacy of direct comparisons of pictures and stories with one's own may increase their impact.

A 2021 study reported that 87% of women and 65% of men compared themselves to others on social media.

Efforts to combat such negative effects focused promoting body positivity. In a related study, women aged 18–30 were reported posts that contained side-by-side images of women in the same clothes and setting, but one image was enhanced for Instagram, while the other was an unedited, "realistic" version. Women who participated in this experiment reported a decrease in body dissatisfaction.

Health

Further information: Cyberpsychology § Social media and cyberpsychological behavior, and Social media and identity

Adolescents

Social media can offer a support system for adolescent health, because it allows them to mobilize around health issues that they deem relevant. For example, in a clinical study among adolescent patients undergoing obesity treatment, participants' claimed that social media allowed them to access personalized weight-loss content as well as social support among other adolescents with obesity.

While social media can provide health information, it typically has no mechanism for ensuring the quality of that information. The National Eating Disorders Association reported a high correlation between weight loss content and disorderly eating among women who have been influenced by inaccurate content. Health literacy offers skills to allow users to spot/avoid such content. Efforts by governments and public health organizations to advance health literacy reportedly achieved limited success.

Social media such as pro-anorexia sites reportedly increase risk of harm by reinforcing damaging health-related behaviors through social media, especially among adolescents.

Pandemic

During the coronavirus pandemic, inaccurate information from all sides spread widely via social media. Topics subject to distortion included treatments, avoiding infection, vaccination, and public policy. Simultaneously, governments and others influenced social media platforms to suppress both accurate and inaccurate information in support of public policy. Heavier social media use was reportedly associated with more acceptance of conspiracy theories, leading to worse mental health and less compliance with public health recommendations.

Addiction

Social media platforms can serve as a breeding ground for addiction-related behaviors, with studies report that excessive use can lead to addiction-like symptoms. These symptoms include compulsive checking, mood modification, and withdrawal when not using social media, which can result in decreased face-to-face social interactions and contribute to the deterioration of interpersonal relationships and a sense of loneliness.

Cyberbullying

This section is an excerpt from Cyberbullying. Cyberbullying (cyberharassment or online bullying) is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Since the 2000s, it has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers and adolescents, due to young people's increased use of social media. Related issues include online harassment and trolling. In 2015, according to cyberbullying statistics from the i–Safe Foundation, over half of adolescents and teens had been bullied online, and about the same number had engaged in cyberbullying. Both the bully and the victim are negatively affected, and the intensity, duration, and frequency of bullying are three aspects that increase the negative effects on both of them.

Sleep disturbance

A 2017 study reported on a link between sleep disturbance and the use of social media. It concluded that blue light from computer/phone displays—and the frequency rather than the duration of time spent, predicted disturbed sleep, termed "obsessive 'checking'". The association between social media use and sleep disturbance has clinical ramifications for young adults. A recent study reported that people in the highest quartile for weekly social media use experienced the most sleep disturbance. The median number of minutes of social media use per day was 61. Females were more likely to experience high levels of sleep disturbance. Many teenagers suffer from sleep deprivation from long hours at night on their phones, and this left them tired and unfocused in school. A 2011 study reported that time spent on Facebook was negatively associated with GPA, but the association with sleep disturbance was not established.

Emotional effects

One studied effect of social media is 'Facebook depression', which affects adolescents who spend too much time on social media. This may lead to reclusiveness, which can increase loneliness and low self-esteem. Social media curates content to encourage users to keep scrolling. Studies report children's self-esteem is positively affected by positive comments and negatively affected by negative or lack of comments. This affected self-perception. A 2017 study of almost 6,000 adolescent students reported that those who self-reported addiction-like symptoms of social media use were more likely to report low self-esteem and high levels of depressive symptoms.

A second emotional effect is social media burnout, defined as ambivalence, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization. Ambivalence is confusion about the benefits from using social media. Emotional exhaustion is stress from using social media. Depersonalization is emotional detachment from social media. The three burnout factors negatively influence the likelihood of continuing on social media.

A third emotional effect is "fear of missing out" (FOMO), which is the "pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent." It is associated with increased scrutiny of friends on social media.

Social media can also offer support as Twitter has done for the medical community. X facilitated academic discussion among health professionals and students, while providing a supportive community for these individuals by and allowing members to support each other through likes, comments, and posts. Access to social media offered a way to keep older adults connected, after the deaths of partners and geographical distance between friends and loved ones.

This section is an excerpt from Social media and suicide. Researchers study social media and suicide to find if a correlation exists between the two. Some research has shown that there may be a correlation.

Social impacts

Media critic Siva Vaidhyanathan refers to social media as 'anti-social media' in reference to its negative impacts including on loneliness and political polarization. Audrey Tang also uses the term antisocial in reference to its impact on democracy.

Disparity

This section is an excerpt from Digital divide.

The digital divide is the unequal access to digital technology, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the internet. The digital divide worsens inequality around access to information and resources. In the Information Age, people without access to the Internet and other technology are at a disadvantage, for they are unable or less able to connect with others, find and apply for jobs, shop, and learn.

People who are homeless, living in poverty, elderly people, and those living in rural communities may have limited access to the Internet; in contrast, urban middle class and upper-class people have easy access to the Internet. Another divide is between producers and consumers of Internet content, which could be a result of educational disparities. While social media use varies across age groups, a US 2010 study reported no racial divide.

Political polarization

See also: Social media § Threat to democracy, Media bias § social media, and Rage-baiting

Many critics point to studies showing social media algorithms elevate more partisan and inflammatory content. Because of recommendation algorithms that filter and display news content that matches users' political preferences, one potential impact is an increase in political polarization due to selective exposure. Political polarization is the divergence of political attitudes towards ideological extremes. Selective exposure occurs when an individual favors information that supports their beliefs and avoids information that conflicts with them. Jonathan Haidt compared the impact of social media to the Tower of Babel and the chaos it unleashed as a result.

Aviv Ovadya argues that these algorithms incentivize the creation of divisive content in addition to promoting existing divisive content, but could be designed to reduce polarization instead. In 2017, Facebook gave its new emoji reactions five times the weight in its algorithms as its like button, which data scientists at the company in 2019 confirmed had disproportionately boosted toxicity, misinformation and low-quality news. Some popular ideas for how to combat selective exposure have had no or opposite impacts. Some advocate for media literacy as a solution. Others argue that less social media, or more local journalism could help address political polarization.

Stereotyping

See also: Stereotype

A 2018 study reported that social media increases the power of stereotypes. Stereotypes can have both negative and positive connotations. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, youth were accused of responsibility for spreading the disease. Elderly people get stereotyped as lacking knowledge of proper behavior on social media. Social media platforms usually amplify these stereotypes by reinforcing age-based biases through certain algorithms as well as user-generated content. Unfortunately, these stereotypes contribute to social divide and negatively impact the way users interact online.

Communication

Social media allows for mass cultural exchange and intercultural communication, despite different ways of communicating in various cultures.

Social media has affected the way youth communicate, by introducing new forms of language. Novel acronyms save time, as illustrated by "LOL", which is the ubiquitous shortcut for "laugh out loud".

The hashtag was created to simplify searching for information and to allow users to highlight topics of interest in the hope of attracting the attention of others. Hashtags can be used to advocate for a movement, mark content for future use, and allow other users to contribute to a discussion.

For some young people, social media and texting have largely replaced in person communications, made worse by pandemic isolation, delaying the development of conversation and other social skills.

What is socially acceptable is now heavily based on social media. The American Academy of Pediatrics reported that bullying, the making of non-inclusive friend groups, and sexual experimentation have increased cyberbullying, privacy issues, and sending sexual images or messages. Sexting and revenge porn became rampant, particularly among minors, with legal implications and resulting trauma risk. However, adolescents can learn basic social and technical skills online. Social media, can strengthen relationships just by keeping in touch, making more friends, and engaging in community activities.

Regulation by government authorities

Situation by geographical region

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024)

Australia

In July 2014, in response to WikiLeaks' release of a secret suppression order made by the Victorian Supreme Court, media lawyers were quoted in the Australian media to the effect that "anyone who tweets a link to the WikiLeaks report, posts it on Facebook, or shares it in any way online could also face charges".

In November 2024, the federal government passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 introduced by the Albanese government banning people under the age of 16 from using most social media platforms, which would come into effect in late 2025. Presented by Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland, the bill was created as an attempt at reducing social media harms for young people and responding to the concerns of parents. The stated penalty for breach of the new laws on the part of social media platforms was a financial penalty of AU$49.5 million. The ban would apply to many major social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, but would exempt platforms deemed to meet educational or health needs of people under 16, including YouTube and Google Classroom. Supporters of the ban included the advocacy group 36 Months and media corporation News Corp Australia which ran a campaign titled Let Them Be Kids, whilst opposers expressed concern that the ban could cause isolation amongst teenagers belonging to marginalised groups such as the LGBTQ community or migrant/culturally diverse backgrounds, and that the ban could stifle creativity and freedom of expression amongst young people.

Egypt

On 27 July 2020, in Egypt, two women were sentenced to two years of imprisonment for posting TikTok videos, which the government claimed as "violating family values".

Thailand

In the 2014 Thai coup d'état, the public was explicitly instructed not to 'share' or 'like' dissenting views on social media or face prison.

United States

Historically, platforms were responsible for moderating the content that they presented. They set rules for what was allowable, decided which content to promote and which to ignore. The US enacted the Communications Decency Act in 1996. Section 230 of that act exempted internet platforms from legal liability for content authored by third parties.

No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." (47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(1)).

— US Congress, Communications Decency Act Section 230

In 2024, legislation was enacted in Florida requiring social media companies to verify the age of people with accounts, and to prohibit holding an account for people aged under 14, and between 14 and 16 in the absence of parental approval.

European Union

The European Union initially took a similar approach. However, in 2020, the European Commission presented two legislative proposals: The Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Both proposals were enacted in July 2022. The DSA entered into force on 17 February 2024, the DMA in March 2024. This legislation can be summarized in the following four objectives, articulated by MEPs:

  • "What is illegal offline must also be illegal online".
  • "Very large online platforms" must therefore, among other things
    • delete illegal content (propaganda, election interference, hate crimes and online harms such as harassment and child abuse) and better protect fundamental rights
    • redesign their systems to ensure a "high level of privacy, security and protection of minors", by prohibiting advertising based on personal data, designing recommender systems to minimize risks for children and demonstrating this to the European Commission via a risk assessment, and
    • not use sensitive personal data such as race, gender and religion to target advertising.

Violators could face a complete ban in Europe or fines of up to 6% of global sales. Such content moderation requires extensive investment by platform providers. Enforcement resources may not be sufficient to ensure compliance.

The DSA allows a country to require information to be deleted that is illegal only in that jurisdiction. According to Patrick Breyer from the German Pirate Party, a problem could arise from the Hungarian government requesting a video to be deleted that is critical of Victor Orban, as he foresaw the potential for such determinations to be applied EU-wide.

Discussions and proposals

2018 Nobel Laureate Paul Romer advocated taxing negative externalities of social media platforms. Similar to a carbon tax – negative social effects could be compensated for by a financial levy on the platforms. Assuming that the tax did not deter the actions that produced the externalities, the revenue raised could be used to address them. However, consensus has yet to emerge on how to measure or mitigate the harms, nor to craft a tax, .

Another proposal is to invoke competition law. The idea is to restrict the platforms' market power by controlling mergers ex ante and tightening the law. This would be achieved through a supranational enforcement mechanism and the deterrent effect of high fines.

In a 2024 opinion piece, Megan Moreno and Jenny Radesky, professors of pediatrics, wrote about the need for "nuanced" policy. They regarded access which is contingent upon parental consent as harmful. They commented that a focus on increasing age restrictions "may serve to distract from making sure platforms are following guidelines and best practices for all ages".

In June 2024, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for social media platforms to contain a warning about the impact they have on the mental health of young people.

Business models

The business model of most social media platforms is based on selling slots to advertisers. Platforms provide access to data about each user, which allows them to deliver ads that are individually relevant to them. This strongly incents platforms to arrange their content so that users view as much content as possible, increasing the number of ads that they see. Platforms such as X add paid user subscriptions in part to reduce their dependence on advertising revenues.

Criticism, debate and controversy

The enormous reach and impact of social media has naturally led to a stream of criticism, debate, and controversy. Criticisms include platform capabilities, content moderation and reliability, impact on concentration, mental health, content ownership, and the meaning of interactions, and poor cross-platform interoperability, decrease in face-to-face interactions, cyberbullying, sexual predation, particularly of children, and child pornography.

In 2007 Andrew Keen wrote, "Out of this anarchy, it suddenly became clear that what was governing the infinite monkeys now inputting away on the Internet was the law of digital Darwinism, the survival of the loudest and most opinionated. Under these rules, the only way to intellectually prevail is by infinite filibustering."

Trustworthiness and reliability

See also: The Disinformation Project

Social media has become a regular source of news and information. A 2021 Pew Research Center poll reported roughly 70% of users regularly get news from social media, despite the presence of fake news and misinformation. Platforms typically do not take responsibility for content accuracy, and many do not vet content at all, although in some cases, content the platform finds problematic is deleted or access to it is reduced. Content distribution algorithms otherwise typically ignore substance, responding instead to the contents' virality.

In 2018, researchers reported that fake news spread almost 70% faster than truthful news on X. Social media bots on social media increase the reach of both true and false content and if wielded by bad actors misinformation can reach many more users. Some platforms attempt to discover and block bots, with limited success. Fake news seems to receive more user engagement, possibly because it is relatively novel, engaging users' curiosity and increasing spread. Fake news often propagates in the immediate aftermath of an event, before conventional media are prepared to publish.

Data harvesting and data mining

This section is an excerpt from Social media mining.

Social media mining is the process of obtaining data from user-generated content on social media in order to extract actionable patterns, form conclusions about users, and act upon the information. Mining supports targeting advertising to users or academic research. The term is an analogy to the process of mining for minerals. Mining companies sift through raw ore to find the valuable minerals; likewise, social media mining sifts through social media data in order to discern patterns and trends about matters such as social media usage, online behaviour, content sharing, connections between individuals, buying behaviour. These patterns and trends are of interest to companies, governments and not-for-profit organizations, as such organizations can use the analyses for tasks such as design strategies, introduce programs, products, processes or services.

Social media mining uses concepts from computer science, data mining, machine learning, and statistics. Mining is based on social network analysis, network science, sociology, ethnography, optimization and mathematics. It attempts to formally represent, measure and model patterns from social media data. In the 2010s, major corporations, governments and not-for-profit organizations began mining to learn about customers, clients and others.

Platforms such as Google, Facebook (partnered with Datalogix and BlueKai) conduct mining to target users with advertising. Scientists and machine learning researchers extract insights and design product features.

Users may not understand how platforms use their data. Users tend to click through Terms of Use agreements without reading them, leading to ethical questions about whether platforms adequately protect users' privacy.

During the 2016 United States presidential election, Facebook allowed Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm linked to the Trump campaign, to analyze the data of an estimated 87 million Facebook users to profile voters, creating controversy when this was revealed.

Critique of activism

Further information: Social media activism

Malcolm Gladwell considers the role of social media in revolutions and protests to be overstated. He concluded that while social media makes it easier for activists to express themselves, that expression likely has no impact beyond social media. What he called "high-risk activism" involves strong relationships, coordination, commitment, high risks, and sacrifice. Gladwell claimed that social media are built around weak ties and argues that "social networks are effective at increasing participation—by lessening the level of motivation that participation requires." According to him, "Facebook activism succeeds not by motivating people to make a real sacrifice, but by motivating them to do the things that people do when they are not motivated enough to make a real sacrifice."

Disputing Gladwell's theory, a 2018 survey reported that people who are politically expressive on social media are more likely to participate in offline political activity.

Content ownership

Social media content is generated by users. However, content ownership is defined by the Terms of Service to which users agree. Platforms control access to the content, and may make it available to third parties.

Although platform's terms differ, generally they all give permission to utilize users' copyrighted works at the platform's discretion.

After its acquisition by Facebook in 2012, Instagram revealed it intended to use content in ads without seeking permission from or paying its users. It then reversed these changes, with then-CEO Kevin Systrom promising to update the terms of service.

Privacy

Main article: Privacy concerns with social networking services

Privacy rights advocates warn users about the collection of their personal data. Information is captured without the user's knowing consent. Data may be applied to law enforcement or other governmental purposes. Information may be offered for third party use.

Young people are prone to sharing personal information that can attract predators.

While social media users claim to want to keep their data private, their behavior does not reflect that concern, as many users expose significant personal data on their profiles.

In addition, platforms collect data on user behaviors that are not part of their personal profiles. This data is made available to third parties for purposes that include targeted advertising.

A 2014 Pew Research Center survey reported that 91% of Americans "agree" or "strongly agree" that people have lost control over how personal information is collected and used. Some 80% of social media users said they were concerned about advertisers and businesses accessing the data they share on social media platforms, and 64% said the government should do more to regulate advertisers. In 2019, UK legislators criticized Facebook for not protecting certain aspects of user data.

In 2019 the Pentagon issued guidance to the military, Coast Guard and other government agencies that identified "the potential risk associated with using the TikTok app and directs appropriate action for employees to take in order to safeguard their personal information." As a result, the military, Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, and Department of Homeland Security banned the installation and use of TikTok on government devices.

In 2020 The US government attempted to ban TikTok and WeChat from the States over national security concerns. However, a federal court blocked the move. In 2024, the US Congress passed a law directing TikTok's parent company ByteDance to divest the service or see the service banned from operating in the US. The company sued, challenging the constitutionality of the ban.

Addiction

Main article: Problematic social media use See also: Digital media use and mental health These paragraphs are an excerpt from Internet addiction disorder.

Internet addiction disorder (IAD), also known as problematic internet use, or pathological internet use, is a problematic compulsive use of the internet, particularly on social media, that impairs an individual's function over a prolonged period of time. Young people are at particular risk of developing internet addiction disorder, with case studies highlighting students whose academic performance declines as they spend more time online. Some experience health consequences from loss of sleep as they stay up to continue scrolling, chatting, and gaming.

Excessive Internet use is not recognized as a disorder by the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5 or the World Health Organization's ICD-11. However, gaming disorder appears in the ICD-11. Controversy around the diagnosis includes whether the disorder is a separate clinical entity, or a manifestation of underlying psychiatric disorders. Definitions are not standardized or agreed upon, complicating the development of evidence-based recommendations.

Many different theoretical models have been developed and employed for many years in order to better explain predisposing factors to this disorder. Models such as the cognitive-behavioral model of pathological Internet have been used to explain IAD for more than 20 years. Newer models, such as the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution model, have been developed more recently and are starting to be applied in more clinical studies.

In 2011 the term "Facebook addiction disorder" (FAD) emerged. FAD is characterized by compulsive use of Facebook. A 2017 study investigated a correlation between excessive use and narcissism, reporting "FAD was significantly positively related to the personality trait narcissism and to negative mental health variables (depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms)".

In 2020, the documentary The Social Dilemma, reported concerns of mental health experts and former employees of social media companies over social media's pursuit of addictive use. For example, when a user has not visited Facebook for some time, the platform varies its notifications, attempting to lure them back. It also raises concerns about the correlation between social media use and child and teen suicidality.

Additionally in 2020, studies have shown that there has been an increase in the prevalence of IAD since the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies highlighting the possible relationship between COVID-19 and IAD have looked at how forced isolation and its associated stress may have led to higher usage levels of the Internet.

Turning off social media notifications may help reduce social media use. For some users, changes in web browsing can be helpful in compensating for self-regulatory problems. For instance, a study involving 157 online learners on massive open online courses examined the impact of such an intervention. The study reported that providing support in self-regulation was associated with a reduction in time spent online, particularly on entertainment.

Research suggests that social media platforms trigger a cycle of compulsive behavior, which reinforces addictive patterns and makes it harder for individuals to break the cycle.

Debate over use by young people

See also: Social media in education

Whether to restrict the use of phones and social media among young people has been debated since smartphones became ubiquitous. A study of Americans aged 12–15, reported that teenagers who used social media over three hours/day doubled their risk of negative mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety. Platforms have not tuned their algorithms to prevent young people from viewing inappropriate content. A 2023 study of Australian youth reported that 57% had seen disturbingly violent content, while nearly half had regular exposure to sexual images. Further, youth are prone to misuse social media for cyberbullying.

As result, phones have been banned from some schools, and some schools in the US have blocked social media websites.

Censorship

Main articles: Internet censorship, Internet censorship in China, and Internet censorship in India

Social media often features in political struggles. In some countries, Internet police or secret police monitor or control citizens' use of social media. For example, in 2013 some social media was banned in Turkey after the Taksim Gezi Park protests. Both X and YouTube were temporarily suspended in the country by a court's decision. A law granted immunity to Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) personnel. The TİB was also given the authority to block access to specific websites without a court order. Yet TİB's 2014 blocking of X was ruled by the constitutional court to violate free speech.

United States

These paragraphs are an excerpt from Internet censorship in the United States.

Internet censorship in the United States is the suppression of information published or viewed on the Internet in the United States. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects freedom of speech and expression against federal, state, and local government censorship.

Free speech protections allow little government-mandated Internet content restrictions. However, the Internet is highly regulated, supported by a complex set of legally binding and privately mediated mechanisms.

Gambling, cyber security, and the dangers to children who frequent social media are important ongoing debates. Significant public resistance to proposed content restriction policies has prevented measures used in some other countries from taking hold in the US.

Many government-mandated attempts to regulate content have been barred, often after lengthy legal battles. However, the government has exerted pressure indirectly. With the exception of child pornography, content restrictions tend to rely on platforms to remove/suppress content, following state encouragement or the threat of legal action.

Intellectual property protections yielded a system that predictably removes infringing materials. The US also seizes domains and computers, at times without notification.

Decentralization and open standards

While the dominant social media platforms are not interoperable, open source protocols such as ActivityPub have been adopted by platforms such as Mastodon, GNU social, Diaspora, and Friendica. They operate as a loose federation of mostly volunteer-operated servers, called the Fediverse. However, in 2019, Mastodon blocked Gab from connecting to it, claiming that it spread violent, right-wing extremism.

In December 2019, X CEO Jack Dorsey advocated an "open and decentralized standard for social media". He joined Bluesky to bring it to reality.

Deplatforming

See also: Twitter suspensions These paragraphs are an excerpt from Deplatforming.

Deplatforming, also called no-platforming, is a form of Internet censorship of an individual or group by preventing them from posting on the platforms they use to share their information/ideas. This typically involves suspension, outright bans, or reducing spread (shadow banning).

As early as 2015, platforms such as Reddit began to enforce selective bans based, for example, on terms of service that prohibit "hate speech". A famous example of deplatforming was Twitter's ban of then-US President Donald Trump shortly after the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

Threat to democracy

See also: Democratic backsliding and The Social Dilemma

A number of commentators and experts have argued that social media companies have incentives that to maximize user engagement with sensational, emotive and controversial material that discourages a healthy discourse that democracies depend on. Zack Beauchamp of Vox Media calls it an authoritarian medium because of how it is incentivized to stir up hate and division that benefits aspiring autocrats. The Economist describes social media as vulnerable to manipulation by autocrats. Informed dialogue, a shared sense of reality, mutual consent and participation can all suffer due to the business model of social media. Political polarization can be one byproduct. This can have implications for the likelihood of political violence. Siva Vaidhyanathan argues for a range of solutions including privacy protections and enforcing anti-trust laws. Andrew Leonard describes Pol.is as one possible solution to the divisiveness of traditional discourse on social media that has damaged democracies, citing the use of its algorithm to instead prioritize finding consensus.

Extremist groups

Main article: Terrorism and social media

According to LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media, the use of effective social media marketing techniques includes not only celebrities, corporations, and governments, but also extremist groups. The use of social media by ISIS and Al-Qaeda has been used to influence public opinion where it operates and gain the attention of sympathizers. Social media platforms and encrypted-messaging applications have been used to recruit members, both locally and internationally. Platforms have endured backlash for allowing this content. Extreme nationalist groups, and more prominently, US right-wing extremists have used similar online tactics. As many traditional social media platforms banned hate speech, several platforms became popular among right-wing extremists to carry out planning and communication including of events; these application became known as "Alt-tech". Platforms such as Telegram, Parler, and Gab were used during the January 6 United States Capitol attack, to coordinate attacks. Members shared tips on how to avoid law enforcement and their plans on carrying out their objectives; some users called for killing law enforcement officers and politicians.

Deceased users

Further information: Death and the Internet

Social media content, persists unless the user deletes it. After a user dies, unless the platform is notified, their content remains. Each platform has created guidelines for this situation. In most cases on social media, the platforms require a next-of-kin to prove that the user is deceased, and give them the option of closing the account or maintaining it in a 'legacy' status.

Guidelines for users who have died, by platform
Platform Guideline
X The company works with an immediate family member to deactivate the account. Additionally, X will not give the account to any other person, regardless of the relationship.
Facebook Users have the option of having their account permanently deleted after death. Users can identify a 'legacy contact' who would take over the account after.
Instagram Users can have the account memorialized or deleted with proof of death.
LinkedIn A family member can request that the account be deleted. The family member must identify the account, submit proof of relationship, the user's email address, date of death, a link to the obituary, and the name of the last company the deceased worked for.
Pinterest Must email the company with the URL of the account along with a death certificate or a link to the obituary, as well as proof of relationship to the deceased.
YouTube A representative can close the account, transfer payments from the account to an immediate family member and legal representative of the user's estate, and can provide the data in the account to a family member. All three capabilities require the requestor's government-issued ID or driver's license, the decedent's death certificate, and additional supporting documentation.
WeChat The heir must supply the user's death certificate, authentication of family relationship. The successor can then obtain the assets.

See also

facilitates the building of relations

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Further reading

  • Aral, Sinan (2020). The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health—and How We Must Adapt. Currency. ISBN 978-0-525-57451-4.
  • Fuchs, Christian (2014). Social Media: A Critical Introduction. London: Sage. ISBN 978-1-4462-5731-9.
  • Kroon, Anne C., and Martine van Selm. “Good Intentions Aside: Stereotype Threat in the Face of Media Strategies to Counter Age Bias.” Research on Aging 46, no. 9/10 (October 2024): 480–91. https://doi.org/10.1177/01640275241249117.
  • Hou, Yubo, Dan Xiong, Tonglin Jiang, Lily Song, and Qi Wang. “Social Media Addiction: Its Impact, Mediation, and Intervention.” Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace 13, no. 1 (February 21, 2019). https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2019-1-4.

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