Definition: social media

The forms of electronic communication that individuals and companies use to share information with friends, colleagues and customers. Considered the dominant public forum today, a primary feature of social media such as Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat is that people actively follow someone or some entity, and they are able to respond. For example, users can repost messages on X and reply to posts on Facebook. See retweet.

Blogs may allow feedback, and some websites do as well, but social media is all about spreading information to participating users. Contrast with "industrial media," which refer to professionally produced radio, TV and film.

The terms "social media," "social network," "social networking," "social platform," "social neworking site" and "social networking service" are synonymous.

The Downside
The danger of social media is that erroneous news travels faster than genuine news. In Clint Watts' insightful book "Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a social media world of hackers, terrorists, Russians and fake news," he explains why social media becomes "antisocial media" (see fake news, disinformation and deepfake).

Algorithms determine people's social, religious and political opinions and feed them messages, news and ads that reinforce their views rather than feed them anything contradictory to think about. Computer scientist Jason Lanier has defined social media as "continuous behavior modification on a titanic scale." There is little balance in today's news from any single source except perhaps from "The Week," a print and online magazine noted for representing both sides in every article.

Even Worse for Teenagers
Today, teenagers and pre-teens live on their phones to socialize with friends. However, friends can be very nasty and use social media to turn on their buddies almost overnight by posting lies, exaggerations and photos. It is widely known that social media is a major contributing factor causing teen suicides. See influencer, viral content, new media, blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, podcast and user-generated content.

How It Started
In 1997, the first social media network was SixDegrees.com, named for "six degrees of separation." Lasting until 2001, it was followed by Friendster and MySpace a year later. Started by two friends, MySpace became extremely popular, and its parent company, Intermix, was acquired by News Corporation for $580 million two years after MySpace was launched. See Myspace and Friendster.

Facebook came out in 2004 targeting college students, but when opened to everyone, it grew exponentially to become the top social site. Two years later, Twitter was launched with its message broadcasting platform and created its own revolution within a short time. See social networking websites.

Social Media Tower of Babel
Citing the biblical Tower of Babel, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt posted in The Atlantic in 2022 "Why the past 10 years of American life have been uniquely stupid." He wrote "Something went terribly wrong, very suddenly. We are disoriented, unable to speak the same language or recognize the same truth. We are cut off from one another and from the past." Haidt said "Babel is a metaphor for what social media has done to nearly all of the institutions most important to a country's future-- and to us as a people."

Teens Are Isolated

Haidt claims that between 2010 and 2015 social media networks have made teenagers much more isolated. His remedy: no smartphones before high school, no social media until age 16, no phones in school, and pre-teens and teens should be given more responsibility.

Facts Have No Meaning

Steven Brill shows that facts have lost their significance due to social media. When people cannot agree that one is one is two, there is no longer an approach to civil discourse.

We Are the Product!

Frank McCourt states that "if we do not pay for a product, WE ARE THE PRODUCT." Although social networks and search engines are free, they make a fortune on the data we give them.

You Are Not Our Product!

1Password.com is one of the rare websites that clarifies the privacy situation clearly. (Image courtesy of 1Password.)