Social Media

Social Media are said to emerge when the two earlier paradigms of the internet, as communication medium and as publishing medium, are merged.

Characteristics

"1. social medias network user generated content.

On Flickr many people upload photos from their cameras and mobile phones not just to put them on the internet, but as a form of presence that shows their friends what they're up to and where in the world they are. Their content is a social glue. Meanwhile, other users are busy competing with each other, getting support and advice from other users, or are collecting photos, tagging photos or using them in new creative ways due to the benefits of Creative Commons licenses. Somewhere at the back of all of this is a concept of publishing, but it's a one that's been elaborated on and extended extensively.

2. Social media aggregate user generated content.

Social media are all about creating what Tim O'Reilly in his essay "what is web2.0?" calls architectures of participation. But it's not just that. The architectures of participation allow users to create in aggregate value for all.

These new services are about creating frameworks and spaces, containers and supports that help users create and publish and use all kinds of data from the smallest comment to the best produced video clip which in aggregate create something of fascinating utility to all.

One could assert that social media creates added value for all from the aggregate of data that individuals publish in their selfish pursuit of their individual goals." (http://i-wisdom.typepad.com/iwisdom/2006/04/social_media_ve.html)

More Information

What do we do with social media, at http://www.plasticbag.org/archives/2006/03/what_do_we_do_with_social_media.shtml