# Social Media: Defining, Developing, and Divining

[Link](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15456870.2015.972282)   [Annotated Link](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ybfRj003cA7C3d9wfX8PitkXxDF201oR/view?usp=share_link)

## Abstract&#x20;

What is a social medium, and how may one moderate, isolate, and influence communicative processes within? Although scholars assume an inherent understanding of social media based on extant technology, there is no commonly accepted definition of what social media *are*, both functionally and theoretically, within communication studies. Given this lack of understanding, cogent theorizing regarding the uses and effects of social media has been limited. This work first draws on extant definitions of social media and subcategories (e.g., social network sites) from public relations, information technology, and management scholarship, as well as the popular press, to develop a definition of social media precise enough to embody these technologies yet robust enough to remain applicable in 2035. It then broadly explores emerging developments in the features, uses, and users of social media for which future theories will need to account. Finally, it divines and prioritizes challenges that may not yet be apparent to theorizing communication processes with and in mercurial social media. We address how social media may uniquely isolate and test communicative principles to advance our understanding of human–human and human–computer interaction. In all, this article provides a common framework to ground and facilitate future communication scholarship and beyond.

## Formal Definition and element&#x20;

> Internet-based, disentrained, and persistent channels of masspersonal communication facilitating perceptions of interactions among users, deriving value primarily from user-generated content

* Internet-based: This extend beyond web browser / sites and includes mobile apps, and future web3.0
* Disentrained, persistent channels: asynchronous, which also means the value and the channel persists even if single user logs off
* Perceived interactivity: with the focus on mere perception is enough&#x20;
* User-generated value: user determines value, and the value is more on user-generated content rather than original content. connection to Descanctis and Poole's adaptive structuration theory&#x20;
* Masspersonal communication: mass communication with personal communication flavor&#x20;

## Trend&#x20;

* Mobile and data driven infrastructure: agile, ubiquitous, personalized, blurring line between person and algorithm&#x20;
* Constant massive, masspersonal interaction
* Enabling of persistent and ad hoc groups and organizations&#x20;

## Direction for Theories

* New notion of communication: with consideration on the nature and role of computer generated messages and interactions&#x20;
* New tools for exploration&#x20;
* New relationship between communication and media studies: confluence and divergence of studies exploring communicative phenomena and media effect&#x20;
* New means of access: mode, expectation of context and privacy (Petronio's privacy management theory), user base
