Networking, or what the social means in social media

TY - JOUR

T1 - Networking, or what the social means in social media

AU - Bucher, Taina

PY - 2015/4/29

Y1 - 2015/4/29

N2 - This article questions the meaning of the social in social media. It does this by revisiting boyd and Ellison’s seminal paper and definition of social network sites. The article argues that social media are not so much about articulating or making an existing network visible. Rather, being social in the context of social media simply means creating connections within the boundaries of adaptive algorithmic architectures. Every click, share, like, and post creates a connection, initiates a relation. The network dynamically grows, evolves, becomes. The network networks. The social in social media is not a fact but a doing.

AB - This article questions the meaning of the social in social media. It does this by revisiting boyd and Ellison’s seminal paper and definition of social network sites. The article argues that social media are not so much about articulating or making an existing network visible. Rather, being social in the context of social media simply means creating connections within the boundaries of adaptive algorithmic architectures. Every click, share, like, and post creates a connection, initiates a relation. The network dynamically grows, evolves, becomes. The network networks. The social in social media is not a fact but a doing.

U2 - 10.1177/2056305115578138

DO - 10.1177/2056305115578138

M3 - Journal article

SN - 2056-3051

VL - 1

JO - Social Media and Society

JF - Social Media and Society

IS - 1

ER -