Networking, or What the Social Means in Social Media
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...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2015-04-01
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| Series: | Social Media + Society |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305115578138 |
| _version_ | 1818554532394696704 |
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| author | Taina Bucher |
| author_facet | Taina Bucher |
| author_sort | Taina Bucher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T09:40:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e46cb882ab6d4b0d84ff400800e420d1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-3051 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T09:40:59Z |
| publishDate | 2015-04-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Media + Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-e46cb882ab6d4b0d84ff400800e420d12022-12-22T00:28:34ZengSAGE PublishingSocial Media + Society2056-30512015-04-01110.1177/205630511557813810.1177_2056305115578138Networking, or What the Social Means in Social MediaTaina BucherThis 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.https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305115578138 |
| spellingShingle | Taina Bucher Networking, or What the Social Means in Social Media Social Media + Society |
| title | Networking, or What the Social Means in Social Media |
| title_full | Networking, or What the Social Means in Social Media |
| title_fullStr | Networking, or What the Social Means in Social Media |
| title_full_unstemmed | Networking, or What the Social Means in Social Media |
| title_short | Networking, or What the Social Means in Social Media |
| title_sort | networking or what the social means in social media |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305115578138 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tainabucher networkingorwhatthesocialmeansinsocialmedia |