1. Electronic Media: Then, Now, and Later
Norman J. Medoff and Barbara K. Kaye
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

2. Social Media: Private Conversations in Public Places
Chapter 9
Social Media: Private
Conversations in Public Places
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

3. Then: Preweb Social Networking
Multiuser dungeons (MUDs, late 1970s)
Preweb Internet games
Bulletin board system (BBS, late 1970s)
Message exchange
LISTSERV (1986)
Automatic ing list
Internet Relay Chat (IRC, 1988)
Precursor to today’s IM
Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link (WELL, 1985)
Connected writers/readers of The Whole Earth Review
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

4. Then: Postweb Social Networking
HTML (hypertext mark-up language)
Browsers linked pages and allowed multimedia
User-friendly, intuitive web pages connected people
Six Degrees: first web-based social network
Move-On, LiveJournal, AsianAvenue, BlackPlanet
Not social networks by today’s standards, but created to connect users based on interests/backgrounds
Friendster groundbreaking social network site
MySpace
Facebook
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

5. Now: Social Media Versus Social Networking Sites
Social media standards:
Publish user-generated content (UGC) on site accessible to others
UGC must show some creative effort
UGC must be created outside professional routines and standards
Social networking sites are web-based services allowing people to
Construct a profile within a bounded system
Articulate lists of other users with whom they connect
View/traverse connections within the system
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

6. Now: Social Networking Sites (1 of 5)
Facebook (2004)
Dominant in U.S. and globally
In terms of number of users and time spent on site
YouTube (2005)
World’s most popular online video site
Allows anyone to create video content
Tumblr (2007)
Cross between social media site, live-streaming application, and microblog
Most popular with teens and college-age users
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

7. Now: Social Networking Sites (2 of 5)
Google+ (2011)
Social media arm of Google
All Google activity connected through Google+
Allows access to vast quantity of user data
Has not caught on as well as Facebook
Instagram (2010)
Largest photo-sharing social media site
Storage of visual content
Mobile platform
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

8. Now: Social Networking Sites (3 of 5)
Twitter (2006)
Microblog social network, 140 characters
Open-access network; posts available to anyone
Best to deliver instant news (trending topics)
Citizens can break important news stories
Vine (2012)
6-second videos
Pinterest (2009)
Online version of pinboard
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

9. Now: Social Networking Sites (4 of 5)
LinkedIn (2003)
Online professional profiling platform
Post resumes, connect with industry leaders, endorse others
Flickr (2004)
Image-storing and -hosting site
Share photos and videos
Geotagging
Editing tools
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

10. Now: Social Networking Sites (5 of 5)
Other social media
Reddit (2005)
Combination news/entertainment website, social networking platform, and bulletin board system
SnapChat (2011)
Photo-messaging app and mobile-device sharing service
Photos disappear shortly after being posted
Blogs
Many varieties
Basic or general-topic; media/journalism; warblog; military blog; political blog; corporate blog; etc.
Social media sites also serve as places to share information
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

11. Now: Social and Cultural Benefits and Consequences of Social Media (1 of 4)
News and information
Citizen journalism
First evident in blogs. If media are watchdogs of government, bloggers are watchdog of media and government.
Can spread misinformation; blur fact and opinion; credibility varies
Media outlets often publish blogs themselves
Political efficacy and grassroots advocacy
Catalysts for democratic discussion
Social media credited with fueling revolution and protest; but do they bring true change?
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

12. Now: Social and Cultural Benefits & Consequences of Social Media (2 of 4)
When traditional media rely on social media
Can supplement traditional media content
News and information consumption
Online hyperactivity weakens our concentration and we are constantly distracted
Social media blamed for dumbing down the news
Relationships
Loneliness
Do social media alleviate or heighten loneliness?
Ambient awareness
Being alone together
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

13. Now: Social and Cultural Benefits & Consequences of Social Media (3 of 4)
Social anxiety
Social media messages can easily be misunderstood
Emoticons represent emotions; emoji represent words
Punctuation can change interpretation of message
Work
Tap into “collective intelligence”
challenges
Who owns the data?
Being fired over inappropriate comments
Privacy
Surveillance concerns
Ability to retain and control confidentiality
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9

14. Later: Social Media and Society
Companies, schools, groups, individuals must consider social media ethics, standards, and best practices
“Sharing” has led to litigation that will take a while to settle
Social media profiles never go away
Social media can get employees hired or fired
Blogs likely to become even more influential
We often feel the need to know trumps the right to privacy
Ambient awareness likely to intensify
Medoff & Kaye Electronic Media 3/e Chapter 9