socialness of social media

Introduction

• The paper presents a critical review of the understanding of the "socialness" of social media.

• Key Focus: Explore the complexities of social media behaviors to theorize their psychological and social effects.

• Recommendations for Research Development:

  • Differentiate between social media volume and behaviors.

  • Explore both typology and activity-centric approaches.

  • Use behavioral network data to visualize social media interactions and relationships.

• Conceptual Framework: Categorizes social media use into four main types:

  • Interactive

  • Reactive Broadcasting

  • Passive Use

  • This framework emphasizes the difference between active (two-way interactive) and passive (one-way non-interactive) social media usage.

Understanding 'Social' Media

• Definition: Social media includes interactive platforms for user-generated content creation and sharing.

• Typical Use: Though widely used, past research suggests many do not perceive social media engagements as social interaction.

• Research Insights:

  • Psychological and social effects of social media are still unclear.

  • Most cyberpsychology studies discuss social media use in general rather than specific behaviors.

  • Existing studies show mixed results regarding the effects of social media on well-being.

  • Disparities arise due to the vague nature of social media use context.

Patterns of Social Media Use

• Active vs Passive Use:

  • Active use includes behaviors like posting, commenting, and engaging with others.

  • Passive use involves browsing without interaction.

• Nuanced Interactivity:

  • Suggested distinctions include levels of interactivity (e.g., video chat vs. scrolling feed) and various user engagements.

  • The need for more precise definitions for interpersonal connection-focused behaviors is highlighted.

Terminology and Measurement

• Defining Use:

  • "Social Media Use" can refer to both volume (frequency, time) and behavior (specific interactions).

  • Recommendation: Distinguish between engagement metrics and specific social behaviors to better analyze socialness.

• Measurement Tools:

  • Current self-report tools lack platform differentiation and may not capture users' actual behavioral nuances.

Activity-centric vs Typology-based Approaches

• Typology-based Approach:

  • Assumes stable behavioral traits across platforms.

• Activity-centric Approach:

  • Asserts that social media behaviors can vary significantly depending on platform and context.

  • Calls for behavioral analysis on engagement types to understand socialness better.

Framework for Measurement

• Investigative Focus:

• Shift from volume measures to behaviors and interactions to accurately functionally assess use.

• Challenges of Measurement:

  • Lack of universal tools for measuring active vs passive use across platforms.

  • Address identification and analysis of passive use where interaction data may be limited.

Personal vs Organizational Use

• Distinction:

  • Personal use primarily focuses on interpersonal connectivity.

  • Organizational use emphasizes marketing, consumer engagement, and communication management.

• Impact Analysis:

  • Current studies largely neglect the psychological effects on digital marketers or social media managers, focusing instead on consumer impacts.

Network Size and Configuration

• Importance of Networks:

  • Size and structure of social media networks influence use and interpersonal interactions.

  • Larger networks correlate with increased social satisfaction and perceived social support.

Conclusion

• This paper critically analyzes current understandings of social media use in terms of dimensions of "socialness" in interaction;

• Emphasizes understanding the nuanced differences in behaviors over mere volume usage.

• Future Directions: Encourages exploring psychosocial influences of various types of social media engagement and factors like network size.