The Rise of Social Media

Online and Social Media

In this lecture, Dr Adrian Hillman (Goldsmiths, University of London) discusses the media form of online and social media. In the first module, we discuss the rise of social media. After this, we discuss addiction to social media and the attention economy. Then, we explore digital media, social relations and identity. In the fourth module, we look at big data and algorithms. Then, we discuss the topic of surveillance and privacy. Finally, we look at disinformation and online hate.

The Rise of Social Media

In this module, we discuss the rise of social media. In particular, we will focus on: (i) how the various types of social media have gained popularity based on usage and geographic targeting; (ii) how social media displaces other forms of online communication, involving sharing of content on platforms; (iii) how Facebook, with over 3 billion monthly users, exemplifies the global expansion of social media; (iv) how there are two definitions of social media: web-based services for collaboration, user-generated content, connectivity, and interactivity, and a more complex definition that incorporates ideological and technological foundations; (v) how social media blurs lines between real and virtual, public and private, disrupting traditional definitions; (vi) how characteristics of online interaction include media richness and social consciousness; (vii) how social media platforms engineer connectivity, aiming to keep users online within walled gardens; and (viii) how platforms monetise data, demanding participation and exploiting users' need for connectivity.