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Social Media Ecosystem: History
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A social media ecosystem is an interconnected sociotechnical environment comprising digital platforms, users, organizations, content, communication practices, and technological infrastructures that collectively shape online interaction and information exchange [1][2]. Its components include social networking sites, content-sharing services, messaging applications, user communities, and the algorithms and interface features that organize the creation, distribution, and visibility of digital content. Users, businesses, public institutions, media organizations, and other participants contribute to this ecosystem by producing content, maintaining social relationships, exchanging information, and engaging in public discussions [2][3]. The relationships among these actors and platforms extend beyond individual services, as users move between digital spaces and connect online activities with offline social contexts [4]. The ecosystem evolves as platforms change their technical features, governance policies, and recommendation systems, while user practices and communication needs also develop [1][4]. In media studies and communication research, the social media ecosystem provides a perspective for examining how platforms, social relationships, and information flows interact to influence public discourse, community formation, and patterns of digital participation.

  • social media ecosystem
  • digital platforms
  • online communication
  • sociotechnical systems
  • information exchange
  • digital communities

References

  1. Joseph B. Bayer; Penny Triệu; Nicole B. Ellison; Social Media Elements, Ecologies, and Effects. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 2020, 71, 471-497, 10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-050944.
  2. Gil Appel; Lauren Grewal; Rhonda Hadi; Andrew T. Stephen; The future of social media in marketing. J. Acad. Mark. Sci. 2019, 48, 79-95, 10.1007/s11747-019-00695-1.
  3. Jan H. Kietzmann; Kristopher Hermkens; Ian P. McCarthy; Bruno S. Silvestre; Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Bus. Horiz. 2011, 54, 241-251, 10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.005.
  4. Oliver Ibert; Anna Oechslen; Alica Repenning; Suntje Schmidt; Platform ecology: A user‐centric and relational conceptualization of online platforms. Glob. Networks 2021, 22, 564-579, 10.1111/glob.12355.
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