The influence of social media has grown exponentially over the past couple of decades, becoming an integral part of every person’s life. The phenomenon of social media has been the subject of multiple studies, including the one conducted by Fuchs (2017). Although Fuchs’ (2017) definition and explanation of social media are restricted to the socioeconomic perspective, the offered definition incorporates the nuances of information management in a digital context.
The definition that Fuchs offers for social media is quite nebulous, which is fully justified by the multifaceted nature of the subject matter. According to Fuchs, the definition of social media hinges on the perception of the very concept of the social. Harkening the specified idea back to Durkheim, Weber, and Tönnies, Fuchs (2017) explains that social media incorporates the notions of a social action, cooperative effort, and community.
Since the notion of social media is exceptionally difficult to describe, it requires a complex model that could shed light on its nature. For this purpose, Fuchs (2017) suggests the use of the model for social media communication that he defines as a model of social integration that is shaped by the consumer culture. In other words, Fuchs (2017) introduces the model for social media communication as the framework for interpreting behaviors observed in users online during communication. The specified model is crucial for examining how communication is shaped by digital factors such as immediate response opportunities, anonymity, and the related issues.
Although the proposed model is quite easy to understand and use, it also seems to be excessively generic. As a result, it may not represent the experiences of each individual in online communication accurately. For example, my personal online interactions have been devoid of what Fuchs referred to as the “big data divide,” possibly due to the restricted range of topics for my online discussions. However, overall, Fuchs’ model is quite representative of average online interactions.
Reference
Fuchs, C. (2017). Social media: A critical introduction (2nd ed.). SAGE.