Social Media

“Social media,” understood as applications based on digital, networked, and in principle generally accessible technologies that are used socially to create, modify, or exchange content of various kinds, have become indispensable in almost every area of life. Due to the characteristic network and viral effects, they have spread spatially and temporally with unprecedented dynamics. Social media have not only enriched the repertoire of media offerings but have also generally expanded the options for social interaction, changed the structures of value creation, and enabled new business models. The operators of these platforms have thus become significant economic and political actors beyond the media industry.