Finally, But this position has changed dramatically, and almost all of the characteristics of mass media just
described can no longer be relied upon as a defining feature. Another significant change is the
growth of user-generated content (UGC). Here one struggles with concepts because a reference to
UGC can clearly encompass a vast array of activity – from the YouTube home video, to the teenage
Facebook page, to the twitter feed, to the video or photos shot via a mobile phone during a civil
uprising and distributed worldwide, to the blogs – amateur and professional, public and private. The
term “social media” is also used here; but if the term was meant to connote a media which was
primarily occurring within the private sphere (albeit with a public interface), designed to facilitate
personal, informal and social communications (much as the telephone in its earlier vanilla form did),
then clearly that meaning no longer adequately describes what is happening. Whether it is described
as UGC or social media, it clearly cannot be ignored. Whilst some of that UGC may not be relevant,
aspects of it are, and it is apparent that some forms of UGC are taking on media-like roles. Deciding
what of this activity belongs in this space is part of the challenge. What also complicates
understanding of this environment is that some of the activity takes place outside the usual market
processes, and, indeed, may occur for non-economic motives and encourage open sharing and
networking of content