enabled users to add media content to websites. RSS (really simple syndication)
facilitated receiving and sharing frequently updated web content and Asynchronous Java Script and XML (so-called AJAX technologies) enabled immediate updating
of page elements without the need to reload the entire webpage. Social media users usually need no knowledge of how these technologies work because they are
incorporated into social media websites.
Levinson (2009) characterizes social media as part of "new new media" and
notes their shared characteristics. First, consumers are also producers who arc
generally not motivated by receiving compensation for generating content.
Content can take any form (text or audiovisual) and is typically available to
consume and redistribute free of charge. These media forms may compete for
attention with each other and with older media forms but at the same time they
are synergistically "mutually catalytic" as the media forms actively promote
the sharing of the consumer-generated content. Worldwide, over 200 social media
wedsite exist, serving a wide range of purposes and new ones are created almost
daily. Hogan and Quan-Haase (2010) have noted that that all media have social
elements and that with respect to social media, "the boundaries of this term are
not straightforward" (p. 310). Efforts to classify social media utilize function-related
labels that stem from not only their creators' intentions but also the fact that "they
coevolve with their user base" (p. 310). Table 2.1 lists the major categories of social
media and major websites within each. The history of the websites listed in boldface are discussed in more detail later in the chapter. It is important to note that individual social media often
incorporate multiple functional elements. For example, social networking sites are
likely to provide email capability, chat, and the ability to blog and post media/
creative content. In addition, many social media users utilize multiple form of
social media.