14.1 introduction
In many ways, social media epitomises what the web is about: collaboration
and the sharing of content, ideas and information. Social media is behind the
explosion of content available on the Internet, as the various channels have
allowed anyone with an Internet connection to be able to create and share
content easily and for free. Because social media has so many participants, it
is also very dynamic. In fact, this is the chapter that is most likely to be out of
date the second this book has gone to print.
Simply put, social media are media (from written to visual to audio to audio
visual) that are designed to be shared. Sharing means that it is easy to
comment on, that it is easy to send, and that there are no high costs associated
with viewing the media. And, because of the connected nature of the Internet, it
means that sharing, commenting and viewing can all be tracked and measured.
Social media are also referred to as Web 2.0, consumer generated media,
citizen media and new media. In fact, comparing social media to traditional
media is probably the most useful way of defining what exactly this means.