Social Media as Social Interaction

Social Media as Social Interaction

It is no surprise, then, to see the rapid use of social media as a popular tool for social interaction for many segments of society and for a number of coalitions trying to bring about change.  Social media is the overarching term used to describe a wide range of communication technologies that enable a “virtual” form of social interaction through digital programming. Virtual social interaction occurs in digital space, which only broadens and expands the interactions in ways that non-digital interaction cannot (we’ll get into the challenges of that expansion in a few pages).

Social media is far more than digital computer technology, however. Much of our existing digital technology use is non-interactive; we use digital technology to store and easily retrieve vast amounts of information in various forms without the need to directly interact with one another. We even have the ability through this technology to “share” this information; the document I may be reading on my computer desktop may actually “live” on a computer thousands of miles from my own. Sharing digital files does not, however, mean that we are engaging in social interaction.

Social media, on the other hand, is inherently relational. The data is secondary to our interaction surrounding it; a favorite article, an opinion about the latest episode of a television show, or the pictures from our last get-together are only valuable in the ability to share them with others and receive feedback, regardless of where we both are at the moment.

However, the interaction that occurs in social media is not the same as “live” social interaction (and most would argue it was not ever intended to serve this purpose). Instead, social media enables a virtual form of interaction.

That word – virtual – is worth a moment of thought in order to understand the potential impact of social media. The term is a modern creation of our culture, and is used to describe things that are not real, but which take on the important qualities of the real. In Disney parks, for example, you can go on a ride that makes you feel as if you are flying, or sailing on a boat at night in a far away land or time. The experience is similar to the real thing by incorporating key elements of the real experience into the simulation – the rush of air, the feeling of the night sky, or the sounds and images one would expect to see. In fact, the creators of this virtual entertainment argue that the virtual experience may actually be better than the real, because many of the dangers connected to the real experience are removed. The car won’t crash, the boat won’t sink, and no one falls to the ground as they fly off into the stars.  

Virtual interaction differs slightly from this idea of “simulation,” but is not far from it. Older versions of social media that relied mostly on the exchange of text are being replaced with newer technologies that replicate many of the same aspects of face-to-face interaction, and often in real time and employing similar non-verbal and verbal cues that help us make sense of one another. Non-verbal cues such as facial expressions (through video or images that communicate emotion called “emoticons”) and audio enhancements increase the exchange of meaning between and across those interacting.

Virtual interactions go beyond face-to-face communication in many ways, however, through the digital technology that enables “hyperlinking” or the ability to link a variety of files or images or sounds to the interaction, which creates fuller, broader messages than are usually found in “live” conversation. Hyperlinks to images, videos, audio clips, files, or web pages provide immediate illustrations, examples, or elaborations to the conversation. No longer do we have to simply mention or comment on an event; I can now link directly to the video clip, or the Web page, or photo collection on Flickr.

True to its interactive nature, social media creates and sustains “virtual communities,” that are much like our physical communities with an important difference: they are not bound by physical time or space. Though many of us participate in professional communities that must hold conferences or meetings to allow members to interact, virtual communities allow members to interact at anytime and from anywhere. Because of this, social media applications have been used to create communities that could never exist before the technology emerged: support groups for those around the globe who share the same chronic health condition, collectives for every interest or hobby imaginable, and communities for many occupations and professions. Even Tom’s physical community – Atascocita, Texas – has a virtual community equivalent, where he can meet his neighbors, participate in a church, hold a garage sale, find a babysitter, complain about the uncut grass in the nearby park, or even report a crime without ever seeing any of these neighbors face-to-face.

Next > Strange New Digital World 

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How much has social media impacted our daily lives?  Watch this short video created by a Kansas State University Professor.

Social Interaction Resources

Online Interactions have Positive Effects for Real Life Communities

Online Interactions & Social Capital (Best & Krueger)