Social Media Or Social Networking?
Have you seen the terms social media and social networking used interchangeably? I have; I’ve done it. But I was wondering if they’re the same or just similar. Is there a distinction without a difference? After looking it up and reading a few sites, the answer is…unclear to me.
What others say
I checked out a few articles about this:
I tired to glean key points, yet things are still fuzzy. Here are some thoughts.
What I think
When I think of social media, I think of Facebook and Twitter, but I don’t think of blogs. That said, if I’m not mistaken, the media part of social media includes things like:
Blogs
Newsletters
Podcasts
Videos
What these have in common is one-way communication. They’re like broadcast mediums (or media).
So while social media is one-way (and less time consuming), social networking is two-way (and more time-consuming). The former broadcasts your message out to a general audience, but the latter focuses on a narrow target audience.
I think that makes sense, though it doesn’t feel as distinctive as I’d like. Is social media a sub-category or activity of social networking?
Blogging
When it comes to blogging, which grew popular before social networks/social media arose to dominate culture, I can see it being used as a broadcast medium and also as a networking channel.
If blogging is a form of social media, it’s my favorite, the only one I want to use.
On WordPress, published blogs can be followed in the Reader, a reverse chronological feed of posts from blogs you choose to follow. And they’re interactive, allowing “likes” and comments. It also allows reblogging and sharing. Such interaction is a key aspect of social networking.
Reblogging and sharing are simple ways for readers to further broadcast a blogger’s post, which is one-way communication - social media.
Likes and comments, though, let readers talk back to the blogger for two-way communication - social networking.
Speaking of communicating
On my blog, I recently removed the ability for readers to comment. Instead, I added a “Reply by Email” link at the bottom of posts. My aim wasn’t to cut off two-way communication with others but was to encourage greater discussion.
But in light of a new grasp of social networking, I’ve decided to promote greater discussion in both ways on my blog!
My posts will feature a “Reply by Email” link for readers who want to go deep. We can exchange emails back and forth over time, writing in long-form, to foster more discussion. It’s private discourse.
And I will enable commenting for readers who simply want to do just that, leave a comment. Not everything results in engrossing discussion. Sometimes a short casual conversation is best. It’s public discourse.
…Social Media or Social Networking? It’s nuanced.
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