The social in 'social media' The so-called Web 2.0 and social
media are enthusiastically embraced as enabling technologies
turning alienated couch potatoes into active producers of media
content. But what is actually so social about 'social media'? A
plethora of publications frames web applications such as
Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and others as 'social media'
to describe the dynamic interaction and massive participation of
large audiences. However, 'social' receives here an overly
positive connotation, something like 'nice people are
collaborating nicely with each other in order to create nice
things.' Three aspects are remarkable about the popular framing
of 'social media': a) Claiming that users belong to a community.
Drawn from the notion of collective intelligence and peer-based
production, the 'social' in 'social media' receives a positive
connotation as a community experience. It is perceived as a
social phenomenon rather than a commercial one. b) Claiming
mediated communication equals publish