3 Remembering and Forgetting in Social Media

Abstract

Social media is a recent development in our society that now influences our lives on a daily basis. However, when it comes to defining the term “social media”, there is no official, universally applicable definition. Some authors employ a broad definition incorporating a social media platform, which allows users to upload and share content as well as to comment on these. Murthy, for example, states that “[s]ocial media has been broadly defined to refer to ‘the many relatively inexpensive and widely accessible electronic tools that enable anyone to publish and access information, collaborate on a common effort, or build relationships’”. Others do not make any reference to a proper definition, but rather simply cite a number of examples, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and different kinds of blogs, in order to illustrate what social media essentially is. To some extent, rating platforms are also included in this field.