this post was submitted on 10 May 2024

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Do you consider Lemmy/Reddit (and similar platforms) to be social media? (dubvee.org)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by [email protected] to c/asklemmy

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I had this discussion with a friend, and we really couldn't reach a consensus.

My friend thinks Lemmy (and other Reddit-like platforms) is social media because you're interacting with other people, liking/disliking submissions, and all the content is user-generated.

I think it isn't because you're not following individual people, just communities/topics. Though I concede there are some aspects of social media present, I feel that overall it's not because my view of social media is that you're primarily following individuals.

In my view, these link aggregator + comment platforms are more like an evolution of forums which both my friend and I agreed don't meet the criteria to be considered social media (though they maintain that Reddit-like platforms are social media while I do not).

So I'm asking Lemmy now to weigh in to help settle this friendly debate.

Edit: Thanks everyone! From the comments, it sounds like my friend and I are both right and both wrong. lol. Feel free to keep chiming in, but I have to go do the 9-5 thing that pays my mortgage and cloud hosting bills.

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[–] RedditWanderer 0 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Facebook isn't like instagram, instagram isn't like tiktok, tiktok isn't like lemmy, Lemmy isn't like Twitter, but they are all social media.

When people find communities like making bread or wtv and share tips and pictures, that's networking. Plenty of support communities too.

Most create content, and post it publicly for other social circles to see their media. It's social media lol

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

you're using a pretty arbitrary definition for your opinion, and i disagree.

[–] RedditWanderer 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Ah yes, the arbitrary definitions of the dictionary are my opinion. Well formed argument

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Being petulant and throwing a tantrum isn’t really a good argument either.

[–] RedditWanderer 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

So now i'm "throwing a tantrum" because saying I was inventing definitions (from the dictionary) didn't work. Seems like youre the one throwing a tantrum because you were wrong. My argument is fine and far from pedantic. Saying "news and links" aren't "media" is what's pedantic

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Lol

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Most create content, and post it publicly for other social circles to see their media. It's social media lol

this isnt even kind of true. most users of these systems post nothing. the content posters are a very small, valuable contingent compared to the lurkers/viewers.

[–] RedditWanderer 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yeah that's a badly written sentence. "Most post for other social circles to see their media when they create content".

Doesn't change the arguments that this is social media. Lemmings and reditors just like to feel special

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

so the term social media involves any written word where more than one person can see it. got it.

[–] RedditWanderer 1 points 7 months ago

Essentially , but that wouldn't be totally correct, youre framing it that way to make a strawman. The definition is:

Social media websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

So written words, shared on a platform made to exchange words and images publicly for others to discuss/comment on, if you really don't want to use the dictionary.