Cited by 410Impact of Technology on AdolescentsMedia and Digital CommunicationSocial Media and Politics

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Social Media Elements, Ecologies, and Effects

Bayer, Joseph B., Triệu, Penny, Ellison, Nicole B.·2020·Annual Review of Psychology

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Abstract

This review delineates core components of the social media ecosystem, specifying how online platforms complicate established social psychological effects. We assess four pairs of social media elements and effects: profiles and self-presentation; networks and social mobilization; streams and social comparison; and messages and social connectedness. In the process, we describe features and affordances that comprise each element, underscoring the complexity of social media contexts as they shift to a central topic within psychology. Reflecting on this transitional state, we discuss how researchers will struggle to replicate the effects of dynamic social environments. Consequently, we outline the obstacles in isolating effects that reoccur across platforms, as well as the challenges and opportunities that come with measuring contexts across periods. By centering on the elements that define the online ecosystem, psychological research can establish a more durable foundation for replicating the effects of social media and chronicling the evolution of social interaction.

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“, status update and private messenger) rather than experiences or behaviors that are communication centered and thus shared across devices, applications, and features (11, 12).”
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“For example, SNS allow people to present themselves (Hollenbaugh, 2021; Seidman, 2013) and communicate with others (Bayer et al., 2020).”
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“Knowing more about how platforms function may be particularly important as “social media” comes to encompass an increasingly broad set of technologies, ranging from conventional feed-based platforms like Twitter to video- and game-based platforms like TikTok and Roblox (Bayer et al., 2020)–each of which presents uniqu…”
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“Finally, like all research dealing with media behaviors tied to SNSs, this study has a “moving-target problem” (Bayer et al., 2020, p. 485); that is, the tools, platforms, and practices we study change constantly.”
Background
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“Furthermore, as claimed by Bayer and colleagues [67], as social media will continue to iterate, emerging research can extrapolate the findings from one platform to other platforms such as that “even when a platform is decommis-sioned, findings linked to its elements can be compared to future…”
Background
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“This type of insight is especially relevant when rapid innovation and diffusion cycles in communication technology (Bayer, Triệu, and Ellison 2020) might see size and composition of social media repertoires vary also relatively rapidly.”
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“Take the case of content on social media, which of course has itself been the subject of a great deal of research in behavioral science (see, e.g., Allcott et al., 2022; Bayer et al., 2020; Hunt et al., 2018; Neubaum & Krämer, 2017; Vogel et al., 2014).”
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“This is because SMU is characterized by a range of behaviors such as liking, posting, sharing, following, reacting, commenting, and consuming media-related content via a networking service (Bayer et al., 2020; Jenkins-Guarnieri et al., 2013).”
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“…media use and the average user’s well-being is close to zero and below any threshold for harm that would require intervention (Appel et al., 2020; Bayer et al., 2020; Dickson et al., 2019; Dienlin & Johannes, 2020; Kross et al., 2021; Odgers & Jensen, 2020; Orben, 2020b; Valkenburg, 2022;…”
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“Instead of assuming rigid boundaries between platforms, it is important to consider that platforms are interconnected; multiple digital media platforms co-constitute an environment that facilitates or limits citizens’ discursive practices (Bayer et al., 2020).”
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“Moreover, it should be noted that social media such as Facebook allows users to post, comment, and like content [52].”
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“Nowadays, self-esteem has been catching the attention of social media researchers as it is deeply entangled with the social comparison process, playing the role as one of the key psychological phenomena related to social media use (Bayer et al., 2020).”
Background
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“…these platforms: profle pages require conscious self-presentation in ways that may threaten authenticity; network efects and large audiences may increase feelings of loneliness; social comparison through activity streams can incite envy; and always-on conversations feed the attention economy [6].”
Background

Authors: Bayer, J. B., Triệu, P., & Ellison, N. B.
Affiliations: The Ohio State University (US)
University of Michigan (US)
ORCID: Bayer, Joseph B.
Triệu, Penny
Ellison, Nicole B.
Venue: Annual Review of Psychology
Publisher: Annual Reviews
Published: 2020-01-04
Volume: 71
Issue: 1
Pages: 471-497
ISSN: 0066-4308 (ISSN-L)
1545-2085
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-050944
OpenAlex: W2973059560
Cited by: 410
References: 161
Citations by year: 2026: 65 · 2025: 69 · 2024: 74 · 2023: 65 · 2022: 77 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 19
FWCI: 8.94
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Annual Review of Psychology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Social Sciences › Communication › Media and Digital Communication
Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
Keywords: social media, social networking sites, self-presentation, social networks, social mobilization, social comparison, social connectedness, social interaction
MeSH terms: Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Psychology, Social, Social Media

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