The DOI matches its Crossref record; 161 of the 161 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Social Media Elements, Ecologies, and Effects
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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In the citing paper
“Thus, features such as persistent streams, network visibility, and low-friction messaging can heighten social comparison, exposure, and interaction with potentially harmful others (71).”
From Developmental Trajectories and Outcomes of Online Child Sexual Abuse: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies (2026) · cites this paper as [71]
In the citing paper
“by measuring college students' social media use across several platforms (vs. one particular platform), our study captured social media usage in a more ecologically valid fashion43:”
From Social Media Use and Its Link to Physical Health Indicators (2022) · cites this paper as [43]
In the citing paper
“Second, emerging work recommends measuring social media use across multiple platforms because people use them for different purposes and in different amounts.43”
From Social Media Use and Its Link to Physical Health Indicators (2022) · cites this paper as [43]
Citations
Cites
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Meier, A., & Reinecke, L. (2021) · Communication Research · doi:10.1177/0093650220958224 · Cited by 534
“Instead, identifying key features used for CMC in numerous applications (e.g., status updates, profiles, private messages) should be a more future-proof way to study channels (Bayer et al., 2020).”
BackgroundInfluentialSocial Media and Well-Being: Pitfalls, Progress, and Next Steps
Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Sheppes, G., Costello, C. K., Jonides, J., & Ybarra, O. (2021) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2020.10.005 · Cited by 474
“Researchers have made admirable attempts to address social media’s jingle-jangle problem over the years [7,108], but a”
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“…Motivations Social-media platforms have several features that create a different communication and information-consumption experience than face-to-face interactions (see Bayer, Trieˆ∙u, & Ellison, 2020), which has important consequences for the form and function of moralized communications.”
BackgroundHow social learning amplifies moral outrage expression in online social networks
Brady, W. J., McLoughlin, K., Doan, T. N., & Crockett, M. J. (2021) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.abe5641 · Cited by 375
Social media use and well-being: What we know and what we need to know
Valkenburg, P. M. (2022) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.12.006 · Cited by 373
Metadata
- Authors
- Bayer, J. B., Triệu, P., & Ellison, N. B.
- Affiliations
- The Ohio State University (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
- 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
- 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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