An interdisciplinary field that examines social
media platforms as objects of serious scholarly inquiry—analyzing their architecture, algorithms, user practices, economic models, and social effects. Social media studies draws on sociology, anthropology, communication, media studies, and computer
science to understand how platforms shape identity, community,
politics, and culture. It investigates phenomena like algorithmic curation, influencer economies, digital activism, online harassment, and the transformation of public discourse. The field moves beyond “good or bad” debates to
ask how social media actually operates and what it is doing to human interaction.
Example: “Her social media studies
research traced how TikTok’s recommendation
algorithm created transnational youth subcultures that operated independently of
traditional geographic or linguistic boundaries.”