A study led by researchers at Aston University has revealed significant public uncertainty about the definition of “social media” and disagreement on which platforms should be classified as such. The findings, published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media, underscore the challenges this ambiguity poses for policymakers, especially as debates intensify around social media’s impact on mental health and calls for regulation.
What Happened
Ph.D. researcher Evelyn Murray together with Dr. Charlotte Pennington, Dr. Daniel Shaw, and Professor Michael Larkin from Aston University’s Department of Psychology conducted a large-scale survey involving nearly 1,000 active social media users. The study aimed to clarify public perceptions about what constitutes social media, which platforms are considered part of it, and how the public evaluates common positive and negative features of these platforms.
The research identified that while social media broadly refers to online platforms facilitating social interaction and user-generated content, there is no consensus on the term’s exact boundaries. Participants commonly identified Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Snapchat as social media platforms. However, other platforms like Roblox and Wikipedia, which feature key social media characteristics such as user interaction and content creation, were not generally categorized as such by respondents.
Key Facts
- The study included nearly 1,000 active social media users recruited by Aston University researchers.
- Commonly accepted features of social media include social interaction, content sharing, user-generated content, and community building.
- Top five platforms identified as social media by the public were Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, and Snapchat.
- Platforms like Roblox, despite its extensive social and gaming functions, and Wikipedia, with collaborative content creation, were largely excluded from public definitions of social media.
- The findings are published in the peer-reviewed journal Psychology of Popular Media under DOI: 10.1037/ppm0000680 (2026).
What This Means
The lack of a universally accepted definition for social media complicates ongoing discussions about regulating these platforms, particularly concerning young people’s mental health. When policymakers consider measures such as banning social media use for under-16s, ambiguity about what counts as social media could lead to unintended consequences. For example, platforms like WhatsApp, often widely used for family communication, might be categorized as social media by some but not others, making enforcement of such policies problematic.
Furthermore, the study reveals that public sentiment about social media is nuanced. While the media often portrays social media in polarized terms, many users recognize both its benefits—such as ease of access, entertainment, and social connectivity—and its drawbacks, including addiction, misinformation, cyberbullying, and social comparison. This balanced view contrasts with oversimplified narratives dominating public discourse and could inform more targeted and effective policy approaches.
Ultimately, refining the terminology and clarifying platform classifications could help align regulation more closely with actual user experiences and platform functionalities, improving the effectiveness of any interventions intended to mitigate social media-related harms.
Background
The researchers noted that as technology evolves, existing definitions of social media struggle to keep pace with the diverse functionality of digital platforms. Social media’s traditional attributes—social networking, content sharing, and community building—are now present in many digital environments that may not fit conventional categories, such as gaming platforms with social communication features or collaborative information sites like Wikipedia.
Previous policy debates have often treated social media as a monolithic category despite these functional differences. The study’s findings call for more precision in both academic research and public policy frameworks concerning online platforms.
What Remains Unclear
The study does not address how definitions may vary internationally or across different demographic groups beyond the survey sample. Also, the impact of evolving platform features on public perception remains to be studied longitudinally. Further research is needed to test how these perceptions influence actual usage patterns and responses to regulation over time.
What Comes Next
Following this research, the Aston University team intends to continue examining the public’s nuanced views of social media and explore how these perceptions relate to mental health outcomes and regulatory policy acceptance. Additional dissemination of these findings may influence ongoing debates in both academic and policymaking circles.
Sources
This article is based on reporting and publicly available information from the following sources:
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