Folk Classification of Social Media Platforms: Preliminary Findings

There is little understanding of how and on what grounds people perceive or group Social Media Platforms (services) in which they participate into categories that can explain or predict their patterns of use. Some models are discussed and the possibilities of an ecological model are highlighted. This study examined how active users grouped social media platforms. 59 respondents completed an open card sort activity where they categorized 19 social media applications according to their own preferences. Data was also collected on frequency of use of Social Media Platforms as well as perceived use in comparison with peers. Using a series of decision rules, 44 standardized categories were defined. A similarity matrix and dendogram are presented that show strong and weak associations between platforms. A post-session survey provided an opportunity for participants to comment on their organizational preferences and from this user-perceived were themes identified. A discourse analysis of six responses is presented to highlight how specific participants developed their sorting strategies. These methodologies may provide the rich data needed to further develop ecological-type models for classifying social media use and perception.