Exploring Offline Context and Consciousness in Everyday Social Media Use

Much social media research has been done to understand interactions and communication on social media, while less attention has been paid to the offline contexts of social media use. How do offline contexts influence everyday social media use? This paper presents an interview study with a focus on Chinese citizens' use of social media in everyday activities. The study found that informants' use of social media and attention on social media was intricately related to their offline social and physical contexts, as well as their varying levels of consciousness. The work draws on activity theory to analyze the interplay between informants' consciousness, everyday social media use, and offline contexts. Implications for design and social media research are provided.