ACADEMIC CONTROVERSIES OVER SOCIAL MASS COMMUNICATION IN THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT
ACADEMIC CONTROVERSIES OVER SOCIAL MASS COMMUNICATION IN THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT

Summary/Abstract: Social communication could be considered the most comprehensive form of communication. Whether face-to-face or virtual, communication processes are a reality of the contemporary world. This article draws upon the fact that the manifestations of social communication in the virtual environment have aroused numerous controversies in the academic field. The reason behind this state of affairs is the fact that the theoretical foundations are being laid simultaneously with the evolution of social practices. As a result, people's perceptions are influenced by their direct involvement in the phenomena under investigation. In the present paper we shall approach the main academic views on the relationship between social media and mass communication in order to explore the extent to which the contemporary scientific discourse legitimizes the existence of a new form of communication in the virtual environment, namely, social media communication. We shall analyze how the undifferentiated treatment of communication and technological aspects with respect to online communication has complicated the efforts to define social media. Additionally, we intend to survey the pros and cons put forward in the academic debates over social communication. Some of the issues we intend to address are the following: Is social media a variation of mass communication or a distinct form of communication? Is interactivity a critical feature that makes social media a new stage in the evolution of social communication? Is there a clear distinction between mass communication and online communication? Or are we just facing a technocentric reductionism that cannot give grounds for the emergence of a new paradigm in communication studies?

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