Wait, am I the only one who is going to point out that the SDMB is social media? So you are on it!
If you look it up on Wikipedia. It includes forums/message boards.
Well yes, but shh! We don’t talk about it much because we here at the SDMB aren’t “that kind of social media platform”
I being to a couple of social forums in addition to the Straight Dope. They are centered around my interests in specialized gardening, so the discussions online are mostly informational. However, I have made a couple of friends that were on line from my local area, and we connected in real life - mainly to exchange propagation materials. There is one other forum I belong to that is dedicated to history, which is an interest of mine. As an example, where else could I discuss topics like Ashkenazi/Sephardim origins and relations in earlier times and today?
Have you considered a dog? Looks at Avatar…
Few things amuse me more than people on a social media site complaining about social media.
So, you think they should complain about it to basically no-one? You gotta sell where the potential customers are.
The Straight Dope isn’t surveillance capitalism, gamified, algorithmic social media. It won’t radicalize you by steering you toward extremist content. I don’t think it can reasonably be compared to Facebook or Twitter.
The test case I always bring up for people who do not consider the SDMB social media is Reddit. There is almost no difference, other than size, between SDMB and Reddit. (Which, even if the difference is valid, doesn’t answer the OP’s question of why social media sites are popular, if you have to be popular by definition in order to be one.)
If you browse individual subs, the posts are arranged differently than I would like, but not in a way that smacks of manipulation (you can even choose to arrange OPs by date rather than popularity).
Reddit’s front page is another story: it does have an algorithm that determines what you will see and it is not always posts from subs you have subscribed to or read. But that by itself doesn’t show that the algorithm is manipulated, since even the SDMB has an algorithm to recommend posts to you.
As I mentioned in another thread, the Straight Dope Message Board is a litany of missed business opportunities. The chance to be Reddit before Reddit is just one of them. The current scattering of intellectual talent from Twitter is another.
Reddit is gamified. Clicks for likes and popularity. I do think there is a difference. I also think that’s one reason why it’s much more successful.
The larger the platform, the more anonymity and thus the less accountability. Reddit has tried to find ways around this (downvoting comments, etc) but I think it’s markedly different than a smallish community where your reputation follows you around.
I’m not even defending the Straight Dope, necessarily, but this isn’t what I think of when I hear “social media.” The answer to “Why do people post on the Straight Dope?” is going to be very different than “Why do people post on Facebook/Reddit/etc?” Because the answer to the latter question is, “The sites are designed by scientists and marketers to exploit human neurology and facilitate addictive behavior.” If the Dope was intentionally designed for maximum engagement/profit, I’m not sure they did such a great job relative to other platforms.
It’s amazing how people are oblivious to this. It’s like the difference between a casino and a church raffle. They simply aren’t in the same realm.
Engagement optimization is the poison in the system. It’s center of why the new platforms are so popular, and also so dangerous.
You’re asking the question here?
The SDMB is a social media site. Granted, it’s not as popular as the major ones, but it’s the same thing – people posting their opinions.