With smartphone usage continuing to rise, mobile messaging apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat have become incredibly popular ways for people to communicate. These apps allow users to send messages, photos, videos, and more to friends and family. But an ongoing debate is whether messaging apps should be considered social media platforms.
What is Social Media?
Social media refers to websites and applications that allow users to create and share content or participate in social networking. Some of the most popular social media platforms include:
| Platform | Monthly Active Users |
|---|---|
| 2.91 billion | |
| YouTube | 2 billion |
| 2 billion | |
| 1.386 billion |
Key features of social media platforms include:
- User profiles – Users create a public or semi-public profile to represent their identity
- Sharing content – Users can share text, photos, videos, and other media
- Establishing connections – Users can connect with other users as “friends,” “followers,” etc.
- Engagement features – Platforms have features like liking, commenting, resharing, etc. to facilitate engagement
- News feeds – Platforms use algorithms to display curated content to users in feeds
- Advertising – Most platforms rely heavily on digital advertising revenue
So in summary, social media allows users to establish a public presence, connect with others, share content, and participate in engagement around that content.
Messaging App Features
Messaging apps have some similarities to social media but also some distinct differences. Let’s examine the key features and capabilities of popular messaging apps:
Private or Semi-Private Communication
Messaging apps are designed first and foremost for private communication. When you send a message on WhatsApp, for example, it is end-to-end encrypted and goes only to the intended recipient. While some messaging apps have options for group chats, the conversations are still restricted to the members of the group.
This differs from social media where posts and conversations are generally public or visible to a wide audience.
Minimal Profiles
Most messaging apps allow users to create a simple profile with limited information like a profile photo, name, and status message. There is no expectation that users will develop a robust, public persona.
On social media, users put substantial time into crafting detailed profiles that convey their identity and life to others.
Contacts-Driven
Messaging apps are primarily designed for communicating with existing contacts. Users need to know someone’s phone number or username to connect with them.
Social media is about meeting new people, often strangers. Users can follow public figures, celebrities, brands, and others they don’t know.
Limited Sharing
While photos, videos, and other media can be exchanged on messaging apps, the extent of sharing is limited compared to social media.
On social media, sharing multimedia content publicly or with large groups is a core activity.
Engagement Functions
Messaging apps have some limited options for engagement such as reacting with emoji or responding to messages. But the engagement capabilities are fairly basic and private.
Social media has robust features for public engagement like liking, commenting, resharing, and participating in viral trends.
No News Feed
Messaging apps do not have algorithmic news feeds that surface content. Conversations occur only inside of direct message threads.
The personalized, constantly updated news feed is a defining feature of most social media platforms.
No Advertising
Most messaging apps have no advertising within conversations and rely on subscription fees or other revenue sources.
Social media platforms are largely ad-supported businesses, with ads targeted to users based on their data and activity.
Do Messaging Apps Qualify as Social Media?
Given the differences in features and capabilities, most messaging apps arguably do not fall into the category of social media.
Their focus is on private communication rather than public sharing and networking. And most do not have the core technical features that define social media platforms, like profiles, news feeds, and robust engagement options.
However, there are a few cases where messaging platforms take on more social media-like characteristics:
- Public groups and channels – Some apps like Telegram allow users to set up public groups and channels where anyone can join and communicate.
- Business accounts – Apps like WhatsApp Business enable businesses to set up official accounts to communicate publicly with customers.
- Stories – Snapchat popularized ephemeral stories that have been copied by other messaging apps and feel similar to social media stories.
- Integrations with social media – Apps can integrate social media features like sharing content to Facebook or Instagram.
So under select circumstances where messaging apps take on public sharing and networking behaviors, they could potentially crossover into social media territory.
Messaging + Social Media Convergence
In recent years we have also seen messaging and social media functions converging within some apps:
- Facebook Messenger allows users to message contacts but also supports group chats and interactions with businesses/organizations.
- WhatsApp Status provides a Snapchat-like stories feature alongside private messaging.
- WeChat combines private and public messaging with a social media-like news feed and profile.
- Instagram recently added the ability to message contacts within the main app.
This convergence points to a future where the line between messaging and social media becomes less defined. Apps may incorporate both private communication features along with more public social networking functions.
Conclusion
Overall, most dedicated messaging apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, etc. are focused on private communication over public social networking. While they share some similarities with social media, key differences such as limited profiles, no news feed algorithm, and restricted sharing mean they do not fully qualify as social media platforms.
However, in certain contexts like public groups or business accounts, messaging apps can take on more social media characteristics. And the increasing convergence of messaging and social functions in some apps blurs the lines between these categories.
So whether the messaging app counts as social media can depend on the specific features and use cases. But at their core, most messaging apps prioritize private communication rather than public social networking.