An Agenda for Comparative Social Media Studies: The Value of Understanding Practices From Cross-National, Cross-Media, and Cross-Platform Perspectives

Authors

  • Mora Matassi Northwestern University
  • Pablo Boczkowski Northwestern University

Keywords:

social media, comparative studies, theory building, cross-national, cross-media, cross-platform, history, language

Abstract

We argue the descriptive fit and heuristic power of social media scholarship is much increased when incorporating a comparative turn. To this end, we offer analytical categories for organizing research that has sought to (a) rely on multicountry data from nations worldwide; (b) place the use of social media in relation to other media; and (c) examine more than one platform at a time. Building on these three strands of comparative scholarship from communication and media studies, we propose future research trajectories in comparative social media studies highlighting cross-national, cross-media, and cross-platform dimensions of social media use. Specifically, we focus on two possible pathways that seem especially fruitful: histories and languages. We conclude by reflecting on the theory-building potential of exploring the intersections across the three types of comparative work.

Author Biographies

Mora Matassi, Northwestern University

Mora Matassi (MA, Northwestern University, 2019; EdM, Harvard University, 2018) is a graduate student in the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University.

Pablo Boczkowski, Northwestern University

Pablo J Boczkowski (PhD, Cornell University, 2001) is a professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University, and co-director of the Center for the Study of Media and Society in Argentina (MESO).

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Published

2021-01-01

Issue

Vol. 15 (2021)

Section

Articles

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