Interaction

User engagement on social media means any interaction taken between two or more users in a virtual space. A user can interact in many ways, and these modes of interaction can be quite nuanced and subtle. Actions users take on social platforms can be best understood through the following typology:



1.

Direct Interactions: Liking, commenting, sharing, and tagging are clear indicators that a user is interacting with content on the network. Each of these has a certain weight when it comes to measuring engagement, with commenting likely being the action that shows a deeper level of interest. Direct actions are also more valuable because they are visible to the person whose content is being interacted with, and they have the potential to lead to further interactions.

Replying and reacting to posts are also seen as direct interaction indicators, although in many cases, they are less visible than the actions noted above, and for good reason. 2. Indirect Interactions: Passive viewing of content is often seen as a less engaging but still interactive way of showing interest.

The user is occupying the same virtual space as the content, albeit with less energy expended. Even a view can be understood as an interaction.