Network

The interconnected web of friendships, connections, and associations between users of digital interactive media is called a 'network. ' More precisely, a network is the structure of people you signal to, and who signal back to you, through words, signs, and images, as you mutually inhabit and animate the space of the platform. On a social media platform like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok, a network can include personal friends, family members, close associates, and professional colleagues, as well as fans, followers, influencers, and brands, all of whom together form the digital community of your network.

The private and public conversations that happen within your digital network can lead to recommendations that have a large and growing impact on purchasing decisions. The 'network effect' might even be the central fact of life on social media. Expanding your network, and accessing the network of your network, is the prime directive of the game for anyone on any platform.

A 'network' might encompass all these different dimensions, but when the word is used, especially in the context of social media, it usually refers to personal, professional, or interest-based connections, using 'network' as a pejorative standing in for lack of genuine human connection in a digital age.