Mediamorphosis and Beyond: Mass Media on Social Networks between Use and Abuse: A SWOT Analysis

Abstract

Changes in contemporary media landscape are going rapidly more than the ability of scholars to study and theorise. The growth of media presence on web generates many questions. These dramatic changes raise fundamental questions about where new media come from and what their impact will be on existing media. Mediamorphosis is a theory that tries to understand these kinds of changes in media. The core idea of this theory is that media are ‘complex, adaptive systems’ which respond to the changes in media landscape. But after years of this theory, it should be reevaluated and searched to discover what are implications beyond this theory. Depending on mass media practices especially on the sphere of social networks, this study will try to evaluate these practices and clarify the most prominent issues which are brought to the scene. The study depends on qualitative longitudinal (QLL) observation as a research tool; 36 mass media Facebook pages were tracked and observed for 24 months starting at 1st October 2011 till 30th September 2013. The sample was selected according to the most ranked Facebook pages in Egypt; some of them were included after the start of study according to their rapid popularity. The results show there is a good chance for mass media to build and develop Facebook pages on their brand names and gain popularity for their traditional media format. But on the other hand, these practices represent a great threat to the essence of SNS itself and always lead them to lose its role as collaborative knowledge building tool and as social place. Some theoretical models were highlighted and discussed; some other models were developed; cultural contexts were considered.