Social media and critical theory

Christian Fuchs

Chapter 40 in Research Handbook on Critical Theory, 2026, pp 462-476 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter discusses how we can use critical theory for the analysis of social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Wikipedia and TikTok. For understanding what is social about “social media” we require social theory. The notions of work, co-operation and prosumption (productive consumption) are particularly important for the specificity of social media's sociality. Commodification is an important dimension of analyses that use critical theory. Targeted advertising where audiences, users and user attention become a “strange commodity” are particularly important in the context of capitalist social media. Authoritarianism is another important category of critical theory. Critical theory also gives a focus to and engages with social struggles. In the context of social media, the question arises of how social movements can best use social media and what role platform co-operatives and public service Internet platforms can play in challenging the digital giants’ global dominance.

Keywords: Social Media and Critical Theory; Social Media and Social Theory; Social Media Prosumption; Social Media and Targeted Advertising; Social Media and Commodity; Commodification; Social Media and Authoritarianism; Social Media and Social Struggles; Public Service Internet; Platform Co-Operatives (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781800373754
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