Page 326 - Using MIS

294 Chapter 8 Social Media Information Systems
Q1 What Is a Social Media Information System (SMIS)?

Social media (SM) is the use of information technology to support the sharing of content
among networks of users. Social media enables people to form communities of practice, or
simply communities, which are groups of people related by a common interest. A social me-
dia information system (SMIS) is an information system that supports the sharing of content
among networks of users.
As illustrated in Figure 8-1, social media is a convergence of many disciplines. In this book,
we will focus on the MIS portion of Figure 8-1 by discussing SMIS and how they contribute to or-
ganizational strategy. If you decide to work in the SM field as a professional, you will need some
knowledge of all these disciplines, except possibly computer science.

Three SMIS Roles

Before discussing the components of an SMIS, we need to clarify the roles played by three orga-
nizational units:

• Social media providers
• Users
• Communities

Social Media Providers
Social media providers such as Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest
provide platforms that enable the creation of social networks, or social relationships among
people with common interests. The growth of SM over the past few years has been tremendous.
Figure 8-2 shows the size of some well-known SM providers. In terms of the number of active
1
users, several of these sites exceed the total population of the United States. The growth of SM has
generated extraordinary interest from businesses, advertisers, and investors. Social media provid-
ers compete with one another for the attention of users and for the associated advertising dollars.

Psychology Organization
Theory

Sociology Social Media Marketing

Computer
Figure 8-1 Science MIS
Social Media Is a Convergence
of Disciplines

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Shea Bennett, “Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn—Social Media Stats 2014,” All
Twitter on MediaBistro.com, January 20, 2014, accessed June 17, 2014, www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/
social-media-stats-2014_b54243.