7.3.1 The many categories of social networks

The term “social media” refers to a large number of different activities which include technology, social interaction and the creation of content (definition taken from Wikipedia). Social media is basically various platforms which are constantly evolving and differ according to their functions or level of complexity. It is therefore possible to distinguish between them by referring to a variety of criteria as well as their objectives, rules of participation or revenue model. However, it is relatively difficult to define specific categories as many forms of media offer and combine several functions, which may develop over time (Federal Council, Cadre juridique pour les médias sociaux [Legal Basis for Social Media], Report of the Federal Council in Fulfilment of the Amherd Postulate 11.3912 of 29 September 2011, p. 8).