7.3.1.2 Distinction according to ways to participate

A distinction can be made between types of social networks based on the opportunities users have to participate in creating specific media content. For example, WikiProjects lets users create or even edit content, whereas other sites offer their users less freedom.

The scope of participation also changes depending on the function of the site. For example, WhatsApp allows users to control the group of recipients whereas other sites, such as Facebook, offer a much wider range of ways to communicate. The communication may be private, i.e. limited to a specific group of “friends”, or completely public, which means any social media user can access it (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. 9).