Sociology of Social Media – Teaching Influence and Online Behaviour

 

Sociology of Social Media – Teaching Influence and Online Behaviour

Social media isn’t just about cat videos and trending dances—it’s a mirror of society. At Hemel Private Tuition, we explore the sociology of social media to help students understand how online platforms shape behaviour, identity, and influence.

Key Themes We Explore

• Social influence: why likes, shares, and follower counts matter.

• Identity presentation: how people curate their online selves.

• Echo chambers & algorithms: why your feed looks different from someone else’s.

• Power & inequality: who gets heard online, and who doesn’t.

Why It Matters for Students

By studying online behaviour, students connect sociology to their daily lives. They learn to:

• Think critically about what they see on platforms.

• Recognise how influence is created and spread.

• Understand the role of social media in shaping communities and movements.

In short, it’s sociology they can see—and scroll—every day

Sociology of Social Media – A Deeper Look

Social media is more than technology; it’s a social space. Like the cafés, marketplaces, and town halls of the past, platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, X, and Facebook are places where identities are shaped, ideas are exchanged, and social norms are negotiated. Sociology helps us understand the power and pitfalls of these digital spaces.

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1. Social Influence & Power

• Likes, shares, followers act as social currency. They measure popularity and legitimacy in a way that mirrors older forms of social approval.

• Influencers hold disproportionate sway, not just selling products but shaping trends, opinions, even political outcomes.

• Power dynamics emerge: Who gets visibility? Who is silenced by algorithms or community norms?

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2. Identity & Self-Presentation

• Online life is a performance. Users curate their “best selves” with filters, edits, and highlights.

• Sociologist Erving Goffman’s idea of the “presentation of self” is more relevant than ever: social media profiles are like personal stages.

• Multiple identities can exist across platforms: a professional self on LinkedIn, a casual self on Instagram, an activist self on X.

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3. Communities & Belonging

• Social media creates micro-communities: gaming clans, fandoms, support groups, activist circles.

• These communities can offer belonging and support, but can also turn into echo chambers that reinforce only one worldview.

• Hashtags act as rallying points for collective identity (#MeToo, #ClimateAction).

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4. Algorithms & Echo Chambers

• Platforms don’t just reflect society—they shape it.

• Algorithms decide what you see, influencing what you think is important or normal.

• The risk: filter bubbles, where exposure to alternative viewpoints shrinks, fuelling polarisation.

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5. Inequality & Access

• Not everyone has equal digital access—issues of the digital divide remain.

• Marginalised voices may struggle for visibility, while dominant groups can exploit algorithms to amplify themselves.

• Online harassment and abuse show how inequality offline is reproduced online.

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6. Social Change & Activism

• Social media has become a tool for mobilisation and protest (Arab Spring, Black Lives Matter, climate activism).

• But it also enables misinformation and manipulation (fake news, bot accounts, deepfakes).

• Sociologists study the balance: is social media a democratic tool, or a corporate-controlled echo chamber?

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7. Surveillance & Data

• Platforms track behaviour in detail—what you click, watch, or pause on.

• Data becomes power, shaping advertising, politics, and even hiring.

• Michel Foucault’s ideas of surveillance and power are echoed in the way social media normalises being watched.

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Why Teach This?

For students, the sociology of social media offers:

• Critical awareness of how platforms shape thought and behaviour.

• Real-life relevance, since almost all young people interact with these spaces daily.

• Transferable skills: understanding power, identity, inequality, and communication in a digital society.

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✅ In summary: Social media is not just technology—it’s a sociological phenomenon. By studying it, students can decode the hidden structures of influence, identity, and power that flow through their feeds every day.