Social media are defined as Internetbased applications that allow users to create, exchange, or simply consume usergenerated content, that is, content created by individuals themselves. Examples include blogs, wikis, Rich Site Summary (RSS) feeds, and social networking sites, as well as usergenerated content aggregators, such as Yelp and TripAdvisor, and locationbased applications, such as Google Places or Foursquare. The growing diffusion and adoption of social media in many societies have made the social media environment an attractive marketplace for organizations wishing to gain visibility and reach out directly to large groups of publics and stakeholders. Social media bring communication and relational opportunities but also challenges to strategic communication professionals. This entry reviews and discusses central features of social media and their role in strategic communication. Social media is a phenomenon that has transformed the interaction and communication of individuals throughout the world. However, social media is not a new concept - it has been evolving since the dawn of human interaction. In recent times, social media has impacted many aspects of human communication, thereby impacting business. Social networking has become daily practice in some users lives. In this article, the authors describe features and the evolution of social media, including major social networking sites that came into existence during the 21st century. Some of the sites discussed include Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, MySpace, CyWorld, and LunarStorm.

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