The Social Media Game? How Gamification Shapes Our Social Media Engagement.

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the gamification elements currently applied by three popular social media platforms: Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. Their gamified ele- ments are analysed within the framework of motivational psychology theories and persuasive design. The question is then addressed if through social media’s extensive use of gamifica- tion elements, it has been turning into a game. Finally, the ethical implications of gamification’s use are discussed. The focus thereby lies on social comparison, surveillance, the intransparent application of psychological models and the “obligation” to have fun.

Scrolling and the In‐Between Spaces of Boredom: Marginalized Youths on the Periphery of Vienna

“…The label emerges after the user has seen all new content since the last log in (Instagram 2018). However, if the user follows many people and groups, the scrolling may continue for a long time, as this label can turn into a badge to be collected (Hristova et al 2021). The label's introduction coincided with the increasing popularity of stories, which redirected users' attention to the horizontal movements.…”

Snapchat Streaks: How Adolescents Metagame Gamification in Social Media

“…Gamification elements have been gaining influence in a broad variety of domains [1,2], their presence also shaping the face of online media [3,4]. Notably, social media have been dynamically evolving in its relation to interface elements that could be classified as gamification.…”

“…In practice, users send images and videos, which immediately disappear from recipients' devices after they are viewed. Recent analyses indicate that Snapchat, which now has over 203 billion daily active users as of 2019 [7], has become more heavily gamified [3] featuring elements such as points, rewards, feedback and challenges among others. One of the most influential gameful features of Snapchat is "Snap Streaks": a score that signifies how many days in a row two users have been exchanging pictures with one another.…”

“…One of the most influential gameful features of Snapchat is "Snap Streaks": a score that signifies how many days in a row two users have been exchanging pictures with one another. Hristova and colleagues [3] have pointed out that streaks are a variation of the gamification elementpoints -adapted to thrive in the novel context of ephemeral social media. In other words, this form of gamification allows users to quantify their online interaction with each other despite the fact that its content has disappeared.…”

“…As discussed by previous literature [3,4], gamification elements are used in social media to foster involvement and to prompt specific user responses both in terms of time spent and content generated on the platform. This has, for instance, been suggested to introduce behavioral bias, if reciprocity is brought to the forefront of a peerto-peer service [12].…”