content community Written by Benjamin W. L. Derhy Kurtz Contributor to SAGE Publications's The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society (2020) whose work appears in Britannica as part of a joint publishing agreement with SAGE. Benjamin W. L. Derhy Kurtz Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated May 21, 2026 •History Content communities consist of online social media platforms that allow users to share multimedia materials including user-produced materials. This entry first introduces the origins of content communities before discussing what they are, who uses them, and their range of uses. The culture and mass media industries are changing due to mutations of three different natures: technological, narrative, and participatory. The advent of the Internet and social media platforms has allowed content to be distributed on...

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