Social media vs. messaging: using GPS data to explore social app ecologies in context

Drawing on a large-scale mobile trace dataset from the United States (N = 463 participants; N = 19,867,944 app logs), we examined variability in social app ecologies while directly contrasting social media and messaging apps. We found that users had primary apps that dominated their media and messaging usage, respectively; concurrently, users were more likely to draw on a wider set of social media (vs. messaging) apps. However, we observed small to insignificant correlations between social media and messaging use, suggesting that the two categories – or sub-ecologies – are not strongly displacing or driving one another. Both social media and messaging apps were used consistently across space – though individuals averaged slightly more time on social media at home and messaging on foot. Overall, the study affirms the importance of taking a naturalistic approach to studying app ecologies, while also offering insights into the increasingly complex relationship between social media and messaging use.