Social Media has become a fashionable phrase. From blogs and webcams to citizen journalists a great deal of energy and enthusiasm informs debate around the empowering potential of such technologies. But as the concept gains ground there are some who begin to question whether social media represents more of the same.   Whatever the technology promises the content and the new generation of producers behind it will inevitably be co-opted back into the mainstream.

As one of the launch events for the University of Salford’s new MA in Social Media the Circle Club will hold a debate on Thursday 11th June, 6pm - 8pm to thrash out the meaning of this term and, in the process, engender a useful discussion in which potential students can play their part.

The three speakers lined up for this event are Professor Ben Light, Programme Leader of Salford’s new MA in Social Media, Dr Paul Taylor, a critic of the democritizing potential of  Media and Gary Copitch, a practitioner of new media with long experience in the field.