After compiling the below references (to try to determine this myself), an Answer is still ambiguous enough [to me] to ask this Question here.
*This Question is similar to, but more general in context (and therefore, I think different from), Is Stack Overflow a social networking site? - Wikipedia lists social networking as just 1 of 13 types of social media - so I don't believe that Question would necessarily logically imply the same answer for my [what I believe to be] more general question here (with respect to social media in general, not just social networking specifically as the related Question seems to focus on [at least as the Question itself is written, not necessarily its Answers]).
(Even if the Answer is 'no', it seems certain that [should I term this, 'traditional'?] social media, and Stack Exchange sites, at least [can] influence each other).
I delineated these references as they seemed to me to most relate to 'Yes' or 'No' in this context - but a lot of them in themselves are not necessarily explicit/conclusive "proof" as to Yes/No being a good answer:
'No' - Stack Exchange is not Social Media:
- A lot of [maybe for lack of a better term] "popular" social media style does not fit Stack Exchange Q & A format
- Social sharing links reduced in prominence on Stack Exchange
- Seeming consensus that Stack Exchange is not a social network site (if that answer actually does logically imply the same answer to this Question about social media in more generality, as opposed to my explanation above as to me thinking it does not necessarily)
'Yes' - Stack Exchange is Social Media:
- Meets most of Wikipedia's Social Media definitions ('forums' type seems to me the most relevant among the 13 it lists)
- Stack Exchange has social sharing links in some shape/form (even if not presented as prominently as they may have been prior)
- [Former] Stack Overflow CTO David Fullerton was interviewed in IEEE Software on the topic of Social Networking Meets Software Development
- StackOverflow's page on Wikipedia references Secrets of social site success article
- StackOverflow's page on Wikipedia references "We Don'T Do That Here": How Collaborative Editing with Mentors Improves Engagement in Social Q&A Communities article
FWIW, herein lies my personal (not speaking for everyone) curiosity to ask this: I am a relatively lite/infrequent user of the most "popular"/"house-hold"/"networking" social media {i.e: Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter...}; but ignoring my use of those examples as it is altogether - I am curious if it all makes sense for me to consider myself (at least to some degree) nonetheless still a "social media user" (just with respect to the fact that I participate in the Stack Exchange Network).
social-networking
as there is not any more general "social media" tag.