Genre as digital social action: the case of archiving, tagging and searching in digital media culture

Purpose The purpose of this article is to develop a contemporary understanding of genre as digital social action. Particular emphasis will be on archiving, tagging, and searching as social actions afforded by digital media as a function of their materiality. Design/methodology/approach The approach is critical analysis and discussion. Findings It is shown through an examination and a concrete example of how the genre is understood as digital social action, how the materiality of digital media affords particular communicative actions. Originality/value The article contributes with an understanding of the genre as digital social action consisting of two communicating parts: users’ actions and materiality.