Hendricks, Beth. “Social Media Responsibility & Etiquette.” Study.com, Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/social-media-responsibility-etiquette.html.

• This is a popular source that emphasizes the responsibility that users have when they are on social media. The writer argues that users have to “put people first,” meaning that they always have to remember to treat others with dignity and respect. Using humor in certain situations, especially in an argument, can be seen as disrespectful and bullying.

Holton, Avery E., and Seth C. Lewis. “Journalists, Social Media, and the Use of Humor on Twitter.” The Electrical Journal of Communication, vol. 21, no. 1&2, 2011.

• This academic source provides a study of how much humor is used by the 430 most-followed journalists on Twitter. It looks to answer the question: Does humor attract people’s attention and make people more likeable? The study finds that journalists tend to share their opinions in humorous ways, and there is a direct correlation between the amount of activity a journalist has on Twitter and the humor they use. As they spend more time on Twitter, they use more and more humor. 

Madden, Mary. “Teens, Social Media, and Privacy.” PewResearchCenter, Berkman, 21 May 2013, assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2013/05/PIP_TeensSocialMediaandPrivacy_PDF.pdf.

• This is an academic source that discusses the relationship that teens have with social media. In the study, they found that 58% of teens that use social media share inside jokes in some way. This is important because it shows the popularity that humor has on social media. Inside jokes are a positive way to use humor, so this also shows that a majority of teens look to use humor in a positive manner on social media.

Reyes, Antonio, et al. “From Humor Recognition to Irony Detection: The Figurative Language of Social Media.” ScienceDirect, 19 Mar. 2012, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169023X12000237

• This is an academic source that evaluates the way words are presented on social media. They discuss humor and irony, and particularly discuss the misinterpretations that can be made from statements made on social media. One of their arguments is the intention of a statement can differ from the reception of the statement. When someone says something on social that is meant to be a joke, the person the joke is said to can take it seriously and be personally hurt. This is where social media can make humor look like a bad thing.

Snow, Sarah. “Be Funny: The Amazing Power of Humor in Social Media Marketing.” Social Media Today, 2 July 2015, www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/sarah-snow/2015-07-02/be-funny-amazing-power-humor-social-media-marketing.

• This is a popular source that shows the positivity of humor on social media through marketing. The author argues that the best way to market is to evoke emotion from customers. Laughter is a way to do that, as it releases endorphins, which relaxes people and provokes good feelings. The author also argues that laughter creates unity amongst people.

“Social Media Managers Need To Be Careful When Using Humor And Outline Engagement Scenarios For Management Approval Before They Happen.” Social Web Tactics, 16 Jan. 2017, socialwebtactics.com/social-media-managers-need-to-be-careful-when-using-humor-outline-engagement-scenarios/.

• This is a popular source that gives an example of when humor had a negative effect on social media. A student tweeted towards his school’s account that they should close school for snow. The account tweeted back at him, making fun of his spelling in his tweet. Some found this disrespectful, and the social media manager for the school who made the tweet was fired. It is a perfect example that the intention of a joke made by a someone may be received differently than they intended.

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