Question 1

Which social media platform introduced the concept of 'Stories' that disappear after 24 hours, later copied by Instagram and Facebook?

Accepted Answer

Snapchat — Snapchat launched its disappearing Stories feature in 2013, which proved so popular that Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp all introduced near-identical features within a few years.

Question 2

What does the acronym 'SEO' stand for in digital marketing?

Accepted Answer

Search Engine Optimisation — SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, the practice of improving a website's visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results.

Question 3

In the UK, which regulator oversees online safety and has powers under the Online Safety Act 2023?

Accepted Answer

Ofcom — Ofcom was designated as the UK's online safety regulator under the Online Safety Act 2023, giving it powers to hold social media platforms accountable for harmful content.

Question 4

Which British city produced the most viral TikTok content creators per capita according to 2024 industry reports?

Accepted Answer

London — London consistently generates the highest volume of viral TikTok content in the UK, driven by its dense population of young creatives and media industry professionals.

Question 5

What is the term for the practice of paying social media users to promote products without clearly disclosing the commercial relationship?

Accepted Answer

Stealth marketing — Stealth marketing (also called undisclosed paid promotion) involves influencers advertising products without transparently labelling posts as ads, which breaches ASA and CAP Code rules in the UK.

Question 6

Which platform's algorithm famously uses a 'For You Page' (FYP) that serves content from accounts users don't follow?

Accepted Answer

TikTok — TikTok's For You Page uses a recommendation algorithm that surfaces content from strangers based on viewing behaviour, a model that fundamentally changed how social media discovery works.

Question 7

What does 'going viral' typically refer to in social media terms?

Accepted Answer

Content spreading rapidly and widely across platforms — Going viral describes the rapid, exponential sharing of content across social networks, where each share triggers further shares, mimicking the spread of a biological virus.

Question 8

Which UK-born influencer became one of the first to reach 10 million YouTube subscribers, building a career on gaming and comedy content?

Accepted Answer

Dan TDM — Dan TDM (Daniel Middleton) from Aldershot was one of the first UK YouTubers to reach 10 million subscribers, primarily through Minecraft content, and held the record for most-viewed YouTube channel in 2016.

Question 9

What is 'shadow banning' on social media platforms?

Accepted Answer

Hiding content from wider audiences without notifying the user — Shadow banning is when a platform secretly reduces the reach or visibility of a user's content — the account continues to function normally but posts are shown to far fewer people.

Question 10

The UK's Online Safety Act 2023 introduced new duties requiring platforms to protect children from harmful content. Which of the following is NOT a measure it mandates?

Accepted Answer

Banning all advertising targeted at under-18s — The Online Safety Act requires age verification, swift removal of illegal content, and child safety risk assessments, but does not impose a blanket ban on all advertising targeted at under-18s.

Question 11

Which term describes the phenomenon where a social media algorithm shows users increasingly extreme content because engagement metrics reward it?

Accepted Answer

Rabbit hole radicalisation — Rabbit hole radicalisation describes how recommendation algorithms can progressively serve more extreme content to keep users watching longer, a pattern documented on YouTube and other platforms.

Question 12

In social media metrics, what does 'engagement rate' measure?

Accepted Answer

The percentage of followers who interact with a post — Engagement rate is calculated as total interactions (likes, comments, shares) divided by reach or follower count, expressed as a percentage, and is a key measure of how effectively content connects with an audience.

Social Media & Digital Culture Quiz

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