Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Social media definition

What does Social media mean? In legal practice, social media describes internet-based services that allow users to create, publish, share and interact with content and with each other, often in real time and at scale (for example, social networks, microblogs, forums, blogs, messaging services with group/public features, and video-sharing platforms), as opposed to one-way broadcast media. The term is descriptive rather than a defined statutory term. Regulation is framed through related concepts, including in the UK the Online Safety Act 2023 (covering user-to-user and search services) and the video-sharing platform regime under the Communications Act 2003 (as amended), and in Ireland the Online Safety and Media...

Building a professional social media presence for lawyers: goals, tone, content, networking, hashtags and avoiding pitfalls

Published by a LexisNexis Practice Management expert

Practice notes

Whether you’re a fan or a critic, Social media isn’t going anywhere. Handled with care, it can strengthen your personal brand on the web and help you build a robust online identity. Yet, as the press has repeatedly shown, charging in without thinking can see things go wrong with alarming speed. This Practice Note helps you shape a social media presence that works for you and your organisation, and offers guidance on:

what others can view
defining clear social media objectives
your voice and tone
ways to spark original content ideas
developing resilient online networks
insights from Chris Hadfield—‘How to be a zero’
getting to grips with hashtags
knowing when not to post

What can everyone else see you doing?

A simple rule still stands in this fast‑moving space: if you wouldn’t voice it to a room full of peers—and your mum—don’t put it on social media. That yardstick remains sound in a rapidly evolving environment. Used well, social media is a powerful way to build both personal and professional presence online...

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Beth Pipe , FCIPD

OnLive Learning

Beth is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD) and has spent over 25 years specialising in Learning and Development. During that time she has worked across a broad variety of different industries and has, for the past 15 years, worked closely with a number of well known law firms; this has involved putting in to place systems and structures to encourage, enable and track the effectiveness of learning activities. Adept at face to face course delivery, and always enjoying excellent feedback, Beth is also accomplished at online delivery and created OnLive Learning in response to the challenges presented by the 2020 Covid-19 restrictions.Beth has written extensively for LexisNexis on subjects such as Performance Management, Managing Change and Stress Management. Away from her training delivery she is a published author writing about local history, hiking, wildlife and the outdoors and is...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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