User-generated content (
UGC) is defined as "any form of content such as blogs, wikis, discussion forums, posts, chats, tweets, podcasting, pins, digital images, video, audio files, advertisements and other forms of media that was created by users of an online system or service, often made available via
social media websites". It entered
mainstream usage during 2005, having arisen in web publishing and
new media content production circles. It is used for a wide range of applications, including problem processing, news, gossip and research and reflects the expansion of media production through new technologies that are accessible and affordable to the general public. Additionally, user-generated content may also employ a combination of
open source,
free software, and flexible
licensing or related agreements to further reduce the barriers to
collaboration,
skill-building and
discovery ("'UGC'") has also gained in popularity over the last decade, as userbases have grown on
social media and content-based sharing sites.