User generated content (UGC) is used to describe any form of content, such as videos, blogs, comments, digital images, audio files and other forms of content resources, which are users of online systems or services created by consumers or media, and can be publicly used by other consumers and end users.

User-generated content UGC

UGC means that the content of a website or other open media is generated by its users. Since around 2005, many websites on the Internet have started to provide services in the form of user-generated content. Many websites such as photos, videos, blogs, podcasts, forums, comments, social networking, wikis, questions and answers, news, research and so on have adopted this method. User-generated content is one of the components of Web2.0 concept.

User-generated content is widely used, including problem solving, news, entertainment, advertising, gossip and research. This is an example of the democratization of content production. In the1970s and1980s, traditional gatekeepers, such as newspaper editors, publishers and news programs, approved all contents and information before broadcasting or publishing in1990s and early 20th century, because it became easier, user-friendly and affordable to make media through new technologies, and a large number of individuals were able to publish texts, digital photos and numbers online.

The emergence of user-generated content marks the transformation between media organizations, from creating online content to providing convenience for amateurs to publish their own content. User-generated content is also called citizen media. The simplest example is that the domestic Weibo WeChat public platform and various self-media platforms are all UGC user-generated content.