User-generated content (UGC)- covers a range of media content available in a range of modern communications technologies.

Its use for a wide range of applications, including problem processing, news, gossip and research, reflects the expansion of media production through new technologies that are accessible and affordable to the general public.

All digital media technologies are included, such as question-answer databases, digital video,blogging, podcasting, forums, review-sites, social networking, mobile phone photography and wikis.

In addition to these technologies, 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