User-Generated Content (UGC)

Definition - What does User-Generated Content (UGC) mean?

User-generated content (UGC) refers to any digital content that is produced and shared by end users of an online service or website. This includes any content that is shared or produced by users that are members or subscribers of the service, but it is not produced by the website or service itself.

User-generated content is also known as consumer-generated media (CGM) or conversational media.

Techopedia explains User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content is generally considered a form of conversational media, meaning that the content leads toward initiating a conversation. In fact, the conversation that follows from a UGC is a form of UGC itself. The UGC produced by users can be viewed, consumed and shared by other users of the website or service.

Some forms of UGC include:

Images
Videos
Status updates/tweets
Infographics
Comments
Blogs
Online ads

Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are popular social platforms that work and operate mostly or entirely on user-generated content. Online forums, classified websites and product review websites also rely on UGC.