ive had this argument going for at least a decade. I agree with you, it is not social media. i dont think forums are social media any more than usenet.

its why i calll my instance a 'nonsense aggregator', as your verbiage also alludes to.

that said, im using an mbin server.. and the microblog/twitverse piece does seem to jump into the social media arena. so my server product is now integrated with that category whether i like it or not.