The Fifth Estate refers to a nonphysical entity composed of  bloggers, journalists, and media outlets that operate outside the mainstream media. Operating outside of what is referred to as the Fourth Estate which is the mainstream media, most commonly referring to the news media (especially print journalism). The Fifth Estate may also include political groups, corporations, or other groups outside of the mainstream in their views and function in society.

The platforms that the Fifth Estate is built on are based around algorithms that are typically unseen by the greater fraction of users, unless said user has a background in I.T. or computers. This calls into question how much we as users really know about the technology we’re using.

The Fifth Estate however is also very liberating, as users through social media we have a collective ability to share information, create communities, and to organize social movements.