The concept of “social affordances” is commonly used in HCI research. However, the advantages and limitations associated with employing the concept are yet to be fully understood. This paper presents a critical examination of “social affordances”, which includes a discussion of current uses of the concept in HCI and a comparison of “social affordances” with more traditional interpretations of “affordances”. We argue that making full use of “social affordances” as an analytical tool in HCI requires an unpacking of the relationship between perceiving a potential action, supported by the environment, and utilizing the potential and actually carrying out the action. We also argue that in case of “social affordances” it is particularly apparent that the perception of an affordance does not automatically result in a problem-free execution of the respective action, and needs to be integrated with other processes within the overall structure of action regulation. We propose a tentative framework for the analysis of the interplay between perception and action in the enactment of social affordances. Implications of the framework for employing the concept of social affordances in HCI research are discussed.