Social Media
- Joyce Figaro
- Apr 30, 2020
- 4 min read
Human nature by default has been programmed to be socially active to a certain extent. Some people are more active, while others are less so!
However, people have always been looking for ways to connect and network with each other. And, in this age of digitisation, people have found ways to be socially active on the internet, which is possible with the advent of the numerous social networking platforms and apps.
Now, even relationships begin, grow and end on social media. People no longer need a personal handshake or face-to-face meeting.
Social media sites have also grown in numbers by leaps and bounds. As per the statistics revealed on Statista, approximately 2 billion users used social networking sites and apps in 2015. And, with the increased use of mobile devices, this number is likely to cross the 2.6 billion mark by 2018.
So, in this article, we discuss some of the most popular social media sites that are being explored by the world today and also by me. You can find out if your favourite social media platform is a part of this list and also follow me on the different portal.
Social media is a collective term for websites and applications which focus on communication, community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration.
Many individuals will use social media to stay in touch and interact with friends and family, like me. Many businesses will use social media as a way to market and promote their products.
Social media has become larger and more accessible thanks to access to mobile applications, with some examples of social media including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn.
Types of Social Media
Here are some examples of popular social media platforms:
· This is easily the largest social networking site in the world and one of the most widely used. And, Facebook was perhaps the first that surpassed the landmark of 1 billion user accounts.
· Apart from the ability to network with friends and relatives, you can also access different Facebook apps to sell online and you can even market or promote your business, brand and products by using paid Facebook ads.
· If you’re concerned about what Facebook is doing with your data, then why not check out my guide on alternatives to Facebook, and see if there’s a better place for you to interact with family and friends.
· Number of active users per month: 1.59 billion approximately
· Despite having been acquired by Facebook in 2014, this instant messaging platform exists as an independent entity.
· It arrived on the scene much later than Facebook, but has been able to capture the imagination of millions of people across the world by giving them the ability to communicate and share instantly with individuals and groups. The WhatsApp call feature is just the icing on the cake!
· Number of active users per month: 1 billion approximately
· Instagram was launched as a unique social networking platform that was completely based on sharing photos and videos. This photo sharing social networking app thus enables you to capture the best moments of your life, with your phone’s camera or any other camera, and convert them into works of art.
· This is possible because Instagram allows you to apply multiple filters to your photos and you can easily post them to other popular social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. It is now part of the Facebook empire.
· Number of active users per month: 400 million approximately
· Skype, owned by Microsoft, is one of the most popular communication-based social networking platforms. It allows you to connect with people through voice calls, video calls (using a webcam) and text messaging. You can even conduct group conference calls. And, the best part is that Skype-to-Skype calls are free and can be used to communicate with anyone, located in any part of the world, over the internet.
· Number of active users per month: 300 million approximately
· This multi-lingual social platform, which is available in more than 30 languages, is known for its instant text messaging and voice messaging capabilities. You can also share photos and videos and audio messages, using Viber. It offers you the ability to call non-Viber users through a feature named Viber Out.
· Number of active users per month: 249 million approximately
This is an image messaging social platform that enables you to chat with friends by using pictures. It allows you to explore news and even check out live stories that are happening around the world.
Number of active users per month: 200 million approximately
· This is a photo sharing and visual bookmarking social media site or app that enables you to find new ideas for your projects and save them. So, you can do DIY tasks or home improvement projects, plan your travel agenda and so on by using Pinterest.
· Number of active users per month: 100 million approximately
· LinkedIn is easily one of the most popular professional social networking sites or apps and is available in over 20 languages. It is used across the globe by all types of professionals and serves as an ideal platform to connect with different businesses, locate and hire ideal candidates, and more. It boasts over 400 million members.
· Number of active users per month: 100 million approximately
YouTube is the world’s largest video-sharing social networking site that enables users to upload and share videos, view them, comment on them and like them. This social network is accessible across the globe and even enables users to create a YouTube channel where they can upload all their personally recorded videos to showcase to their friends and followers.
· TikTok is insanely popular with the kids these days. If you’re under 16 then this is the place to be.
· TikTok is a social video app that allows its users to share short videos. There’s plenty of stickers, filters and augmented reality features to add to your videos. It was the 4th most downloaded app in 2018 and looks like it’ll top that list in 2020.
· TikTok is know in China as Douyin, which means “Vibrating Sound”. Available on iOS and Android, TikTok is popular for creating short music videos of between 3 and 15 seconds. You can also create short looping videos of between 3 and 60 seconds.
Comments