Social Media Networks: What are They and How to Use Them

What Are Social Media Networks and How Are They Used?

Social media and social media networks are terms you have probably heard often, but do you really understand them? What is social media networking? What is a social media network? What are the top social media networks? These networks have dominated the online connection scene for years and have a massive impact on our lives.

This article introduces you to the most popular social media networks and explains how they affect our daily lives.

Table of Contents

Social media is a platform you use to transmit information to people you may or may not know. Social media network sites, such as Facebook or X (Previously Twitter), allow you to create an account and share information. The people you choose to have in your social circle on these platforms are up to you. You can only allow people you know in real life, or you can allow people you have never met before.

Social media allows you to share all kinds of information:

Updates about your life
News stories that interest you
Video that you find engaging, entertaining, or informative
Pictures that belong to you or others
Links to sites or stories that you want others to see
Your opinion on topics or other people’s posts to organise a movement, share information, or inform others

This term refers more to engagement between people. Groups with similar opinions and purposes can create virtual networks that stretch across their communities or the globe using social media platforms. For example, organisations such as Amnesty International, UNICEF, and Doctors Without Borders have a presence on social media networks to interact with a community of people who support their cause and raise awareness of the issues they champion.

With social media, information tends to be a one-way communication. In a social networking situation, communication is generally two-way, with people joining to further the goals of a group or to spread an idea.

Top Social Media Network Sites

According to Business Insider, the top social media networking sites are taking on a more global flavour. Sites that get much attention, such as Pinterest and Twitter, are on the smaller end of social networks. New apps and platforms focused on Asia are gaining in popularity, and messaging apps that allow for a global audience, such as WhatsApp, are also gaining in audience.

According to Business Insider, some top social networks are as follows. Remember that this is not a comprehensive list of social media networks but simply some of the largest.

Facebook: This site allows users to share almost any kind of media, play games, and interact with each other. Users can create personal or business pages to engage and interact with their audience.
YouTube is a video-sharing site. Users can share videos on almost any topic as long as they do not violate copyright laws.
Chinese-based sites such as Qzone, Sina Weibo, and Tencent Weibo are gaining popularity.
WhatsApp: A global messaging app, WhatsApp allows users to share information with anyone almost instantly.
Google+: Similar to Facebook, Google+ allows users to share media with chosen followers.
Tumblr: Owned by Yahoo!, this microblogging site allows users to share almost any digital content easily.
LINE: Created in Japan, LINE allows users to download an app and then make phone calls or send messages from their smartphones to any other user worldwide.
X (Previously Twitter): Users create accounts and can share short (140-character) messages with people worldwide. Most users interact publicly through “tweets”, though direct messages are possible.
LinkedIn: Linked In is a social networking site for business professionals. Interactions on this site are professional and business-like. The intent is for people of similar industries to interact with each other and share information.
Instagram: Facebook acquired this photo-sharing app. It allows users to publicly or privately share photos and short videos with their friends.
Pinterest: Users can create a board to “pin” content. Like a virtual bulletin board, users can view other people’s boards for personal events like weddings, home decorating, education ideas, remodelling or virtually any other topic possible. Pinterest is a way to share content and reference content you want to use again.
Vine: Users create and share short videos, usually less than 10 seconds.
Snapchat: Snapchat is a photo-sharing application that allows users to take photos or create videos and share them with a selected list of recipients. Users can draw on the photos and add text or audio before sharing. One of SnapChat’s appeals is that the media “disappears” from the user’s phone, preventing further sharing or taking up memory on the phone.

Social media platforms have become integral to our lives, offering numerous benefits. However, they also pose significant risks. This segment explores their advantages and drawbacks, empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their online presence.

These websites have various advantages for individuals, which we can sum up as follows:

Enable you to reach a wide audience for your cause.
Keep you in touch with family and friends
Allow you to share information freely with the network you choose
Meet new people from around the world
Engage with people on fan pages whom they might not ordinarily be able to meet
Allow for the exchange of information to further education, freedom of speech, and public knowledge
Engage with people who offer products and services you would like but are located outside of your community
Interact with people who have careers similar to yours to gain new employment
Increase your knowledge and job skills, or even learn a new language. The way you can interact with people is almost endless

With the wide range of benefits, we might be tempted to over-share our personal information. However, there is vital information you must watch out for before sharing online. So, what should you avoid when using social media?

Limit how much private information you post publicly. Your address, phone number, or place of employment is information that people who need it should already have. There is no need to post it where virtually anyone can see it, and it can lead to identity theft.
Update your privacy settings regularly. Some social media platforms will allow you to tweak these settings and limit how much information you share publicly.
Do not post information that could be embarrassing to you or your place of employment. If your employer dislikes the image you portray via social media channels, you may lose your job.
Remember that once you place something on the Internet, it is forever. You may delete an embarrassing picture or post, but chances are it has already been copied, shared, and sent to other people. It exists on their pages even if you have deleted the original.
Beware of offers that sound too good or people whom you cannot contact – especially if they require something of you like financial assistance. It could very well be a scam.
Always supervise your child’s social media use. Children, even on child-centred “safe” social media platforms, can be targeted by paedophiles. Parental supervision on the Internet is critical to maintaining your child’s safety.

Individuals are not the only ones with a social media presence. Businesses have learnt that social media can help them sell their product to an ever-increasing global audience. As the price of international shipping falls, the ability of a business to reach across the globe has increased. According to Forbes Magazine, businesses use social media in the following ways:

Small upstart businesses use the platforms to reach a large international audience and compete with their established competitors.
Listen to customer complaints and rectify problems with service or products to better suit the consumer.
Advertise their goods and services through a variety of channels.
Some businesses create short, funny or poignant video advertisements that they hope will “go viral,” meaning that they are shared repeatedly on social media by thousands or even millions of individual users. Campaigns such as this generate buzz about their product.

Social Media Networks, What Are Some Other Unexpected Uses of Social Media

Governments and international organisations have embraced social media to leverage information. Consider some of these uses:

Police around the world have used social media sites to engage with and catch sexual predators.
Local police departments can post pictures of suspected criminals gathered from crime scene videos to lead to identification and arrests.
The United States Library of Congress archives every public tweet to create a large repository of public information in which global events and trends can be tracked and examined.
Governments around the world regularly monitor social media sites for evidence of planned terrorist attacks.
Public health and government officials can disseminate information quickly in a crisis to increase public awareness and safety.
Up to 27% of American adults report getting most of their news from social networking sites.
Social media can fuel political and social revolutions, such as the Egyptian Revolution and the Arab Spring. This is a real threat that some governments, such as those of China and North Korea, prevent access to sites such as Facebook and Twitter to stem the flow of information and prevent similar political revolutions.

Social media networks have revolutionised communication and information sharing. Understanding their various types and purposes is crucial for effectively navigating the digital landscape. Using them wisely allows individuals to connect with like-minded people, expand their networks, and stay informed about current events.