Almost everyone now has a social media account. It’s a way to connect with your friends, family, and colleagues all around the globe. Social media apps are a great way to stay updated on your contacts and the news around you. The best part about it is that you don’t need to spend much just to connect with people. All you need is an internet connection and a smartphone. With just a few clicks or taps, you can add updates, send messages or make calls. It’s so easy and hassle-free, that literally everyone is joining the bandwagon, even those who aren’t updated with technology are slowly starting to join the wave.
A Time Before Social Media
Before social media came to life, people would write letters and postcards to their friends and loved ones. But this took days to weeks for the recipient to get. Then it was the telephone that wasn’t accessible at all times. Not everyone had a telephone, but even if they did, not everyone would be standing by it all the time to wait for a phone call. We then progressed to pagers or “beepers” where you have to call up an operator to send a short message to someone on their pager. It was definitely a hassle and very inconvenient. But those were the only things available back in the day.
Then, cellular phones took place. It was basic, you could only make a call or send a short text message. It had a few tools and games, but not as high-tech as compared to now. All these were very useful however, very simple and had no complications. But people wanted more. So as the needs of people progressed, so did technology.
Now, we moved on to smartphones. Smartphones are the all-in-one gadget that we can use to make a call and send a message. We can also read the news, play games, and do pretty much everything and anything else under the sun. It’s a big leap from writing postcards and making phone calls. And it’s definitely a good leap!. Everything now has gone digital and we are all loving it!
What is Social Media App?
Social media apps are basically applications or websites that were made for the purpose of allowing people to quickly share content with efficiency and in real-time. Social media is a communication tool that started with computers, then progressed to an app in smartphones. Nowadays, sharing photos, videos, events, and opinions have become part of our daily lives. It has also become a means of entertainment and a way to stay updated on news and happenings all around the world. For those who own a business, social media is the easiest way to up their marketing strategy and reach different audiences all across the world.
Pioneers of Social Media
The pioneers of social media were Friendster, MySpace, and Facebook. Although Facebook is still very prominent today, there are now many other new websites and apps that are slowly becoming more popular with the new generation and taking over the public. With mobile phones being the mainly used device, it’s even easier to access social media apps anytime and anywhere! You can share and post videos and pictures and your opinions online. You can get real-time reactions from your contacts, fast and easy.
Types of Social Media Apps
When people hear the word “social media” the first thing that comes to mind is usually Facebook. However, Facebook is just one of the many different types of social media platforms available today. We’ve gone a long way from having to contact newspapers to put the word out. Nowadays, with just a tap, you can get what you want and what you need, fast! There are different kinds of social media platforms now. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the types of social media apps available and why they’re different from each other.
Social Networking
Social networking sites (or apps) are the type of platforms that can help you connect to friends, family, colleagues, and businesses. Two of the most popular social networking sites are Facebook and Twitter. These are mostly personal and encourage human-to-human interaction. It allows you to share information about yourself as well as other posts that can be completely opinionated or highly influenced. Users of social networking sites can expect these apps to be very versatile. You can share your thoughts, upload media, form groups with people of the same interests, or curate your content. The best thing about these apps is that you can participate with other users and share your takes on different topics of discussions. These apps are centered on users and everything else that they can relate to.
Social Review
When you’re going on a trip or planning to get a new gadget, you will need to read reviews on which hotel to stay in, or which gadget has good ratings. Social review apps like TripAdvisor or Yelp are very helpful in planning your next trip or restaurant visit. The main purpose of social review apps is to help you plan ahead so that you don’t have to keep guessing on which you should go for.
Image Sharing
We’re all very visual people nowadays. It’s good to have images when you want to catch the attention of your friends or contacts. Illustrations, photos, or infographics are a sure way to capture people’s eyes. Two of the most popular image sharing apps today are Instagram and Snapchat. These two apps’ goal is to boost the capacity of image sharing. Users of image sharing apps give their users the chance to share their content and curate them. The materials posted can spark conversation and spark interest. It’s been said that a picture can be worth a thousand words, so the content shared can already speak for themselves.
Video Hosting
We used to only be able to watch videos on the television or on camcorders. But with smartphones, we can access different video hosting apps and sites. One of the first and most popular video-hosting apps is YouTube. When it began in 2005, it completely revolutionized how people watch, think, and create videos. It made different content more accessible. And with the fast progress of technology, videos have gone a long way from just TV shows and music videos. It’s a great source of entertainment and staying updated. Even how-tos are now easy because of videos available online. We’ve gone far from just television and camcorders.
Community Blogs
Sometimes, you just want to share a long caption because a photo or short post isn’t enough. Unfortunately, self-hosted website apps aren’t always the way to go. It’s really a lot of work quite often, it can also cost you a lot. So, shared or community blogs are the way to go! Platforms like Tumblr or Medium are a great way to give people their own space to be as expressive and opinionated as they want. Your blog posts can reach different audiences and you can connect with your readers easily. It’s a great way to build connections with different readers and have healthy discussions.
Forum
There are times when you can see a post on Facebook with the comments section filled with a lot of heated discussions. But Forum apps like Reddit and Quora are actually made to spark conversation. You can feel free to ask questions or make statements. These can attract other users with the same interests and likes. And if you do happen to come across users with a different take, then you can also debate, which can help stimulate your mind. The best part about forum apps is that other users can’t see as much information about you, unlike Facebook and Instagram.
Sharing Economy
Finding a good place to stay with reasonable prices can be provided to you by AirBnb. While looking for a pet sitter (among many others) can be found on Rover. These two apps are sharing economy apps. These help people who want to share something they have together with people who need it. The ones who are sharing also makes money from this, so it’s a win-win situation.
Image Bookmarking
Pinterest is the most popular image bookmarking site today. But other than just images, it can also support GIFs and videos. You can add images to be seen by the public or just to your private “boards.” Following other users’ boards are also possible, and you can comment on the “pins.” Pinterest is a great way to help you find inspiration for your next DIY project. Whenever you need to spark your creative juices for something, you can definitely make use of this.
Short-Form Video
A few years back, there was Vine and Dubsmash. Those two apps used to be the most popular short-form video apps around. You can share a funny skit, magic trick, or an impression. You can also act over a “dub” voice or song and pretty much just have fun with it. But those two apps are sadly gone now, so the relatively new short-form video app of today is TikTok. This app is made for short dance covers or acting overdub voices. It’s a fun app for anyone who just wants to let loose and make people smile.
Dating Apps
The newest form of dating is now online. You can meet people near you and go on dates easily. The two most popular dating apps are Tinder and Bumble. These apps allow you to choose your best photos and share some interesting things about yourself so you can “market” yourself to the dating pool. You swipe left if you’re not interested or swipe right if you like the person. When the person also swipes right on your profile, then the two of you can connect. In choosing the most suitable dating app for you, you might want to check on the top 10 free and best dating apps to find your perfect date.
Question-And-Answer
Before Ask.fm, there used to be Formspring.me. But the app that stands strong until today is Ask.fm. It is a question-and-answer site that allows anyone to submit queries to the user be it with or without a name. Nowadays, you cannot ask anonymously anymore, because of the issue that involved two British teenagers committing suicide after being allegedly cyberbullied. Ask.fm had to remove the anonymous feature for the safety of its users.
Messenger
While Facebook has its own Messenger app, there are also tons of other messenger-only apps available today. With Viber and WhatsApp, there is less chance of your chat information being collected and used for customizing advertisements. The beauty of Viber and WhatsApp is that your messages are encrypted from end to end, so you’ll feel safer about the information you send and the ones you receive. More people are moving to these types of messenger apps for safety and privacy, as well as ease of use. See our top picks for the best free phone chat apps here.
Business on Social Media
This also makes advertising for businesses much easier. Getting audiences and marketing online is hassle-free. All they need to do is post a photo or video and select their target market so that their material can entice their audience. But the problem with some businesses that don’t boom on social media is that they don’t stay active. Some also lose consistency with their content. One of the mistakes that businesses do is to open social media accounts on every platform but leave it without posting content. This makes them irrelevant and would not make much of an impact on their target market. Using social media management tools will surefire your marketing efforts online.
Are Social Media Apps Safe To Use?
With anything you put out for the public, there’s always a chance that some of the information can be spread out. It’s always good to know which information to share or if you should share it at all. It’s been said that familiarity breeds content. Being too confident with sharing your daily life and whereabouts online is never safe. There can be a tendency for stalkers to spy on you or even follow you. You must always keep in mind that even the most innocent things you share can trigger danger when shared with the wrong people. We’ve listed down tips on how to keep yourself safe in the world of social media apps.
Sharing Location
Whether you’re having dinner at this fancy 50’s diner or biking at a local park, it’s good to not share your location in real-time. You don’t know if you’re being followed by some stalker just because he or she knows your exact location. It’s good to wait until you get to your next location, or better yet you’re already home before you share your photos with the location. This will not only help you feel safe but will definitely ensure your safety.
Sharing Information
Say, your family owns a business or you are an investor in the stock market. Maybe, you’re making a ton of money and are quite opulent with your indulgences. Indeed, it’s good to enjoy and be lavish as long as you can afford it. But social media apps aren’t a great way to share your indulgences. You might be putting yourself at risk just because you’ve posted a photo of a new pair of luxury shoes or a new leather handbag. Although you may have security, it’s good to just stay low-key so as not to put yourself in harm. It’s also good to keep some of your mystique because that also helps you become more interesting. When you put yourself out too much, you’re basically being “too easy.” Anything that people know about you can always be used against you if they wanted to. Guard yourself at all times.
Preparation for Online Date Meet-ups
With dating apps, you can expect that some people will take advantage and catfish you. You think you’re talking to this cute guy or girl on Tinder. However, in reality, you’re actually just talking to some poser who wants to meet you for his or her own benefit. This is actually why in many ways, Bumble is much preferred because users can verify their account to make sure it’s legit, A verified account has a blue checkmark beside the user’s name. The best way to meet people you’re not too sure of is to always have a friend with you during the date. Make sure your friend is just a few meters away so you can signal him or her when you feel uncomfortable.
Security on Social Media Apps
Choosing a strong password should be common sense. You shouldn’t use a password that’s easily guessable just because it’s related to your name or birthday. Choose a long password completely unrelated to how people know you. Add numbers or special characters if you can. Don’t use the same password for all accounts, because then you’re just giving out a “master key” to a hacker.
Adding Friends
Be selective of the people you add on social media. You have tons of information on your profile. Your Information can be used to create a poser account or used against you. Always choose the people you add online. Screen them carefully before adding them because they can get information from your profile and posts. The information they get from your posts and profile tells a lot about you and can be used against you if you’re not careful. So only add people you know and can trust to avoid any type of security risk on your part and on your other friends’ part.
In the world of fast-paced technology, it’s good to ride with the wave sometimes. You don’t necessarily have to get all the social media apps, but having some of them is very helpful. With our daily needs and struggles at this time, getting things done quickly and easily is the way to go! We hope this article can help you in your app scouting for your next social media app download.
