Social media are communication tools that people use on computers and smartphones to connect with one another and to share information. These tools include various online and mobile applications (commonly called apps) and platforms such as websites, blogs, or online discussion groups. Many people consider the term social media to mean the same thing as social networking. However, social networking is a narrower term. Social networking websites on the internet create virtual communities among their users. Through these communities, members can connect with other members with common interests. Social networking has played a large role in the development and growth of social media.
Social networking websites.
Much of the sharing of information over the internet takes place on social networking websites. Most of these websites, including such sites as Facebook and X (formerly called Twitter), ask members to create a personal profile. A profile may include biographical information and blogs, as well as comments, photos, videos, and music. A member might list personal likes and dislikes—such as favorite movies or least favorite types of music—on a profile. Users can invite others to join their list of friends, and messages may be sent to individuals or posted for everyone on the list to see. People can agree to “add” or “friend” someone even if they have never met. “Friending” someone means adding that person to one’s list of friends.
The earliest social networking websites were developed in the mid-1990’s. It was not until 2002, however, with the launch of Friendster, that the sites became popular. Friendster allowed users to make new friends—and to find dates—by making connections through current friends. By late 2005, MySpace (now spelled Myspace), established in 2003, had eclipsed Friendster. Ultimately, Friendster was shut down in 2015. On MySpace, users could customize their profiles. They could use a fictitious name and identify themselves as they wished. After the company was sold in 2013, the site attracted many musicians, who, in turn, attracted more followers who shared music. The company was sold again in 2016, to Time, Inc.
Facebook, a rival social networking service to MySpace, was introduced in 2004. Initially restricted to students at Harvard University, and then to students at other Ivy League schools, Facebook quickly expanded to colleges and universities around the world. By late 2006, Facebook had attracted high school students and opened its membership to anyone age 13 or older. By 2008, it had become the most popular social networking site, a position it held for the next several years. In 2011, Google released Google+, a social networking system integrated into Gmail, the company’s popular email website. Google+ proved to be less popular than expected, and it was shut down for consumers in 2019.
LinkedIn, launched in 2003, is a popular social networking site for career development. LinkedIn connects business professionals and helps members build and maintain contacts, find or reconnect with colleagues or classmates, and discover career opportunities through job searches. Another popular site, Pinterest, which became available in 2010, is a virtual bookmarking site that allows users to “pin,” or save, links, ideas, and other content online to a “board” for easy access later. Members may add friends to their Pinterest accounts and follow them on a customized feed to see what they pin, or browse a live feed of pins from strangers. Posts may include images, video, articles, retail websites, and other media based on such themes as fashion, recipes, and other content. Both LinkedIn and Pinterest are called “interest network” sites. They represent a range of social networks that organize members around a certain topic, rather than around personal relationships.
Other social media sites and apps.
Today, there are dozens of websites that contribute to the creation of social media content. People of all ages use such sites, based on their interests. The greatest areas of growth are in the exchange of video or image-based messages and the networks that support them. Teenagers have been the largest age group driving the growth of this area.
The news and entertainment site called Reddit was founded in 2005. The most popular aspect of Reddit is that users can “upvote” or “downvote” an online post linked to news content depending on how they feel about it. Reddit tracks the popularity of news stories and allows users to have discussions about a variety of topics in what are called “subreddit” areas. Users can also connect with an audience to ask or answer questions and promote causes.
YouTube, which was also founded in 2005, is a video-sharing website where users can view, upload, and download videos. Videos may be posted by the general public, entertainers, TV networks, and others. In 2006, an online social networking service called Twitter was launched. Twitter’s name was changed to X in 2023. X specializes in short posts of 280 or fewer characters. In some languages, posts are limited to 140 characters. Many celebrities and politicians use X to send messages to followers, creating the illusion that the followers have direct contact with the celebrity or politician. Corporations often use X to advertise their services, provide customer service, and build good will for the company among the public.
Tumblr, a microblogging service, was founded in 2007. Unlike traditional blogs that are published on personal web pages, microblogs (frequent brief messages) are usually posted on such sites as X or Facebook. Tumblr allows bloggers to post a variety of material, including art, fashion, jokes or quotes, links, music, photos, TV show episodes, and videos, as well as other people’s blogs.
In 2010, Instagram, a photo and video sharing service, was introduced. The Instagram mobile app allows people to post pictures and short videos on social networking sites as events occur in “real time.” A mobile messaging app called Snapchat launched in 2011. Snapchat enables users to share “snaps”—photos, videos, and messages—which disappear a few seconds after the recipient views them. TikTok, which allows users to create and share permanent short videos, was introduced in 2016.
Impact of social media.
The use of social media has spread rapidly and widely. Social media has revolutionized the way people communicate and participate in society culturally, socially, and professionally. Sharing music, playing games, and connecting with other people who have common interests is now a global activity because of social media. Many people, businesses, and organizations use social media technology to promote social issues or political activities or to market their products and services. Social media is also heavily used by influencers. An influencer is a person, company, brand, or group that uses social media platforms to express their opinions on a topic, review a product, or demonstrate an activity, thus influencing their readers or viewers. They may be considered an expert or thought leader in a particular area and typically have a strong following because people look to them for advice and opinions.
Social media allows people to share information faster than is possible through any other form of media. For this reason, social media has begun to play a significant role in politics. In the United States, for example, Barack Obama successfully used Facebook and other social networks to influence voters and to raise funds during his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. During the 2016 presidential race, Republican candidate Donald Trump frequently used Twitter to communicate with his followers. In the Middle East and northern Africa, people used social media to organize such political movements as the 2010 antigovernment and prodemocracy demonstrations that forced changes in the government or the leadership of several countries.
The immediacy of communication through social media has become an important factor in other areas of society as well. Mainstream media increasingly use social media tools to deliver breaking news updates in real time and to engage with their audiences. Social media, especially the instant exchange of video from cell phones, has played an important role in discussions in the United States on the issue of police use of force in the African American community. Police officers, in turn, may monitor social media for assistance in intelligence gathering and collecting evidence for investigations, and to engage with the public.
Concerns about social media.
The rise in social media use has also brought negative consequences, particularly for young people. A common criticism of social media is that young people use certain features on social networking websites to attain social status. For example, when someone “likes” a topic on Facebook, the number of “likes” is often considered a measure of popularity. Having one’s comments ignored—or receiving negative responses—can lower a young person’s self-esteem. Another criticism is that people spend so much time on social networking websites that they can become compulsive about—or even addicted to—checking their web pages. Studies have linked heavy social media use to depression and anxiety in some people.
Other important concerns are related to privacy and security. Almost all the most popular social networks have updated their policies to protect individuals’ private information. However, in some instances, users have shared with a group of friends such information as a phone number or birthdate, or posted photos of themselves in embarrassing or compromising situations, only to learn that the information was shared outside the group. Although social networking websites allow users to keep information private by indicating their preferences, such options are not always easily accessible. Furthermore, less experienced users often do not understand that information that they post within a circle of friends can easily become public online.
Adolescents and teens may be particularly vulnerable to cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is the use of social media to harass, threaten, or humiliate others online. In addition, such anonymous apps or messaging services as Kik and Yik Yak have raised serious concern, because the apps have enabled internet predators or bullies to exploit some children who use social media. Anonymous apps are applications that allow people to send messages, photos, or videos without providing the name or identity of the sender. Social networking sites also may occasionally be used by such criminals as stalkers or identity thieves to target victims or to prey upon the young. In some major U.S. cities, young people have used social media to mobilize flash mobs that have swarmed areas or retail stores and engaged in shoplifting or violent attacks. A flash mob is a group that assembles on short notice for some brief activity. In addition, some terrorist organizations have used social media to radicalize sympathizers by promoting their extremist views online, to post graphic videos of terrorist activity, or to connect with members to plot attacks.
