These days, in the world of global connections, it is vital to have an online presence for oneself, for work, for entertainment, and simply for the purpose of existing. As it has been said that without access to the online world, one cannot know much, in today’s world. Gone is the time when only Facebook was that one social media platform for all to engage on. Now, several platforms exist, each serving its special purpose. Before we move on, it is important to mention that to use the following social media platforms, you would need a stable internet connection that offers consistent speeds. So, if you are looking for an internet service provider, we highly recommend Charter Spectrum. The company offers state-of-the-art internet speeds with unlimited data. If you subscribe to Spectrum Gold Package, you get to unlock Spectrum’s premium services which include internet speeds up to 940 Mbps, free access to nationwide hotspots, unlimited data, and on top of that, more than 200 cable channels that would keep you entertained throughout the day.
Here is a breakdown of what to expect of the social media platforms and why you should be signed-up on them, so you can make the most out of your career, personal life, and social life:
A phenomenal place to showcase your talent, Instagram is no longer the place where only teenagers manifested their art. From the millennial generation to Gen Z, and even the baby boomers can be found on it. Celebrities share the snippets of their daily lives, influencers brand different products, and problematic sayings are called out in front of everyone. The most used features are Stories, which are much like Snapchat ones, but has more users and a better usability experience, IGTV videos, which are long videos that the page or person can have rather than IG’s traditional one-minute videos, Business analytics, that help page boost and promote posts and stories, and understand insights to better decipher the target audience. Other than that, posts can be reshared, saved, commented on, and liked. Instagram algorithm functions on the use of hashtags, the limit to which is thirty, which are used to rank better. This only works if your account is public, and not private. Moreover, if you have made a name of yourself in any profession, the platform verifies your account. The search bar can be used to search for both people and tags, the first that acts as a Facebook search and the second is more of a Pinterest search option. Recently Instagram also came up with Reels, a feature that enables users to make short videos with edits and music, similar to that of TikTok.
Number of users in millions: 1221
YouTube
Searching for a video? Your best bet: YouTube. Yes, it is not a streaming service like Netflix and Hulu, but throughout the entire world, it has the most viewed content, be it web-series, drama clips, or videos of YouTube influencers. If you are into creating and uploading videos, you can make an account on YouTube and after reaching a certain number of subscribers, can also start earning through advertisements. Even if you are not into video creation, YouTube is a great place to follow up with trending videos and content.
Number of users in millions: 2291
We are all aware of this. Having a profile on it means connecting with loved ones, updating life happenings, and catching up with other’s life occurrences. However, Facebook is much more than that. It is a superb place to run a business, understand the potential audience, and build a brand with features such as campaigns, and dark posts. Even the advertisements that you see in between FB videos are based on your likes, dislikes, and recent searches. Facebook also allows people to form groups with privacy concerns intact so that like-minded people can interact. In 2021, if you are not on Facebook, are you even alive?
Number of users in millions: 2740
Facebook Messenger
Previously an in-built part of Facebook, the messenger application can now be used separately without having an FB account. It is great for sharing photos, video calling, group calling, group chats, sending texts, sending emoticons, and even for voice recordings. Users can also be blocked.
Number of users in millions: 1300
No one texts these days, we all ‘WhatsApp’. With internet access, it does not cost a penny and from sending messages, photos, location, files, and audio notes, in both separate chats and groups, WhatsApp is the most user-friendly and popular communicating platform out there. Users can change their profile photos, make them visible to only contacts or everyone, and update status text. WhatsApp also allows story updates similar to Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. However, the Instagram story feature is the most used.
Number of users in millions: 2000
TikTok
You are either love TikTok or hate it, there is no in-between. However, it is the most flourishing application among children and teens. So much so, that celebs are jumping on the bandwagon, knowing that TikTok might be the future. It allows users to make short videos with edits, both basic and professional, and unlike other platforms, it has been surveyed that all sorts of people even those belonging from poor and rural backgrounds, are on TikTok. This is a positive impact on it.
Numbers of users in millions: 689
Snapchat
When Snapchat first came, it was everything. It took the world by storm and people loved it. People still love it, however, it isn’t as used as it was before, even though the numbers continue to grow. Reportedly, celebrities like Kylie Jenner said, ‘Who even uses Snapchat now?’ and it skyrocketed the users into uninstalling it. This happened after a Snapchat update came that was disliked by the majority. With that being said, being on Snapchat allows one to send quick photos that if taken a screenshot of alerts the user, allows chats to be deleted after some time, and one cannot disagree that it was Snapchat that introduced the Stories feature. What will become of Snapchat – only time will tell. However, for now, one should be on it.
Number of users in millions: 498
Known as the place where most of the drama happens, Twitter is for sharing news, updates, opinions, and basically all that you can fit into a tweet. The major brand wars also go on here, and Twitter is a fun and knowledgeable place to be at. Unlike other social media platforms, Twitter does not give you the option to edit your tweet, which means that once it is said, it is out there, unless you create a tweet thread explaining yourself or deleting it. Other than liking, commenting, re-tweeting, it also has the option to follow people and inbox them.
Number of users in millions: 353
These are the top social media platforms to follow this year. Make sure that you are connected to a high-speed internet service when using these accounts to keep the news feed running. That is all for today, stay tuned for more interesting updates.
