SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS:
Social media platforms are the online platforms and tools that allow people to create, share, and exchange information and content with others. Some of the general social media platforms are as follows:
1.FACEBOOK:
Facebook, launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and four Harvard fellows, is a leading social media platform owned by Meta. Initially exclusive to Harvard, it opened to everyone aged 13 and above by 2006. As of December 2022, it had nearly 3 billion monthly users and was the third most visited website by October 2023. Users can create profiles, share posts, and connect via messengers on a variety of devices. However, Facebook has faced significant criticism for issues including user privacy violations, political manipulation, addiction, misinformation, and content regulation.
2.INSTAGRAM:
Instagram, owned by Meta Platform, is a popular photo and video sharing social media platform available on iOS, Android, Windows 10, and the web. Users can upload and edit media with filters, organize posts by hashtags and locations, and share them publicly or with selected followers. Instagram initially featured only square photos, but later expanded to support larger images and introduced new features such as Stories and messaging. After launching in 2010, it quickly gained millions of users and was acquired by Facebook in 2012. Instagram supports 32 languages and has faced criticism for issues such as the impact on adolescent mental health, policy changes, and content regulation.
3.TWITTER (ALSO KNOWN AS X):
X, formerly known as Twitter, is a leading social media platform and the fifth most visited website worldwide. Users share short messages, images, and videos, interact through likes and retweets, and use features such as direct messaging, video and audio calls, and communities. Founded in 2006 by Jack Dorsey and others, it quickly gained popularity and had over 100 million users by 2012. Musk’s acquisition was intended to promote free speech, but faced criticism for increasing misinformation and hate speech. Usage has reportedly declined since the acquisition, with the company’s value declining significantly.
4.LINKEDIN:
LinkedIn is a business-focused social media platform launched in 2003 by Reid Hoffman and Eric Lee and has been a subsidiary of Microsoft since 2016. The platform is primarily used for professional networking and career development, allowing users to create profiles, connect with others, and post CVs and job listings. Since 2015, LinkedIn’s revenue has come primarily from selling member information to recruiters and sales professionals. With over 1 billion members in over 200 countries, LinkedIn also allows organizing events, joining groups, writing articles, and sharing multimedia.
5.TIKTOK:
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is a popular short-form video social media platform that allows users to upload videos ranging from three seconds to 60 minutes. Since its launch, TikTok has become highly influential, surpassing two billion downloads by April 2020 and ranking as the most popular website in 2021. It leverages recommendation algorithms to connect creators with audiences and pushes viral trends in food and music. However, TikTok faces scrutiny over issues such as data privacy, mental health impacts, misinformation, and controversial content. Some countries have imposed bans or fines due to concerns about accessing user data.
6.SNAPCHAT:
Snapchat, developed by Snap Inc., is a multimedia messaging social media platform known for its disappearing photos and messages. It includes features such as “Stories” for sharing 24-hour content, “Discover” for brand advertisements, and “My Eyes Only” for password-protected photos. Created by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown, Snapchat emphasizes mobile use and augmented reality. As of July 2021, it had 293 million daily active users and sent over four billion Snaps per day. It is particularly popular among younger users, raising privacy concerns for parents.
7.PINTEREST:
Pinterest is an American image-sharing and social media platform that focuses on saving and discovering ideas through visual content such as images, GIFs, and videos. Users create and organize virtual pinboards to collect inspiration related to various topics such as recipes, home decor, and style. Founded by Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra, and Evan Sharp, Pinterest is headquartered in San Francisco.
8.REDDIT:
Reddit is a social news and forum network where users, known as “Redditors”, submit and vote on content such as links, text posts, images, and videos. Posts are organized into user-created boards called “subreddits”, with popular posts appearing on the front page. Founded in 2005 by Steve Huffman, Alexis Ohanian, and Aaron Swartz, Reddit is based in San Francisco and was acquired by Condé Nast in 2006, later becoming an independent subsidiary.
As of October 2023, Reddit is the 18th most visited website worldwide, with a significant amount of traffic from the U.S., U.K., and Canada. The platform has received praise for its distinctive communities and influence, but has faced criticism for misinformation. Reddit goes public on March 21, 2024, with a valuation reaching $15 billion.
9.YOUTUBE:
YouTube, social media platform, owned by Google and launched in 2005, is the second most visited website worldwide, with over 2.7 billion monthly users as of January 2024. Users watch more than a billion hours of video per day, with more than 500 hours of content uploaded every minute. Acquired by Google in 2006 for $1.65 billion, YouTube has expanded its revenue model to include paid content, YouTube Premium subscriptions, and advertising revenue, reaching $29.2 billion in 2022. Beyond the main website, YouTube has expanded to include mobile apps, TV, and various video categories.
10.WHATSAPP:
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is a widely used instant messaging and voice-over-IP service that allows users to send text, voice messages, video messages, make calls, and share a variety of content. It works on mobile devices and computers, requiring a mobile number for registration. In January 2018, WhatsApp introduced a business version, WhatsApp Business.
WhatsApp Inc., was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $19.3 billion. By 2015, it was the most popular messaging app and had over 2 billion users worldwide as of February 2020. It became a major communication tool in regions such as Latin America, the Indian subcontinent, and parts of Europe and Africa.
11.TELEGRAM:
Telegram is a cloud-based, social media platform which provides instant messaging service launched in 2013 by Nikolai and Pavel Durov. It supports text messaging, media sharing, voice and video calls, and public livestreams, with end-to-end encryption available for voice/video calls and optional secret chats. Available on multiple platforms, including Android, iOS, and web browsers, Telegram also features social networking elements such as public groups, channels, and stories. Headquartered in Dubai, Telegram had over 950 million monthly active users as of July 2024, with India having the largest user base. It was the most downloaded app globally in January 2021, reaching 1 billion downloads by the end of August 2021.
12.DISCORD:
Discord is a versatile instant messaging and VoIP platform that enables voice, video, and text communication via private messages or within virtual communities called “servers”. Each server consists of chat rooms and voice channels that can be accessed via an invitation link.
Available on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, Discord has approximately 150 million monthly active users and 19 million weekly active servers as of 2024. Originally popular among gamers, its user base now includes diverse interests. As of March 2024, it ranks as the 30th most visited website globally, with a significant portion of traffic from the United States.
13.CLUBHOUSE:
Clubhouse, a social media platform is a social audio app available on iOS and Android where people can engage in live voice chats on a variety of topics. It has inspired other companies like Meta, Twitter, and Spotify to create similar products like Twitter Spaces and Spotify Greenroom, which offer a similar voice-based social experience.
14.TUMBLR:
Tumblr, a social media platform is a website where you can create a small blog to share and post photos, videos, and other types of content. It was started in 2007 by David Karp and is now owned by a company called Automattic.
15.QUORA:
Quora is a website where people ask and answer questions on a wide variety of topics. Founded in 2009 and open to all in 2010, it allows users to help each other by sharing knowledge and commenting on answers. As of 2020, about 300 million people visited Quora each month.
