What is Social Media?

For businesses, it offers cost-effective marketing, enhances brand exposure, facilitates content sharing, enables targeted advertising, and improves customer engagement. Works similarly to TikTok with short-video functionality but tailored to Indian users and content preferences. This platform is a good example of how global social media trends adapt (even after bans) to specific regional markets and languages. Explore 2025 social media trends short-form video, AI content, social commerce, niche platforms, and community building shaping the future of engagement.

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• We didn’t just look at user numbers—we also weighed how relevant each platform is, both globally and within specific regions.
• Many brands also collaborate with influencers who promote their products to a loyal following, lending authenticity to their marketing efforts.
• Other platforms around this time also launched to various degrees of success, including game-based social platform Habbo in 2000, Hi5 in 2003 and Bebo in 2005.

Social media has changed the way people communicate and connect in some ways for the better, and in others, some may say, for the worse. Still, the main ones we will focus on in this section of the textbook are the impacts on business through social media marketing, employee recruitment, and mental health. In 2002, LinkedIn was founded as a social media for Wolf Winner Casino professionals (Maryville, 2021). Next, in 2003 Myspace was born to attract users from Friendster, which had announced it would be moving to a fee-based membership. This gave Myspace the ability to gain popularity and grow its user base very quickly. Myspace eventually met its demise because of safety issues that were plaguing the site (Boyd & Ellison, 2007).

Benefits of Using Social Media for Individuals

It has transformed how individuals, communities, and businesses interact, fostering global connectivity and collaboration. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok allow users to communicate, share ideas, express creativity, and stay informed on various topics. The term social in regard to media suggests platforms enable communal activity.

Social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram have made global communication seamless, allowing users to share messages, photos, and videos in real-time. This instant connectivity has strengthened personal relationships, bridged geographical divides, and made long-distance communication more accessible than ever. In 2006, X’s launch included its feed feature, where posts from accounts that a user followed were aggregated onto a single page. More users began posting links to external sites, where news stories, current events, and product pages could be shared with personal updates.

How does social media work?

Explore benefits, best practices, and future trends for effective influencer marketing. In today’s fast climate, efficiency and convenience are the keys to successful communication technology. Josh, a current senior at Clemson University, began his quest for a job after graduation in 2021.

AI is stepping in to personalize feeds, and smaller, niche platforms are popping up for tighter-knit communities. Individuals catch up with friends or discover news, while businesses promote products and chat with customers. It’s also a go-to for entertainment—scrolling TikTok or watching YouTube feels like second nature to many. Although social media is a vastly helpful technology, there are also many downfalls to social media.

Whether for connecting with others, sharing creative content, building professional networks, or seeking entertainment, there’s a platform suited for every purpose. Understanding the various types of social media helps individuals and businesses choose the right tools to achieve their goals, fostering meaningful engagement in the digital world. Social media refers to a broad range of online platforms and applications that enable users, creators, and businesses to interact, create communities, exchange ideas, and share content. These platforms are essential for modern communication and marketing strategies, allowing for real-time engagement and content distribution. Among the myriad of social media platforms, several stand out due to their extensive user bases and unique features. Facebook, with over three billion monthly active users, serves as a central hub for social networking and content sharing.