Whenever this topic is discussed, the first thing that comes to people's minds are platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or applications such as Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram, typical of today. But the idea is even much older because if we go to the boss of sociology, the concept of social network is used to analyze interactions between individuals, groups or even entire societies since the end of the last century.
Now, on the internet, social networks have sparked discussions such as the lack of privacy and the imposition of intimacy, but they have also served as a means of convening all kinds of demonstrations. These platforms also created a new form of relationship between companies and customers, opening paths both for interaction and for the advertisement of products or services.
It is at this time that we must differentiate a bit what social media services and social networks mean.
While in social networks the main purpose is to connect people, in social media it goes a little further.
We speak of a broad term, which includes different media, such as blogs, videos and the aforementioned social networks. For a better explanation of the concept, one can see, as an example, what we understood as mass media before the existence of the Internet: television, radio, press, magazines.
When the means of communication became available on the Internet, they stopped being static, offering the possibility of interacting with other people.
At the heart of social media are relationships, which are common on social media, so it can be confusing. In social networks it is possible to transmit information to other people. Another way to differentiate them is to think that social media helps people to unite through technology while social networks improve that connection, since people only interconnect in networks because they have common interests.
If we go a little beyond the ordinary, such as Facebook and Twitter, in a generic way, social media can be divided into three groups:
Social Media To Publish
This type of social media is what allows you to publish any type of content to anyone so that it is available to anyone in any part of the world at any time. Examples: TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Wikipedia, Apple Music / Podcasts, WordPress, Blogger, Flickr, YouTube.
Social Media To Share
This type of social media is what allows anyone to promote or share with others the content published on the platforms mentioned in the previous section. On the majority of websites of this type, people share content and the rest of the community votes on its quality or interest. Examples: Reddit, Pinterest, Quora, Digg, StumbleUpon, Delicious, or Meneame.
Social Media To Connect
This section is where we find social networks. These social media allow you to create your complete profile and connect with anyone within the network. They are very useful for keeping your current contacts and for finding new contacts. Examples: Facebook and Linkedin.
Strengthen Your Social Media
With the rise of social networks and social media marketing, especially in recent months in which digital has become more important and necessary, it is necessary to affirm that having an active presence in Social Media and using them appropriately to reach your customers is something that companies give more and more importance.
