Social media has been around for a while, but it’s only recently that it’s become so pervasive. What was once a niche way to connect with only your friends and family has now grown into practically a necessity. The convenience of social media is undeniable; the ability to post your frustrations and have millions of people respond on the other side of the world is incredible! But we must be cautious as well—social media can provide easy access to people you may not wish to have contact with, or even make you feel isolated when you’re in an area where there are few connections.
Facebook:
Social media is becoming an increasingly crucial part of everyday life, and Facebook is the perfect example of this. Not only does it allow for an easy way for people to connect and share information, but it has also become a huge marketing tool. As of June 2014, Facebook has over 1 billion monthly active users and 483 million daily active users, with the number growing each day. It’s the most widely used social media platform in the world; it’s no longer a luxury to have a Facebook account; it’s now a necessity.
Twitter:
While Facebook is by far the most popular social media network, Twitter is growing exponentially each year. As of July 2014, Twitter has just over 300 million monthly active users and nearly 200 million daily active users, with a majority of the users living outside of the United States. With recent events such as the Arab Spring, where many groups utilized social media to organize protests and interact with people around the world, it’s no surprise that Twitter has become so popular so quickly.
LinkedIn:
With so many people turning to social media to connect with one another, it’s becoming more and more important to have a strong online presence. LinkedIn is the perfect platform for professional networking; it’s a business-oriented social media website that allows users to share information with their connections, effectively creating a community of professionals around the world. By updating your profile regularly and connecting with other users in your industry, LinkedIn becomes an invaluable part of your career.
Twitter:
While Facebook is by far the most popular social media network, Twitter is growing exponentially each year. As of July 2014, Twitter has just over 300 million monthly active users and nearly 200 million daily active users, with a majority of the users living outside of the United States.
Instagram:
I can’t believe I’m really a college graduate. The world has changed so much since I was in high school. Now, it feels like everyone’s a celebrity and social media is the driving force behind this global village. It’s easy to forget that social media came along after centuries of globalization and radical political change the rise of authoritarianism, widespread civil conflict, and human rights abuses. But now that people from all over the world are able to connect with each other through technology at lightning speeds, relations between nations could never be more strained or peaceful than they already are. You can also enjoy video downloading at Imginn.
Tumblr:
I’m using this picture to make up for the lack of pictures of me in college. It’s hard not to make assumptions about other cultures from your own cultural perspective. For example, the American photographer W. Eugene Smith was once called a Communist by a Colombian townspeople when he set up his camera to take a photo of them for their project “The March of Man.” It turned out that the people thought Smith was aiming a gun at them and some even fled from the area. The only way out was an apology and explanation from another American journalist who had accompanied Smith.
Flickr:
I was once at a public place and a man asked me to grab a picture of him and his family. When he saw the picture, he grabbed my camera out of my hand and started taking pictures of me to make up for the camera I was using.
Baidu Tieba:
What we see on social media is just a small fragment of the daily life around us. We should send them more love in order to keep this small part of life going so that we can enjoy it all together.
Snapchat:
Sharing our lives with the whole world is definitely a life-changing experience. I just hope I can be someone’s “Snapchat wife.”