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What is social media?
MORE than half of the world's population uses social media, something which has forever changed the way we interact with each other.
Are you still not familiar with the concept of social media yet? Well, here we explain it to you.
What is social media?
So how do you begin to explain what social media is? There are several definitions and examples of it.
One of the best ways to describe it is a digital platform which allows users to share content and get to know new people online.
It allows people to start conversations with one another, share pictures of what they are doing in their daily lives and react to other posts too.
It also allows people to share their thoughts on social issues such as racism for example.
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In 2020, the case of George Floyd in America made people locked inside their homes during the pandemic, to use social media platforms such as Twitter to raise awareness of racism and police brutality.
During the pandemic, it allowed celebrities stuck inside because of lockdown to connect with their fans and hold live broadcasts of their activities at home.
Social media started off as a place where people could communicate with those far away or even in a different country.
It has become a way of sharing thoughts, pictures, activities and more.
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It has also given way to new marketing opportunities and has become a space where brands promote their products.
They do so not only through their brand accounts, but also through the so called influencers.
Being an influencer has become a common thing to say in 2022.
An influencer would be someone who tries out different products which has to do with their niche topic, for example hair, and promote them on his or her social media channels.
They normally offer discounts or giveaways with such promotions, to urge followers to buy the products too.
Which social media sites are there?
There are several social media platforms, and you might have heard of some already.
There are:
- YouTube
- Snapchat
- TikTok
- Tumblr
- Quora
How many people use social media?
Until 2022, there are about 4.62 billion social media users across the world.
The most popular social media platform is Facebook with 2.91 billion users.
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YouTube and Whatsapp follow then with 2.56 billion users and 2 billion users respectively.
The other two that make the top five are Instagram and WeChat.