Why Different Social Media Platforms Are Popular
January 21, 2021
In the age of technology and social media, it’s almost impossible to go a day without knowing something about what other people are doing. Various apps and sites like Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram have allowed people to see what their friends are doing and what’s going on in the world–and at speeds never before seen. But why do people choose the apps that they do?
Twitter has been around since 2006. It’s a simple premise. You can post short status updates and attach up to four photos and small videos. It was a relatively novel concept at the time of its conception, which is why it was so successful. People tend to like Twitter for posting random thoughts, and celebrities or other influencers can use it to poll their followers.
Instagram, unlike Twitter, is based in the mobile form and doesn’t have a very usable computer variant. Instagram posts must have at least one picture but do not need to have a caption alongside it. You can post up to ten pictures on one single thread and tag different people in different photos, unlike Twitter which only lets you tag people in the whole post. Instagram is good for people who like to share the visual aspect of their lives and don’t always need to caption it.
- Snapchat
Snapchat is an entirely mobile-based social media. It combines the posting aspects of Instagram along with the messaging aspects of regular texting apps. On one hand, you can post pictures and videos to a story that others can view, or you can directly message people or a group and send photos and videos there. Snapchat is the go-to social media for many young people, since you don’t need to exchange phone numbers to message people–only usernames.
Facebook, the oldest entry on this list, was created in 2004. Originally, it wasn’t a public site and was designed only for college kids at Harvard to have access. Later on, it was opened to the world and quickly attracted a userbase. Facebook contains a feed of posts similar to Twitter’s with a similar posting aspect; however it also features a friend system as opposed to following people. Facebook is used by people who tend to like a traditional and compact social media feed in a proper order.
Overall, different people like different social media platforms, and there are tons more out there (popular and obscure) that I haven’t mentioned here. In the age of technology, it’s almost impossible to avoid social media, so if you’re thinking about ditching your current method of posting, try out another one. Social media allows you to meet people you never would have otherwise and join communities of like-minded people. Regardless of what you use, there are millions of people out there who you can find.