What is social media

Definition of social media

Social media is defined as applications and websites that are used to communicate with others and disseminate information across the World Wide Web through computers or mobile phones. Social media also refers to any online communication tool that allows users to share content. And disseminate it across a wide range. It is worth noting that social media content is created by a large number of users, reaching a few million, in contrast to the content available through traditional media, which is created by only a few people.

Types of social media

Social media is classified into several types, which are as follows:

Social media networks: (in English: Social Networks); It is the most popular type of various social media, and it is the sites that are used to communicate with others and form relationships with them, and it also allows the dissemination of information, pictures, and video clips between users, and examples of this type of means of communication are; Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Media sharing networks: (in English: Media Sharing Networks); These are virtual social platforms that are largely concerned with creating images and video clips, and then sharing them with other users. The most famous examples of this type of social media are: Instagram and YouTube.
Social blogging networks: (in English: Social Blogging Networks); Or what is known as blogs, which are networks that allow the user to publish specific content of his own through them, so that this content receives interaction from other users who view it.
Discussion networks: (in English: Discussion Networks); It is social media that is concerned with discussing and commenting on news, information, and opinions, and this type is considered suitable for preparing marketing research as well. Where questions can be asked to be answered through comments made by other users, and one of the most famous examples of this type of means is: Reddit and Quora.
Review networks: (in English: Review Networks); These are sites that display information related to a specific service or product to know the opinions of other users of that product or service. These platforms are considered of great benefit to both the consumer and the seller. Where the consumer can know the positive and negative comments for any service or product, as these sites do not provide the ability to delete any negative comment placed by any user, and they are also useful for companies as they provide them with feedback on the public’s opinion of that company’s commercial activity, Which can be exploited to improve the product and provide the best service.

Characteristics of social media

Social media is characterized by many characteristics, the most important of which are the following:

User Dependence: (English: User-based); Regular Internet sites depend on publishing specific content by one user and allowing site visitors to access and read it, meaning that the process of placing content takes place from one direction only. As for the various social media, they depend almost entirely on users, and without them it would be completely empty, as they allow... Users themselves can create their own content, making them more dynamic and exciting sites for their users.
Interactivity: (English: Interactive); Social media is characterized by allowing users to interact greatly. The user can interact with other users in many ways, whether by chatting with them, playing games with them, or other methods of interaction provided by these platforms.
Relying on societal denominators: (in English: Community-driven); Building social media depends on the existence of groups of users who share commonalities, such as beliefs, hobbies, or interests. Social media is similar to the way real communities are built, which are based on bringing together individuals who share a specific thing.
Globalism: (English: Global); Social media has the ability to connect people from all over the world to each other.
Searchability: (in English: Searchability); Social media allows users to search for the content they want, and this is done through the search tools built into these media.
Create a virtual identity: Social media allows the creation of virtual accounts or profiles for its users.

Use of social media

Social media includes many types of websites and applications, and the functions and importance of these sites and applications vary depending on their type, but in general they require the user to be connected to the Internet to be able to use them, and therefore any person connected to the Internet can create an account to register on one of these virtual social networks. This is done by filling out some necessary data, such as: user name and email address.