When we talk about social media, we often think of Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Instagram because those are the common ones that we see online. We use them on a daily basis for either work/school purposes, or just to relax and connect with people. But if we look at it, there are actually a variety of social media platforms and/or networks out there that at times we are not aware of.Â
With that, here is the categorized list of different types of social media for you.
1. Social Networks
Out of all the different social media platforms out there, social networks are the ones most commonly visited by online users around the world. Thus, the word ‘social’, social networks are created mainly to communicate, interact, and still build relationships even though you are not physically present or you are miles apart. Social networks aren’t just for interacting and socializing, but it’s also for sharing ideas and information to people.
Before all these developments in our digital lifestyle, people weren’t actually into social networks, and not all people have social media accounts. But nowadays, with all the growing changes in our technology and digital lifestyle, people go online every day just to check their social network accounts. Not only that, since these social networks continuously evolve, they are also now not just for communicating or chatting, but they are also now used for sharing pictures, stories, videos, job applications, business marketing, news, reports, etc. They have expanded their influence in order to cater to more of what would be useful to people in this digital age. These forms of media have been a source not only of important news and information, but also of entertainment. Examples of social networks are Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
2. Image and Video Sharing Networks
Unlike social networks where texts are the majority content, image and video networks have, well, the image and video as their main content. Examples of these networks are Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat, and TikTok. As you would see in this type of social media, the posts are mainly about what’s in the posted image or video, and less about the text itself. Though it focuses on the image and video content, the users can still add captions, creative filters, and mention/tag people in their post.
Online users nowadays mostly use these platforms to connect to their followers and subscribers through engaging and creative content. Aside from that, this type of social media strengthens its reach and effectiveness even more through sharing.
3. Forum Networks
Before social networks and media sharing networks were a hit, people go to forum networks to stay connected and express their opinions.
Forum networks were created to help online users to find, share news and information, and of course, express their opinions. This network centers on sharing information about different social issues and trending issues. Quora, Reddit, and Digg are forum networks that cater to a variety of open online discussions.
4. Social Review Sites
When we search for things that we will purchase or try for the first time, we automatically try to look for reviews from people who have previously tried that certain product or have gone to that place.
Social review sites were created to help online users to not just look for reviews, but also encourage them to give their honest insights about the products and services of a restaurant, a brand, travel destination, and more. Zomato, Yelp, and TripAdvisor are the natural go-tos of online users when it comes to finding credible reviews.
5. Bulletin Board Networks
Bookmarking content and media is the core of bulletin board networks. This type of social media allows its users to pin, save, and share relative content.
An example of this is Pinterest wherein people are able to search and discover information that they are able to easily save and share.
6. Blogging Networks
Blogging networks basically give their users the opportunity to publish their contents online. For people who love to write and widen their reach through writing contents online, blogging is a good platform for them to connect to people.
Tumblr and WordPress are the common blogging networks that people use these days. Though WordPress is more of the traditional way of blogging and publishing content online through creating your own site, Tumblr focuses more on microblogging and social networking.
7. Microblogging Networks
This type of social media is a mix of content production/publication and instant messaging. As compared to blogging networks, microblogging lets the user exchange personal messages with their followers and express their thoughts in less to a few words or characters.
Though Tumblr falls under the blogging network category, it still has its place as one of the microblogging network go-to’s of online users, especially those who are still beginners in blogging. Along with it is Twitter which is popular with people ranging from teenagers to adults.
Every type of social media is essentially created to make communication, finding and sharing information easier for us. We just have to know how to properly utilize them, so that we do not come to a point where we abuse the help that these social media platforms give us.
If you’re looking for someone to help you with the social media marketing of your brand, contact us today, and we’ll be glad to help you!
