For the older crowd, which is pretty much anyone born before 1990, social media may seem bizarre to them. Growing up, the older crowd didn’t have five hundred friends. They had a few friends because quality beats quantity any day. The best moments of their youth were captured in photographs or permanently stored in their memories, not uploaded onto Instagram for everyone to “like.” Though we advance to new levels in technology, we seem to lose something very human along the way. But there’s no use crying over spilled milk.
Social media has heavily integrated itself into everyone’s lives. Grandparents use it to keep in touch with their grandchildren, parents use it to stalk their children, and children use it to show how cool their lives are. What a world we live in. But fear not, older crowd. Though social media may seem bizarre to you, I’m sharing some social media basics so you know what the hell is going.
Facebook is an engaging way to keep in touch with family and friends across cities and even across nations. It probably the easiest way to connect with those important to you. When you fill out your personal information, such as the school and year you graduated from, Facebook will find other users that have also graduated from the same school in the same year and suggest them as people you may know. In addition, your friends can find you by searching for your email address. My family in Malaysia can see what I’m up to here in the States by viewing my Facebook page, and vice versa. This is the awesome part of Facebook.
Unfortunately, Facebook users are bombarded with advertisements and are suggested to like certain pages on a daily basis. Facebook uses your personal information to send you advertisements they believe you may be interested in. It’s like a double bladed sword. But a brighter note, users can block advertisements and suggestions by clicking on the ‘down arrow’ located on the top right side of the ad or suggestion and select ‘Hide all ads from So and So.’ If you do this to all advertisements you come across, eventually you won’t see an ad for a while.
Twitter is a sort of news feed for users to get the latest updates from the accounts they follow. For instance, I follow Marvel Entertainment, so I’ll get updates on what the giant comic book company is doing. But I also follow my friends, so I can also get updates on what they’re doing. It’s a rather strange social media channel because it has many uses. Some users will host open conversations, companies will promote their products, and others will broadcast their activities. Do what ye will with Twitter.
Nearly every business is on LinkedIn as it is the social network created specifically for businesses and making business connections. LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to promote your business by reaching out to new audiences. You can post articles about your business and its products and services. LinkedIn is the place where you want to show off your best work. Although LinkedIn is a social network, it’s not the ideal place to connect with family and friends. LinkedIn is where business is business.
Tumblr
Tumblr is a unique social media channel where you can share anything you want, such as images, videos, gifs, and conversations. You can also use Tumblr to explore for content suited to your taste. The best way to learn about Tumblr would be to use it. Visit my tumblr, http://lasupervie.tumblr.com to get an idea!
There are dozens more social media networks out there, but these four are very popular. Facebook for family and friends, Twitter for news updates, LinkedIn for business purposes, and Tumblr for one’s own enjoyment.