Social Media – What is it?

I’ve grown up around the internet and social media. I have always want to share a blog series on some basics of social media to help social media users.

Social Media Defined

In the briefest of definitions, social media is a largely uncensored and quick way for people to share their thoughts and experiences with the public.

Social media in its earliest days were chatrooms, message boards, and then The Facebook. Yes, notice how it was THE Facebook, and it has since evolved to drop ‘the’ from its name. Many think of social media creation from when The Facebook was created to help connect college students. Another was MySpace, where you could rank your friends and share your favorite music. Now social media is so diverse and has expanded from the computer/websites to apps you can have on your phone.

Social media is a place for anyone and everyone with access to the internet to share and exchange thoughts, ideas, and content, however, social media is broad and relatively uncensored. This means, there is little verification on content shared, and not all information put on social media is TRUE. Research is vital before sharing/reposting.

The Internet is Forever

Another important lesson for everyone to understand about the internet—once it is out there, it can’t be taken back. From screenshots to hackers, it doesn’t matter your privacy settings or if you delete something, it will live on the internet forever.

Social media has grown to have entertainment channels (TikTok) and informative/professional channels (LinkedIn), along with the well-known Facebook and Instagram channels. No matter the channel, social media comes down to users creating a profile and sharing/engaging with content. There are many different terms for connecting and engaging with others, such as “follow”, and adding someone as a “friend”.I’d like to discuss these in a series to help everyone understand some social media basics.

Keeping Yourself Safe

A few more broad things to discuss before we dive in —

Social media apps tend to be free to sign up. There are some more premium channels and upgrades, but be weary of people asking for money, shares, and to connect. Remember, everything on the internet is there forever. People can learn a lot about you based on what you share. Have you ever noticed advertisements “following” you or think someone is listening?

You are your best advocate for staying safe and keeping your family safe. It is always smart to think twice before you share/post something—especially if you haven’t researched or received permission from someone to share.

In this series I’ll talk about some Facebook and Instagram basics, answer questions, and help business owners see if and what social media channels are best for them. If you have questions, please drop them in the comments or send me an email so I can make sure I answer your question!