Social media has taken over the world. Everyone seems to have it on their phones, tablets and computers nowadays. There is no reason why you can't join in on the fun and use these websites for your own benefit.
There are plenty of options to choose from depending on what type of social media you wish to use. Today we present a guide to some of the top websites and the best ways they could help you.
Facebook is the best social media website for staying in touch with your friends and family. People across the globe have been re-connected with their old work colleagues or school friends through this website.
On Facebook you create your very own profile page where you can add a biography about yourself, share photographs in albums, add friends, share life events, and even play games. You can also choose to follow your favourite sport teams and other organisations who have their own profiles.
In your biography you can add your date of birth, your relationship status, your occupation, and your location. Your profile also allows you to have a profile picture and a featured image at the top of the page. This acts as a banner.
Once you have started to add your friends you can chat with them either on their profile page or through the website's own instant messaging system. This can be found in the bottom right of your screen when you are online.
You can also post a 'status' from your profile to let your friends know what you are getting up to, or to simply share your opinions on the latest football scores. Your friends can 'like' and comment on your status as well, and you can reply to keep the conversation flowing.
Furthermore, Facebook has a privacy system in place that allows you to choose who sees what you post. This means you can set it so only people you have added as friends can see your photos.
Twitter provides a unique way to express your views and to communicate with your friends and family. Just like Facebook you create your very own profile, complete with a profile image, banner photo, and biography.
Instead of a status you share 'tweets' with your friends – who are called 'Followers' on Twitter – and other Twitter users around the world. These tweets are limited to 280 characters which means you have to get straight to the point.
To help reach a larger audience you can also use hashtags in your tweets. These act as a link to everybody else who is 'tweeting' about the same topic. The most used Hashtags will start to trend across the country, which means thousands of people are talking about and sharing a certain topic.
For example, if you were talking about Eastenders you could put #Eastenders at the end of your tweet. Everybody talking about that episode would then be able to see your tweet.
You can also add photographs and polls to your tweets, but be careful because this will use-up your characters. You can also tag friends in your tweets by using their profile name, which will have an @ sign at the beginning.
Twitter is the social media website of choice for celebrities and sports stars. This means that you can send them tweets and photographs in the hope that they will respond – either by tweeting you back, liking your tweet, or re-tweeting your message. Some stars are more responsive than others but it is good fun to see what they are getting up to on a daily basis.
Twitter is the social media website for you to give your views and opinions in a short and simple way.
Instagram is the best social media option if you are a fan of photography. This is a mobile phone-based app which allows you to share photos that you take on your mobile phone's camera, or images you have downloaded from the internet, with the world.
You can choose photos from your library or take a new picture with the app's own camera. Once you have taken your photo you will be given a huge range of different filters/effects which can change the way your photo looks. Don't worry if you would prefer to keep the original as you can simply click no filter.
Once you have selected any filters you will be taken to the upload screen. Here you can add a description to your photo and, just like Twitter, you can add hashtags to allow more people to access your image. You can also choose to share the image on your other social media profiles, such as Facebook and Twitter.
Once you have done this simply press the share button and your photo will appear on your profile. Just like with Twitter you can 'follow' and be 'followed' by your friends on Instagram and they will be able to 'like' your photos.
It is up to you whether or not you have your profile on a private or visible setting. If it is private then only your 'followers' will see your content, whereas if it is left public then the entire world of Instagram will be able to see and 'like' your photos. Moreover, setting your account to private allows you to 'approve' followers, making sure only people you know can see your profile.
You can also have your own unique username and profile picture so that your friends can find you. Instagram is perfect to share your favourite moments with your friends, such as holidays, sports, meals, and any other cool experiences you take part in.
Snapchat
Seeing you on Snapchat will really impress your grandchildren, and maybe even your own children. If Instagram is the place to store all of your favourite photos forever, then Snapchat is the place for one-time only, "instant photography sharing".
Like with most social media channels you will create a profile and add friends to your friends list. Once this is completed you can take pictures and short videos of up to 60 seconds using your phone's camera.
You can take a selfie with the forward facing camera or you can switch to your phone's main camera by pressing the camera logo in the top right of your screen. To take a picture you press the big circle at the bottom of the screen. In order to record a short video clip you will need to hold down inside the circle for as long as you need to record.
Once you have taken your photo you can add text and paint to your images. Along with the amount of time you want to give your friends to see your image.
These filters can turn your face into various animals, characters, and even other people thanks to the face-swap filter. Even better, they're updated every day!
Snapchat can be plenty of fun. It's worth asking your family members to set you up on the app. Even if just to let you have a play with the filters.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on 19th December 2022 to reflect current information.
