The process of getting connected to people or a group of people through online platforms is known as social networking. With social networking, you can easily stay in touch with your family members, friends, customers, clients, or colleagues wherever they are.
Social networking is a concept that has become widely popular in the last decade or so. There are many websites and online applications that facilitate social networking including Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Whatsapp, and more. These websites are collectively known as social media sites.
It is believed that the first ever social networking site, or social media site ever built was SixDegrees.com – launched in 1997. But the concept was so alien in those years that Six Degrees didn’t have a long run. But in 2024, it is almost impossible to live without social media.
Purpose of Social Networking
Essentially humans are social beings. Generally speaking, we need some sort of social connection with others to function properly. One of the founding aims of social networking sites was to make this possible through the means of the internet.
They work by letting you create your own social profile on the platform. Using this profile, you can share photos, videos, and text. Nowadays, connecting with people you know is just one aspect of social networking sites. Let’s see some of the popular uses of social networking sites in 2024:
1. Keeping in touch with friends and family
Without a doubt, most people use social networking sites including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep a close relationship with distant relatives, friends, and colleagues.
The platforms allow users to share updates on their lives, through texts, photos, and videos as posts. The viewers can comment, react, or share these posts, creating ways for interactions. Some social networking sites also allow users to directly chat or call each other internet.
2. Connecting with like-minded people
Though you need to exercise caution, social networking sites also let you connect with strangers that share the same interests, or goals as you. Features such as groups, pages, and hashtags are a great way to find people who share similar interests.
You can connect with the people and explore more about the shared interests and even become close friends. But be cautious about scams and getting catfished.
3. Connecting with customers
Social networking sites are one of the best ways to connect to your customers. You can create profiles for your business and let the world know what you are offering for them. And can use your profile to reply to the customer’s comments and chats.
You can even fulfill orders online using social networking sites. Many sites allow businesses to do paid sponsored ads to the people who might be interested in the service or products you offer.
4. Following celebrities and influential personalities
Most of the celebrities from various industries including show biz, sports, and other businesses have social media profiles. They share their life updates, new projects they are working on, or statements about a recent incident involving them on social networking sites. Interested people can follow their profiles and stay in the loop.
5. Content creation
Social networking made content creation and publishing easier and more democratic. Now, you don’t need a backup from a big publisher to circulate your content to the general public.
You can publish your original video, text, or photography to the whole world in just seconds. By providing interesting content, you can create a fan following and even manage to bag lucrative brand deals.
6. Social bookmarking
Social networking sites also allow you to tag, pin, or bookmark a post/story you like so that you can come back to it later when you want to. This is very helpful when you come across something of interest, on your casual surfing, but didn’t have enough time to get through the entirety of the post.
The examples mentioned above are just some of the few uses of social networking sites. You can find many more useful applications of social networking sites such as spreading awareness, getting news, showcasing your works, and such. But from a business standpoint, the major advantage of using social networking sites is its marketing possibilities.
Using Social Networking Sites for Marketing
Today, it is safe to assume that most people are using social networking sites at least in some capacity. So, it is not surprising that social networking sites or social media have become a must in marketing. Businesses can use social media to increase their visibility and to improve people’s affinity towards the brand.
Here are some of the effective ways to use social networking sites for marketing:
Know your audience
The first step is to identify the demography of the audience you are catering to and learn the social media platforms they use. For instance, people do not use Facebook the same way they use LinkedIn.
Publish engaging content
Focus on publishing content that resonates with your target audience. You may include photos, videos, and infographics when creating your post.
Try to be consistent
Marketing through social networking is not a one-and-done process. You need to constantly grow and improve your social media presence by publishing engaging content consistently.
Interact with the audience
Make sure that you are addressing the concerns and suggestions of the customers they express online. You may also conduct contests and challenges to improve the interaction of the audience with the brand.
Evaluate your performance
You can know what is and what is not sticking with your audience by analyzing the performance of your content. Social networking sites offer numerous analytic tools to help you better see ways to improve.
Competitor analysis
Follow your competitors and keep track of their online activity. This will allow you to learn what the customers are looking for.
Top Social Networking Sites in 2024
As mentioned above there are several social networking sites out there. According to their popularity, we have selected the best social networking sites of 2024. They are:
| Sl | Website | Average Monthly Visits | Global Ranking |
| 1 | youtube.com | 28.97B | 2 |
| 2 | facebook.com | 12.44B | 3 |
| 3 | instagram.com | 5.798B | 4 |
| 4 | whatsapp.com | 4.459B | 6 |
| 5 | reddit.com | 3.382B | 11 |
| 6 | tiktok.com | 2.232B | 14 |
| 7 | twitter.com | 1.166B | 25 |
| 8 | pinterest.com | 849.9M | 34 |
| 9 | telegram.org | 412.7M | 59 |
| 10 | snapchat.com | 122.6M | 261 |
1. YouTube
While YouTube cannot be considered a personal social networking platform, it does provide a lot of the features that other sites provide. You can create your own profile and upload original videos created by you and share them with friends and family by using YouTube. However, it is used as a video publishing platform.
You can put out vlog-style content, which is a peek into your personal life, or post other entertaining videos such as travel vlogs, cooking videos, gaming videos, and more. Your imagination is the only limit. That being said, you should comply with YouTube’s community guidelines to post your content on the platform.
2. Facebook
Though many deem Facebook a thing of the past, it still is one of the most popular social networking sites. You can post photos, videos, texts, and gifs on Facebook. In addition to interacting with someone’s post, you can also message them directly by using Facebook Messenger.
The platform also allows you to create groups and pages for specific interests. People can join the groups and contribute their opinions and content to fuel a democratic conversation. Unique reactions, games, applications, and adding friends, are some of the notable features of Facebook.
3. Instagram
Instagram is primarily a photo-sharing application that allows users to upload, edit, and share photos with their followers. Additionally, you can also post videos and gifs on the platform as well.
You can either keep your Instagram profile public, or private. Public profiles are visible to any of the users on Instagram, whereas private profiles are only for the ones who follow you. People use Instagram to communicate with friends and community, share their creative skills, and express themselves.
4. WhatsApp
While WhatsApp is another social networking site, it widely differs from the rest of the sites we are discussing here. WhatsApp is a messenger app that can be used instead of your default messaging app.
This mobile app allows you to share text and multimedia files with your contacts through the internet. Since the platform uses the internet for sharing data, you can easily connect with members who live abroad.
Group conversations, voice and video calls, 24-hour stories, and custom stickers are some of the most notable features offered by WhatsApp.
5. Reddit
Reddit is a social media platform for sharing user-generated content with other members on the platform. The content can vary from text to multimedia files and links.
The community forum of the platform is called the subreddit. Subreddits usually share content based on a certain topic. This makes Reddit a great way to find a community that shares your interests. Popular subreddits include memes, stories, news, and movies.
6. TikTok
TikTok is one of the most popular short video publishing platforms on the internet. It allows users to share videos that have a duration of about 60 minutes. In the beginning stages, the application was utilized for sharing the dancing and singing ability of the creators, but it quickly ventured into comedy, and now you can all kinds of videos on TikTok including political ideologies, current affairs, news, and more.
In addition to the short videos that TikTok is famous for, it also allows the creators to hold live streams, where they can interact with their audience. The live battle feature, in which two TikTok streamers battle each other by collecting points generated by user interaction is another highlight of the app.
7. X (Twitter)
Twitter is a social networking site for posting sharing, replying, and liking content. The content posted on Twitter is called tweets. It can be text, photos, videos, and gifs, polls, and links. Users can also retweet, or repost other user’s content which is a form of appreciation to the original creator.
You can use Twitter to keep updated with your friends and family, current events, news, internet controversies, and trending discussions. Twitter can be also used for marketing your brand to a wide audience.
8. Pinterest
Pinterest is widely used for sharing and curating visual ideas in the form of images, videos, and infographics. You can either upload pictures to your board or find things that inspire you and pin them to visit later.
Pinterest is generally considered a social bookmarking site, but it does have all the necessary features that make it a good social networking site. It can be used for finding inspiration for recipes, fashion design, interior design, graphic design, and more.
9. Telegram
Telegram is another messaging service that allows users to share files and messages through the cloud. This means that the files shared through Telegram are always saved on a central server. So, even if you have lost the file from your device you can re-download it.
Features such as channels, groups, public live streams, operational blockchain applications, and secret chats make the platform a unique social networking site. The application is available on the web, tablets, and smartphones. However, you usually need to verify your mobile number to create an account on Telegram.
10. Snapchat
Snapchat is a multimedia messaging application that allows users to constantly keep in touch with their social circle. The application is available on Android and iOS devices. You can use Snapchat for sending and receiving messages referred to as ‘snaps’. Usually, it would be a multimedia file such as photos or videos. You can add funny and creative filters to your snaps making snapping more interesting.
Snaps usually delete on their own and the files usually do not appear in your phone’s gallery. If a user screenshots the snaps the app will notify the sender, which is a useful feature for staying away from potential creeps.
Conclusion
Humans are inherently social beings that need constant interaction with others. The services that allow social interactions online are called social networking websites, or simply social media.
In addition to interacting with people you know it also allows you to showcase your talents, connect with like-minded people, stay updated with social trends, grow your business, etc. Some of the most popular social networking sites include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
