Social media – what are they and what opportunities do they offer?

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, influencing everything from interpersonal communication to companies’ marketing strategies.

From this article you will learn:

• What is social media?
• What is the history of social media?
• What are the types of social media?
• What are the most popular social media platforms?
• How to use social media in marketing?
• How to develop a marketing strategy for social media?
• What to look for in social media advertising?
• What are the limitations of social media?
• What can be gained from social media?

Social media – definition

Social media are online platforms that allow users to interact with each other by sharing, creating and exchanging information, ideas, photos, videos and other forms of content. Popular social media platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat and many others. Here are some key features of social media:

• Users can communicate with each other in real time, share content and respond to others’ posts.
• Most social media platforms allow users to customise their profile, including information such as photos, descriptions, interests, etc.
• Users can create and share their own content, such as text, photos, videos or links to other websites.
• Social media make it easy to build social networks by adding ‘friends’, ‘following’ or ‘connecting’ with other users.
• They are available on a variety of devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones, allowing easy access from almost anywhere in the world.
• Social media is used for a variety of purposes, from keeping in touch with family and friends, to marketing and promotion, to journalism and social action.
• Most social media platforms use algorithms to personalise the content displayed to users, which can influence what information is most visible.
• Social media often serves as a source of real-time information, especially in emergency or emergency situations.

Social media is playing an increasingly important role in society and influencing various aspects of life, from interpersonal communication to politics and culture. However, their use also comes with certain risks, such as false information, invasion of privacy or cyberbullying.

Social media are online platforms or applications that allow users to create, share and interact with a variety of content in the form of texts, images, videos and other media. They are characterised by their ability to establish and maintain social relationships and enable the creation of virtual communities where participants can share their thoughts, opinions, experiences and creativity.

Definition of social media

Social media are online platforms that allow users to create, share and exchange content and interact with each other. They are used to build social networks, communicate and distribute information in a variety of ways.

History of social media

The history of social media is relatively short but dynamic. Its roots can be traced back to the late 20th century and early 21st century. The first forms of online social communication, such as online forums and chat rooms, existed as early as the 1990s, but the real development of social media came with the introduction of platforms such as Friendster, MySpace and later Facebook. Friendster, which debuted in 2002, is often considered one of the earliest social media platforms, but was quickly replaced by MySpace, which in turn dominated the US internet landscape from 2003 until around 2008.

Facebook, founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, revolutionised social media by offering a more integrated and universal environment for human interaction. After opening to the general public in 2006, the platform has become hugely popular and is now one of the biggest players in the market. X (the former Twitter), founded in 2006, brought a new dynamic to social media, enabling the rapid and character-limited exchange of information and opinions. Instagram, launched in 2010, focused on photo and video sharing, becoming particularly popular with younger users.

Other platforms, such as LinkedIn for professionals or TikTok and YouTube for video sharing, are also significantly influencing the way we communicate and share content online. Recent years have also seen a growing role for social media in politics, marketing and social activism, both positively and negatively. With its global accessibility and diversity of functions, social media has become an integral part of modern social life.

Types of social media

Different types of social media serve different purposes and are more or less suitable for different types of interaction, from personal to professional. Here are some of the different types of social media, along with a brief description of each:

• Social networks (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn) focus on building and maintaining broad social networks. They allow the sharing of news, photos and videos, as well as discussions in groups and events.
• Microblogs (e.g. Twitter) oriented towards short, concise text posts, often with a limited number of characters. Ideal for sharing information, links and opinions quickly.
• Photo and video sharing platforms (e.g. Instagram, Snapchat) focus mainly on visual forms of communication. Users share photos and short videos, often with options to add filters and effects.
• Blogs are websites where authors regularly publish articles, reviews, comments, etc. Vlogs are their visual counterparts, where creators share video content.
• Online forums (e.g. Reddit) are places where users can discuss various topics in the form of threads. Each thread is a separate discussion and users can add comments and reply to other posts.
• Wiki platforms (e.g. Wikipedia) allow users to co-create and edit content. Multiple people can work on a single article or project.
• Location-based social media (e.g. Foursquare) allow users to interact with their surroundings, for example by posting reviews of places they have visited or ‘check-in’ to a location.
• Music and podcast listening and sharing platforms (e.g. Spotify, SoundCloud) allow users to share and discover music or podcasts. They often include social features such as playlists or the ability to comment.
• Professional content sharing sites (e.g. SlideShare) focus on sharing more professional content, such as presentations, documents or academic articles.
• Shopping and consumer review platforms (e.g. Amazon, Yelp), while not strictly social media, allow interaction with others through reviews and opinions on products and services.
• Live streaming platforms (e.g. Twitch, YouTube Live) allow you to stream video in real time. They are popular with gamers, artists and other creators who want to communicate with their audience.
• Virtual gathering services (e.g. Discord, Slack) allow text, voice and video communication within specially created channels or ‘rooms’. They are often used to coordinate activities in groups, both social and professional.
• Dating apps (e.g. Tinder, Bumble) are platforms that focus on creating romantic or social relationships by matching user profiles based on various criteria.
• Crowdsourcing and crowdfunding platforms (e.g. Kickstarter, GoFundMe) allow to raise money or other resources from the community. Although their main purpose is not communication, they have social elements such as commenting and sharing.
• News portals and content aggregators (e.g. Feedly, Digg) are not your typical social media, but allow users to personalise their information stream and often include social features such as comments or sharing.
• Virtual worlds and online games (e.g. Second Life, World of Warcraft) offer forms of social interaction, albeit in the context of a game or simulated world. They enable communication, commerce and other forms of social interaction.
• Educational applications with social elements (e.g. Duolingo, Coursera) allow learning through social interaction, group discussions and sharing of progress.
• Uode-sharing platforms (e.g. GitHub, GitLab) are used by developers to share code and collaborate on projects. They often include social elements like the ability to comment or rate.

The most popular social media

The popularity of different platforms can vary by region and demographic group, and new ones are emerging all the time, so the number of existing users can fluctuate. In January 2023 (according to Statista^[1]) the most popular platforms in the world were the following:

• Facebook (2.958 billion monthly active users) is the largest social media platform in the world. It allows users to share posts, photos, videos and links, as well as interact in groups and at events. Separately, users are counted for Facebook Messenger, a messenger developed by Meta, which has 931 million users worldwide.
• YouTube (2.514 billion) is the largest video sharing platform, with millions of videos and billions of hours of viewing each day.
• WhatsApp (2bn) is a mobile messenger with social features, allowing text, voice and video messaging, as well as status sharing.
• Instagram (2bn) focuses on photo and video sharing. It is particularly popular with younger users and those interested in fashion, travel and lifestyle.
• WeChat (1.309bn) is a Chinese multi-platform communication app offering chat, voice calls, video, payments and social features in one tool.
• TikTok (1.051 billion) a mobile app for creating and sharing short videos. It has gained a lot of popularity, especially among younger users, and is known for its viral and trending videos.
• Douyin (715 million) is a Chinese platform for creating and sharing short videos, known internationally as TikTok.
• Telegram (700 million) is a communication app offering encrypted chats, newsgroups, voice and video calls and file sharing.
• Snapchat (635 million) is a mobile app for sharing photos and videos that disappear after a short time. It is popular mainly with a younger audience.
• Kuaishou (626 million) is a Chinese platform for creating and sharing short videos with a focus on authenticity and social interaction.

In addition to those mentioned above, platforms such as:

• X (the former Twitter, a microblogging platform where users can post short text messages called tweets),
• LinkedIn (a social network aimed at professionals. It allows users to build professional networks, search for jobs and share career-related content),
• Reddit (a discussion platform where users can publish content and comment on it. It is divided into hundreds of thousands of ‘subreddits’, each focusing on a specific topic),
• Pinterest (a platform for ‘pinning’ photos and other visual content on virtual boards. It is popular with those seeking inspiration in areas such as decoration, fashion, cooking and more).

Social media in marketing

In marketing, social media offers a unique opportunity to communicate directly with customers and build long-term relationships. Before you start, it is important to define your marketing objective, whether it is to increase brand awareness, sales or community engagement. Then develop a specific strategy for action, choosing the platforms that best suit your target audience.

Don’t forget the diversity of content either. It is worth adapting it to the specifics of the platform and the expectations of your audience, mixing articles, photos, videos and infographics. The frequency of publication is no less important. Regular posts increase engagement and visibility, but an excess of posts may discourage the audience. Interacting with your audience by responding to comments, questions and messages is key to building relationships and increasing engagement.

Remember to be authentic, as people value genuineness and brand consistency. Avoid being overly ‘commercial’ and aim to provide valuable content. Analytical tools are useful for monitoring campaign effectiveness. Watch metrics such as number of clicks, engagement, reach and conversion to adjust your efforts.

Compliance is also key. Make sure all materials and activities comply with applicable regulations, including data protection and copyright. In the event of crises, such as negative feedback or comments, be prepared to respond quickly and thoughtfully to mitigate the negative effects.

Some additional tips at the end:

• Content planning can be made easier by using an editorial calendar. Hashtags are useful to increase the reach of posts.
• Also, don’t forget to introduce news and experiment with different forms of content.
• Clear calls to action (CTAs) can effectively direct your audience to complete a specific action, such as registering or purchasing.
• If you operate in different markets, be sure to localise your content, adapting it to cultural and linguistic differences.

Social media marketing strategy

Creating an effective social media marketing strategy is a process that requires planning, analysis and constant adaptation to audience response. It is a structured plan of action that defines how a company or organisation will use the various social media platforms to achieve specific goals.

At the outset, it is important to define the goals you want to achieve (e.g. increasing sales, branding, etc.) and the metrics that will help measure them. Also, the customer profile you are trying to target should be accurately described. It is also worth remembering that not every social media platform will be suitable for every brand. The choice should depend on the characteristics of the target audience and the objectives of the campaign.

Scheduling and content types is a key element of a social media strategy that details what content will be published and when. This can include different formats such as articles, images or videos. Directly linked to this is budget and resource planning. That is, it must be clear within the strategy what financial and human resources are required to implement it. This also includes choosing the right tools to manage and publish the content.

The communication principles are another important element that defines the tone and style in which a company will communicate with its community. It is also where companies define emergency procedures to be prepared for different scenarios. Monitoring and analysis are no less important.

The responsibility for preparing the strategy depends on the size and structure of the organisation. In small companies, it is usually the owner or a small team that deals with media strategy. In larger organisations, there are usually dedicated departments or teams dealing with social media. This could be a marketing department, a communications department or a dedicated social media team.

Some companies choose to hire an external agency that specialises in social media management. For companies that do not want to make a full-time commitment or outsource the entire project to an agency, consultants or freelancers are a good option. Regardless of who prepares the strategy, it is important that it is flexible and subject to regular updates in response to changes in user behaviour and effectiveness of activities.

Social media advertising

According to data collected by Gemius, the most effective advertising medium in 2022 was YouTube, with ads reaching 73.23% of users aged 7-75; closely followed by Facebook with 65.32% of^[2]. This means that social media advertising is one of the most dynamic and flexible ways to reach a wide audience.

As part of social media marketing activities, advertising systems on social media platforms (Facebook Ads, Spotify Ads or TikTok Ads) allow precise targeting of audiences based on a variety of criteria such as demographics, interests or geolocalisation. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X or LinkedIn offer advanced tools to create and manage advertising campaigns, giving you the opportunity to effectively promote your products or services.

However, for social media advertising to be effective, well-thought-out planning and analysis is key. It is not only a matter of setting a budget, but also of understanding what form and content of advertising will resonate most with the target audience. One of the main advantages of social media advertising is its interactivity. Users can easily respond to adverts, share them, comment on them or click on links, which further increases their reach and effectiveness. It is also worth remembering the role of user-generated content, which is often just as effective as professional campaigns, but costs significantly less.

Limitations of social media

The limitations of social media are varied and affect both individual users and businesses. One of the key challenges is the threat to privacy. Information shared online can lead to data breaches or cyberbullying. Another problem is misinformation – this phenomenon not only misleads users, but can also influence public opinion, elections or consumer decisions.

It is also a challenge for businesses to constantly monitor social media and user interactions. This is time-consuming and can be costly, especially for small businesses that do not have dedicated teams to manage social media.

Also, an excessive focus on social media can have negative effects, such as lowering the quality of social life, increasing stress or even affecting mental health. This is linked to the pressure to constantly be online, which can lead to burnout and a reduction in the quality of actual social interactions.

The benefits of social media

Social media offers many benefits, both for individuals and businesses. For businesses, one of the biggest advantages is the ability to communicate directly with customers. This not only allows you to promote your products or services, but also to build long-term relationships with your audience. These media also allow you to gain valuable information about the market and what interests potential customers. They are also tools for effective ad targeting, allowing you to better tailor your offer to customer’s needs.

For individual users, social media are becoming a place to exchange thoughts, opinions and experiences. They are also platforms for making new acquaintances and maintaining relationships with family and friends, regardless of the distance that separates them. They offer broad access to information, news and trends, making them an important part of social life.

Of course, social media also has its drawbacks and limitations, such as the risk of invasion of privacy or the spread of misinformation, but the benefits they offer often outweigh the potential risks. Used wisely and in moderation, they can significantly enrich both personal and professional lives.