DIGITAL FAMILIES AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL MEDIA
www.digitallyfamily.com Twitter: @digitallyfamily
Design: Hannah Dix
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA? Social media is the primary form of communication nowadays, for both personal and professional purposes. Whether users are looking to post written, photo or video media, they all offer public (and many, private) broadcasting opportunities for businesses and the general public. This enables all users to stay informed and keep others updated. This primer explains the four main social media platforms. These are: • Facebook • Twitter • Youtube • Instagram
To find out more about Digital Families and access further primers and activity guides, please visit: www.digitallyfamily.com Twitter: @digitallyfamily
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FACEBOOK • Facebook is one of the world’s most popular social networking sites, with 1.65 billion active users. • Once registered, users can create a personal profile and become ‘friends’ with others. • Depending on your privacy settings, friends can see your updates, photos, personal information etc. • Facebook Messenger function allows users to privately send messages or ‘inbox’ one another or a group of friends. • You can also join/create groups for colleagues, friends, societies etc., and ‘like’ pages from businesses, sports teams, campaigns, celebrities etc. to stay up-to-date on their activities.
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TWITTER • Twitter allows users to post messages with a 140 character limit – these are known as ‘tweets’. • Tweets can be retweeted – this reposts to your timeline/ profile so all your followers can see it. • You can also like tweets – this function can be used to show appreciation for a tweet and all ‘liked’ tweets are listed under a tab in your profile. • To tweet another account, use their @ name - this is known as a handle. • You can direct message individuals or a group of accounts. • Users’ profiles are public unless they set to private. Private accounts cannot be retweeted and must accept follow requests before users can see their tweets. • You can create (and be added to) lists – these are mainly used by business professionals who want to group accounts together under a certain topic e.g. Bloggers
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YOUTUBE • Youtube is a video sharing website where businesses and individuals can upload content. • Registered users are permitted to upload an unlimited number of videos and interact with others’ videos such as commenting and liking/disliking. • Unregistered users can only view videos. • Content may include music videos, online series, vlogs, live events and ‘how to’ tutorials. • Videos can be set to private, unlisted (allowing only those with a link to view), or public. • ‘Internet famous’ celebrities produce videos full-time for Youtube, earning income from advertorials and monetisation. This means they make money every time adverts are clicked on their content. • You can subscribe to creators if you want to be notified on your homepage when they upload (and via email).
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INSTAGRAM • Instagram is a mobile app which allows users to share images and videos. • Accounts can be set to public or private. Private account holders must accept follow requests and only their followers can view their content and interact with it (unless it is shared on another social media website). • Filters can be applied to content. • Videos can be up to 60 seconds long. • Content can be ‘liked’ by pressing the heart icon or double tapping on the image. • The search function allows users to search for people, tags and places. • Hashtags can be added to the caption of content. These can increase likes if people are searching for images with those tags. They can also be clicked to find other images with the same hashtag. • You can inbox people privately, with the option to send messages, images and the ‘like’ heart.
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