The world has changed over the years with the advent of the internet. The introduction of social media sites has changed the perspective of people, created revolutions and changed the way we interact with others. There are lots of social media platforms which have impacted our lives one way or the other. The worlds most famous social networking sites have changed in these years, and they remain to evolve over the period of time with growing number of users and their preferences and behaviors. Old social networks are bound to die while the popular ones will most probably be present as they adapt to upcoming changes and trends.
But its not the end of the road yet. Many more social media sites will emerge in future and will change our world. Just like we moved on from MySpace to a completely new era dominated by Facebook, Twitter and another sort of social media apps. Snapchat has also changed the younger generation, and it is considered to be the future of the social networking.
So, the main question is that which social media websites everyone has been using right now? If you wonder about it, then we provide you the complete list of top 25 social media sites that are currently the trendiest.
Also see – What is Social Media Optimization?
Well, almost everyone knows about Facebook. It is the top social network present on the web right now. It is behemoth social networking site which has over 2 billion monthly active users, and it has more than 1 billion people who log on daily, as per Facebook.
According to recent statistics, Facebook Messenger has become the second most famous messaging app after WhatsApp. This app has lots of features which have made people fan of fit. People now use Facebook personally and even set up groups. With features like sharing photos, feelings, status, etc. people can express their lives through Facebook. People can engage with other people of similar interests and form a group. They can find their old friends and get in touch with them. This is among the most life-changing social media sites the world has ever seen.
Recently, Facebook failed to acquire Snapchat, but it did acquire WhatsApp so that it could remain at the top when it comes to instant messaging.
Twitter is well known as public microblogging network which allows the people to interact and publish their views in real time. It is where the news breaks first. Its 140-character limit attracts most of its user, and with unfiltered feed it allows them to see and get informed about everything in the form of tweets. Twitter has been evolving over the years, and it has been criticized a lot for trying to get the look as well as the functioning of Facebook. Twitter Card integration allows the user to share a different type of multimedia contents in tweets. There are many exciting changes that are supposed to come in the near future. It is among the best social media sites when it comes to dispensing information in concise form.
LinkedIn is best described as social network specially designed for professionals. Any person who is looking to make new connections to advance his career should be on LinkedIn. Its profiles are designed in such a way that it looks like detailed resumes with various sections of education, work experience, volunteer work along with certifications, awards and other types of work-related information. A user can also have recommendations from colleagues or seniors who can certify the users work ethics, capabilities, and skills. The users can also promote their business by creating new connections with other professionals, indulging in group discussions, by posting job ads, publishing articles to LinkedIn pulse and many more things. It remains to be the top social media sites to connect people from the different profession and interact to help them in their career.
- Google+
Google+ was launched in 2011, and it became the fastest growing social network the internet has ever witnessed. However, it did fail a couple of times with Google Buzz and Google Wave, but Google was able to create a success which stuck with the people. There has been a widely recognized notion that no one needed another Facebook-type social network, for which Google+ was criticized. But in 2015, Google+ launched a new strategy with emphasis on Communities as well as Collections features which helped it to differentiate itself from other platforms and give the users much more that they expected.
- YouTube
When it comes to watch or share video content online, we all go to one site, that is YouTube. After Google, YouTube has become the second largest search engine. Even though it is owned by Google, but it is still considered to be a separate social network with its own special place in the online world to visit to watch videos on any topic one can think of and even upload your own videos as well. From movies to music videos, personal vlogs, DIYs, independent films, documentaries, etc. one can find anything that he wants. YouTube has also launched its own premium subscription option which is called YouTube Red where all the advertisements are removed from the videos. This is one of the best social media sites which has revolutionized the world of video sharing and viewing.
Also see – Best YouTube Alternatives
Instagram has evolved to become one of the most famous social media networks when it comes to photo sharing as far as the mobile web has ever witnessed. It has become a great social network for sharing short videos while on the go as well as real-time photos.
Now it has become one of the leading advertising platforms for various brands as well as Instagram Influencers who generate massive income legitimately, through the network.
The app was initially available for iOS platform, but now it has expanded to Android as well as Windows phones. Now it has ventured into web too. Instagram was bought by Facebook in 2013 for $1 billion.
Pinterest has become a serious player when it comes to social networking as well as search world. It has proven the importance of visual content on the web. It is the fastest standalone website which has over 10 million monthly unique visits. Its attractive and intuitive pinboard-style platform makes it quite enticing as well as an important and useful resource for keeping the collection of the best images which can be subsequently categorized into different boards. It has also grown as major influencer when it comes to social shopping as it now features Buy buttons right on the pins of the products which are being sold by some companies. It has also become a favorite destination for artists to display their artwork and create a portfolio. It remains to be among the most prominent social media sites which have changed the business landscape.
- Tumblr
Tumblr is one of the most famous social blogging platforms which widely attracts teenagers as well as young adults. Like Pinterest, it is well known for sharing visual content. The users can easily customize their blog theme and also create blog posts in various types of content formats. The users can also follow other users and see their content present in their dashboard feed and be followed back. The popular way to interact in Tumblr is Reblogging and liking posts. In case you create and post astounding content, then you can have thousands of reblogs as well as likes which all depends on how far it is propagated into the Tumblr community.
- Snapchat
Snapchat is a social networking app which depends on instant messaging, and it is completely based on the mobile. It remains to be one of the fastest growing app present with ever increasing popularity due to the notion of self-destructing snaps. You can also send an image or short video as a message to your friend which will automatically disappear in few seconds after it has been viewed. People love this app as it takes away the pressure off of sharing things with everybody on the internet as they would have to do on traditional social networks, Snapchat also has a great and unique feature called Stories, using which users can share snaps publicly whenever they want. This app has become one of the most enticing social media sites which have changed the way people interact with each other.
Reddit may not have the most enticing layout or design, but it is a great social media platform. It has a strong as well as a smart community of people from around the world who come together to discuss various topics that they like while sharing various links, images as well as videos which are relevant to the subreddit topic thread where these users are participating. RedditAMA is another great feature which provides the platform for the users to ask questions to celebs as well as public figures who wants to host one. Reddit works by showing submitted links which get voted up or down by its users. The ones who receive the most number of upvotes gets to the first page of their subreddits. It is one of the most prominent social media sites which has influenced the perspective of users with serious discussions and sharing of relevant content.
- Flickr
Flickr is a famous photo-sharing network from Yahoo which has been in existence way before other famous competitors like Instagram and Instagram. It still remains to be one of the best places to upload photos along with creating albums and showcasing photography skills to friends. Yahoo has invested a lot in regularly updating its mobile apps with great features as well as functions to make it easier as well as enjoyable to be used from a mobile device. The users are allowed with a space of 1,000 GB to upload photos for free and use this app to organize as well as organize them.
- Swarm by Foursquare
Foursquare has broken down this app into two parts as per location. While the main app is used as a location discovery app while Swarm app is about being social. You can use this app to see where your friend is and also let them know about your location by checking in and along do chat or plan to meet up at any specific location. After launching Swarm, Foursquare introduced few of the best features to turn these interactions into games such that the users get the opportunity to earn prizes. It is one of the social media sites which has been making huge leaps in bringing people together.
- Kik
Kik is an app for free instant messaging which is famous among teenagers as well as young people. The users can chat with each other one-on-one or can chat in groups using their Kik usernames instead of their phone numbers. Along with text messages, users are allowed to send photos, videos as well as animated GIFs to their friends. Even though this app is mainly for chatting with people you know, it also provides the users with an opportunity to meet and chat with new people who have similar interests. Kik users can scan other users Kik codes in order to add them.
- Shots
Shots is one of the popular photo as well as video sharing social network mostly used by young kids. This social network is mainly centered around taking selfies. However, the users can also take VHS-style videos as well as do one-on-one chatting. It is praised as an app for being the app which doesnt include likes and comments on posts, by its users. It helps them to take away the pressure on users who usually get anxious about how their posts are considered and received by their friends and followers. It can be regarded as simplified version of Instagram. It remains to among the social media sites which have changed the way we share our photos and videos along with providing a means of communication with ease.
- Periscope
Periscope mainly deals about live web video broadcasting using the mobile device. This app is owned Twitter which has its share of rivalry against competing app which is used for broadcasting, such as Meerkat. Anyone who wants to start a new broadcast can easily send instant notifications to various people so that those people can tune into to get started with interaction by means of leaving comments as well as hearts. Broadcasters are also provided with the option to replays for users who have missed out due to some reasons ad they can also host their own private broadcasts for a set of particular users. Any user who only wants to watch something have to just open the app and browse through different kinds of broadcasts which are being hosted lived, currently.
- Medium
Medium is regarded as the best social networks for writers as well as readers. It is basically a type of blogging platform, much similar to Tumblr but it also features a minimal look to maintain the emphasis on content which has been shared there. Users are allowed to publish their own stories as well as format them just the way they wish to present with the help of photos, videos as well as GIFs to make their storytelling more compelling. All content is basically driven by the user community who recommend the stories which they like which end up showing in the users feed who follow them. Users are also allowed to follow individual tags as a way to subscribe to certain content which is focused on various topics of interest. It happens to be among the great social media sites which have provided a prominent platform for bloggers and writers to convey their ideas and philosophies as well as their knowledge.
- SoundCloud
SoundCloud is considered to be the most popular social network in the word for sharing sounds. Most of its users share the music they have made or podcasts which they have recorded. In case you are searching for a free music app, then you should definitely try SoundCloud. However, you dont actually get to listen to all the famous songs that you usually hear on the radio or can listen to on sites like Spotify, but you will get the chance to discover lots of covers as well as remixes which are often considered to be better than their own original versions. Even many famous artists use this platform which allows the users to follow their favorites in order to listen to what those artists have decided to promote on this social network. You can also find out what is trending and browse according to genres. You are also allowed to create your own playlists of your favorite tracks.
- Tinder
Tinder is regarded as one of the most famous location-based dating app which matches the users with people in their area. The users can set up their own short profile which usually shows their photos and then any person who has matched up to them can anonymously swipe right in order to like their profile or swipe left to pass on it as a match. In case someone liked a profile is likened back by another person, then it is a match, and then those two users can start having a chat conversation with privacy through this app. This app is completely free, but it does have some premium features which provide the users the opportunity to connect with people belonging from other locations, undo certain swipes and even get more Super Likes in order to let another user know that they are quite special. It is one of the social media sites which have changed the way we approach people of similar interest and meet them to interact and create relationships.
WhatsApp is currently the most instant messaging provider in the entire world which is a cross-platform app which utilizes internet connection or data plan in order to send as well as receive messages. The users can send their messages to individuals as well as groups by using text, photos, videos as well as voice messages. Unlike other popular messaging apps like Kik, WhatsApp uses your phone number instead of usernames or pins, which is an alternative to SMS. The users are allowed enable WhatsApp to connect to their won phone address book such that their contacts can easily be transferred to the app. This app also provides certain customizable features like profiles as well as wallpapers along with notification sounds.
- Slack
Slack is one of the most famous communication platforms for a team who wish to collaborate closely with each other. It is essentially a social network designed for the workspace. The team members can take the use of real-time messaging as well as integrate with other famous services such as Dropbox and Trello. They can deep search for files as well as other important information along with configurable notifications and much more. It is designed to keep every team member in the loop about the status of the work or with a specific collaborative project, and it is quite useful for a team which consists of members who are working from different locations. It is one of the best social media sites which has provided the teams all around the world to collaborate on various projects with ease and communicate for effective execution of projects.
- Musical.ly
Musical.ly is another social networking app which is best for sharing short music videos. It has a lot of similarities with Instagram which provides the opportunity to record short videos as well as edit them, post them to their profiles and also follow different other users and see what is currently trending. The main notion behind is to select a music track which is either from in-built music tab or from users iTunes library to record his dancing as well lip syncing to it. It gets more creative as you can achieve which your own personal lip syncing style along with editing skills, and you will most probably view it trend on this platform. It also has duet feature which allows two different users to blend together their own videos which have used the same music track into one video.
- Peach
It is still not clear if this app is going to get popular or not but it has definitely created a ripple in the news since its launch, but there are so many social networks which are already present on the web, so it is supposed to see some struggle to leave its mark. Peach provides users a simplified way to share their posts with their friends using their photos with looping videos as well as text-based messages along with links, GIFs, the weather and even location, to name a few. There are some great fun features which allow the users to enjoy like playing Peachball which is a game and another feature such as drawing doodles. It is one of the promising social media sites which has great potential to become a leading network.
- Quora
Quora has capitalized upon the curiosity of the people which is a great idea which leads to its creations and launch in 2009. This website is co-founded by two former Facebook employees, and this website claims to get more than 80 million monthly unique visitors. It is a question, and answer website where people can post their question and others can answer them. It is a great platform to get information on various topics, especially from the experts.
- Vine
Boasting with over 40 million users, Vine is considered to be one of the fastest video sharing social media app which allows its users to share 6-second video clips among their followers. It essentially looks like a short time for a video, but various businesses of different sizes are using this platform to achieve success. It was founded in 2012 and later acquired by Twitter. This sit remains to be among the best social media sites which is changing the landscape of video sharing and way the businesses promote their products and services.
- StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon a discovery engine which is used to find as well as recommend content for its users. It has over 25 million users who use this website for entertainment as well as information. With more than 80,000 publishers along with brand as well as marketers, StumbleUpon is used as Paid Discovery platform to promote their businesses.
The Conclusion
Social media networking sites have changed the entire landscape of the internet, creating ripples in society, making changes in peoples behavior and their knowledge. They have changed the way people interact with the real world and with other people. It has given a unique identity to people who wish to have a different life online, different from their own real life. It has become a residence for people who have difficulty with expressing their opinions, interact with people. It has changed the world of politics, sports, entertainment, news, etc. Social media sites are revolutionizing the entire world with every passing moment. We cant fathom what more changes which it will bring in the world. It is just wait-and-watch game.