Now, more than ever, you can be a part of your family and friends’ lives, even when you are apart. Social media and other platforms and apps make it easy to stay connected from your personal computer, laptop, phone or other devices. But because there are so many social platforms and apps, it might feel confusing to keep track of what you can do with each and how they work. The following basics should help you get started!
Apps
‘Apps’ is short for applications: programs that you can download to your devices instead of using an internet browser. They’re found in an application store on your device (App Store on iOS/Apple devices, Google Play Store on Android and Google devices, or Windows Store on Windows devices). Just click on the app store for your device to download free or paid apps or to see what you’ve already installed.
Apps are available for almost anything you can think of: games (e.g., New York Times Crossword, Words With Friends), social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok), reading (e.g., Kindle, Libby), video streaming (e.g., Netflix, Hulu), shopping (e.g., Amazon, Target) and more. Apps are organized in app stores by category. You can also search by most popular or by name or type of apps.
Instagram is a social media app and site for posting pictures and videos. Users can create a post to display on their account page and the homepage timeline of their followers. You can also comment on posts, ‘like’ them by tapping the heart icon, share them with friends or include them in your ‘story.’
Instagram ‘stories’ are temporary posts members can share for up to 24 hours. Many companies and organizations use Instagram to reach users, sell products or share information. Instagram Help Center
Facebook is a popular social media app and website. You add ‘friends’ who can see your posts and whose posts you can see on a home page. Users also have their own main page where you can see the user’s profile picture, information about them and photos, links, videos or other posts they’ve shared.
You can also follow ‘pages’ on an unlimited number of interests, including celebrities, tv shows, movies, towns, restaurants, companies, non-profits, social causes, politics and more.
Many Facebook users also join various ‘groups’ that pair well with their lives and interests, locally, nationally and even internationally.
Facebook users interact by posting on each other’s ‘walls’ or interacting with posts through reaction buttons, comments or sharing. With Facebook Messenger, you can even send private, direct messages to those on your friends list. Facebook Messenger Kids is for children under 13, allowing them to message guardian-approved people under a guardian’s account. Facebook Help Center.
X (previously known as Twitter)
X is another social media app and website. Users can post short messages, up to 280 characters, which may include a link, video, picture or sharing a post from another user. You can ‘follow’ people you know, strangers, celebrities, companies and organizations to see their posts on your X homepage. You can also see the ‘timelines’ of other users or post to your own timeline for your followers to see. With the explore feature, you can look up hashtags (searchable phrases preceded by a # sign) or particular words and what’s trending (top hashtags or popular phrases at the time). X Help CenterÂ
Blogs
Blogs are basically web pages run by one or more individuals working to share information, usually in a specific niche, often in an informal way. Anyone can visit a blog. Blogs may be found by performing a web search or by recommendation.
Typically, blogs have a reverse timeline on their main page, meaning that the most recent post is usually first, with other posts shown in reverse chronological order. Blogs typically include writing about the topic along with pictures, videos, recipes or links to other pages or products. Menu tabs or blocks are usually near the top of the page to click so you can explore the blog or access an ‘about’ section to learn more about the author(s) and the blog. Authors often encourage visitors to leave comments at the bottom of their posts, ‘follow’ the blog site for updates or sign up for email notification lists.
Posting Photos
On social media platforms, users can post photos or videos to share with friends or followers. The exact method varies depending on the platform, but many have either a plus sign or a button to click that says “post.” If you’re using an app to post photos, you may need to allow permission for the app to access your saved images. You can also usually take a picture or video while in the app. You should see a screen notification that your photographs or videos have been posted. But to check, you can look at your own profile or ask someone you know to look at your page from their account.
Now, more than ever, it’s possible to be part of your family and friends’ lives, even when you are physically apart. Social media and other platforms and apps make it easy to stay connected from your personal computer, laptop, phone and other devices. These basics should help you get started and stay connected.
