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Answers to Go

Answers to Go

Sunday, January 17, 2021

San Marcos Public Library

625 E. Hopkins St.

512-393-8200

What's the Q.difference between Facebook, Instagram and Twitter? Which one should I sign up for?

Facebook, Instagram and A. Twitter are a few of the most popular social networking platforms used today. The difference between them is that they are used for different purposes and to reach different audiences. Deciding which one(s) to sign up for depends on your purpose. Let’s briefly go over the social networking platforms mentioned, as well as a few others to help you make your decision.

Facebook is typically used to contact friends and family and update them with what is happening in your life. You can share pictures, videos and articles, as well as your own thoughts and opinions. It can also be used for advertising your business and products. Facebook is accessible on mobile devices and computers.

Instagram also lets you connect with friends and family, but it is focused on photos and videos. You can’t post an update without including a picture or video. People use it to show their lives and businesses visually. Although you can access Instagram on a computer, many of its features are only available on a mobile device.

While Instagram is very visual, Twitter is mostly text-based, although you can attach a picture, video or article to your posts. These posts are called “tweets.” You can tweet about any subject you want, whether it be politics, sports, cooking, fashion, etc. However, you are limited in the number of characters you can write a post with. While you can connect with friends and family members via Twitter, people often use Twitter to follow celebrities, politicians or users (often strangers) who share similar academic and personal interests with them. Twitter is accessible on mobile devices and computers.

Snapchat and TikTok are two other social networking platforms you may have heard about. They are very popular with younger generations. Snapchat is a mobile app that allows users to send and receive “self-destructing” photos and videos, meaning the messages disappear from the recipient’s phone after a few seconds. Photos and videos taken with the app are called snaps. TikTok is a mobile app that allows its users to create, share and discover short videos. The app has many ways to add fun to a user's videos; for example, there are options to add a sound/song, shoot in slow-mo, time lapse, fast forward, or add filters and effects. Both Snapchat and TikTok are only accessible on mobile devices.

Facebook is the most versatile social networking platform out of all platforms mentioned because it’s accessible on all devices and there are no limitations on the type or length of your posts. However, if your main goal is to connect with your grandkids, it’s possible they may not even have a Facebook account, as this platform tends to be more popular with older generations. Once you decide what you’re looking to get from a social networking platform, it becomes much easier to decide which one is the right fit for you. Good luck, and have fun.

San Marcos Record

(512) 392-2458
P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666