The Difference Between Social Media and Social Networking
Social media and social networking are terms often used interchangeably. However, while they have some overlap, these communication platforms also have distinct differences. Understanding the unique purposes and features of social media vs. social networking helps clarify their roles.
In this blog post, we’ll compare and contrast social media and social networking so you can strategically use them for personal branding, business marketing, building connections, entertainment, and more. Whether you’re new to the online social sphere or just seeking clarity between specific platforms, read on to learn the key variances.
Defining Social Media
Social media refers to websites and mobile applications that allow users to post content and engage with people across the internet. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and more are considered social media. These sites and apps offer tools to distribute text posts, photos, videos, live streams, Stories, reels, and other media publicly or semi-publicly online.
Hashtags and handles allow users to organize content and make it discoverable by broader audiences with shared interests or identities. Features like commenting, sharing, direct messaging, and using emojis facilitate interaction between community members. Notifications alert users when others engage with their content, mention them, share posts featuring them, or direct message them.
Some of social media’s general capabilities and purposes include:
– Sharing personal updates, creative work, news, thoughts, and other content
– Interacting casually with friends, family, acquaintances, and online connections through posts and messaging
– Entertaining oneself by consuming content in feeds and Stories
– Taking part in trends, memes, challenges, and viral online movements
– Expressing opinions, advocating causes, and building personal brands or influencer status
– Following trends, current events, pop culture figures, niche interests, local happenings, and more
– Marketing businesses, promoting brands, driving website traffic, making sales, and advertising
– Networking professionally and making industry connections
Overall, social media revolves around creating and engaging with publicly shareable media. Participants cultivate both broad audiences and personal communities by posting their own content and interacting with others’.
Defining Social Networking
Social networking refers to internet platforms that specifically focus on building personalized networks of connections. While also involving sharing updates and media, the ultimate goal is to foster relationships.
Whereas social media prioritizes content meant for public consumption, social networks concentrate on profiles, friends lists, groups, and private messaging for relationship-building between individuals. Direct conversations take precedence over widely distributed posts.
While often accessed via websites and apps like social media, core social networking platforms include:
– Facebook
– LinkedIn
– Nextdoor
– Private messaging apps like WhatsApp
The emphasis stays on two-way dialogues through comments, messages, reactions, and sharing rather than broadcasting to as many people as possible. Users focus less on racking up generalized likes and followers and more on nurturing meaningful connections.
Some hallmarks of social networking activities include:
– Customizing in-depth personal and/or professional profiles
– Cultivating selected groups of friends and followers
– Joining special interest groups focused around identities, affiliations, causes, etc.
– Directly interacting with individuals through private or group messaging
– Establishing contacts for career networking, business leads, personalized advice, etc.
– Building relationships with people you know personally offline as well as strangers
– Belonging to communities defined by shared backgrounds and experiences
In summary, social networking spotlights deepening personal ties vs. wide distribution. The priority stays relationships first, content second.
Key Differences Between Social Media and Social Networking
While definitions provide a broad sense of the social media vs. social networking divide, examining specific variances paints a clearer contrast:
Content Purpose
Social media content entertains, informs, or inspires the masses. Social networks communicate interpersonally with niche audiences.
Content Style
Social media spotlights polished posts for public consumption. Social networks feature casual conversations between connections.
Content Transience
Trending social media content changes rapidly with shifting trends and algorithms. Social networks center slowly developing relationships and dialogue.
Audience Scale
Social media followers can number in the thousands to millions. Social networks focus on selective groups of dozens to hundreds.
Audience Connection
Social media followers are wide-ranging, loosely-connected, and centered around content. Social networking friends usually share closer, real-life connections.
Privacy
Social media defaults to public posts unless privacy settings are adjusted. Social network content stays more protected and tailored only to chosen friends or groups.
Revenue Generation
Social media revolves around influencer sponsorships, brand deals, and advertising. Social networks offer less commercial opportunities.
Algorithms
Social media feeds feature content optimized by algorithms for visibility and traffic. Social network feeds organize chronologically with equal visibility.
Trend centricity
Viral challenges, memes, and trending topics dominate social media. Social networks discuss more personal, everyday matters.
Celebrity/Influencer Prevalence
Social media features high visibility of influencers, artists, athletes, politicians, and celebrities. Average social network users are predominantly regular individuals.
Anonymity
Social media encourages using your real identity to build a personal brand and following. Social networks more commonly accommodate anonymous accounts.
While there is certainly overlap in uses, the core motives differ between social media and social networking. Both forms of digital connection have distinct benefits in building community, sparking creativity, meeting people, marketing oneself or a business, discovering content, and more. Typically social media serves public figures and brands better, while social networks empower interpersonal relationship development.
In Summary
Hopefully contrasting social media and social networking clarifies how these prevalent digital spheres both unite and diverge. Social media revolves around content creation and consumption, viral trends, entertainment, self-expression, influence, branding, and advertising powered by shares, likes, and follows. Social networking focuses inward on relationship cultivation among individuals, groups, and community building fostered through profiles, friends lists, private communication, and belonging.
There’s no need to stick to just one or the other though – you can actively participate on various social media platforms to establish your personal brand and follow interests while also being active on social networking sites to strengthen personal relationships. Maximizing both spheres expands your reach and impact whether for business or pleasure. So utilize the unique features of both social media and social networking to promote your goals and nurture meaningful bonds across the digital landscape.