Social media is keeping everyone connected, especially in the current world climate. There are over a billion users of social media in ALL of its varieties. And with lots of different ways of expressing yourself, there are as many apps to match.
For example, Twitch and Tiktok use videos and music to help you say what you need to say. Snapchat integrates videos but also photos. Instagram is photo-heavy but has video options. Facebook is mostly text, as is Twitter.
The bottom line is that there is something for everybody. Even apps that focus on dating and relationships have some features that remind us of social media.
So, let’s take a look at the top 21 apps and sites for social media!
The Top 10 Social Media Sites By Users:
1. YouTube
This is a video streaming site- everybody knows that. But, it still qualifies as a social media network.
There are many features about the site that indicate this: for example, you can post in your online community, create polls that help you see what your viewers are into and what video content you should create next, and read comments about the videos you’ve posted so you can see how viewers are feeling about what you’ve created and put up. You can also post photos on your community page.
Youtube is also the place people go for music. Sure, platforms like Pandora and Spotify are taking over, but Youtube is actually more popular than Spotify, according to The Washington Post.
We haven’t even brought up the fact that you can stream on this popular platform. Whether you’re into gaming, want to stream yourself making prank phone calls, or simply want to do an ASMR stream, Youtube is the place to go. With 2 billion monthly users logged in, the outreach is incredible.
2. Twitter
In a world where we have a lot to say, but everybody’s attention span is so short that you have to say it quickly, Twitter is the place to go.
The place has a bad rap/good rap, depending on who you talk to. It’s a great place to hear about celebrity news and gossip and is known for being a hub for news and political headlines.
The posts are easy and fast to read because there can only be 240 characters per post, so it makes things easy to break down and take in.
That being said, it is a place where toxicity runs rampant. Users getting into the site should remember this and proceed with caution- follow your favorite entities, but avoid people. For example, you might follow whichever sports organization you like to watch or news agencies.
There are 340 million Twitter users worldwide, says Omnicore Agency. With that level of outreach, the sky’s the limit.
3. Twitch
This is a haven for gaming and gamer culture, but you can find streaming for just about any topic- we’ve seen a storm chaser set up shop and stream a heavy rainfall and thousands of young people playing Fortnite and Call of Duty. Another popular streamer calls up phone scammers and goofs around with them while viewers laugh and cheer him on.
The concept is simple: you start your stream and fire up your game/whatever it is you want to do, and talk to the viewers as they come into your room. Viewers can then chat with one another and you as you do your craft/play your game/cook your meal/whatever it is.
You can stream for charitable causes, and your viewers can tip you by using bits or in-stream currency. It’s a great platform with a mostly positive vibe, and there are 3.8 million unique broadcasters as of February 2020. It’s growing huger and huger by the day!
4. Tumblr
Tumblr is a website for bloggers that has lots of social media features. It is a place mostly for artists as well as people who care about social justice issues, and the community is vibrant and varied.
You are free to follow anyone you like, create blogs on topics you enjoy, and engage/reblog with other users on the platform.
The site recently banned content deemed NSFW, so the content that is there is somewhat limited. However, there’s still much to discover, and there are topics on just about anything you can think of.
This is to be expected with social media sites: the fact that you are going to find some topics which are unsavory and downright abhorrent, but it is easy for the most part to block or ignore them and enjoy what you like. With over 452 million blogs to pick from, you can definitely find something you like.
5. TikTok
If you have a teen in the house or in your family, chances are they love Tiktok. Then again, EVERYONE is starting to get into this fun app. It reminds us of a lot of the old Vine app- small, short videos that you waste an hour watching before you realize how much time has passed.
It’s very popular with the youth, but people of all ages are discovering how fun this app can be. It focuses mostly on videos and has some basic video editing tools that allow you to make fun and catchy clips you can share with just your friends or the entire world.
There was a fear a while back that the app captured data and sent it to China, but this was not proven. That being said, the company is known for creating and releasing software that is riddled with security vulnerabilities. As with anything, use your judgment- but know that this is a great way to reach others and create snappy and exciting content.
6. Snapchat
This is such a unique and fun app. This is what we call a photo-chat app, and it is definitely a unique and fun way to communicate with friends and family.
You can also partake in Stories and create your user profile. There are some location sharing features (you can get cool photo filters based on where you are in the world). These are the features that really lend it the social media feel compared to the true purpose of the app, which is sending photos and messaging one another.
It’s very popular with young people, but it can be enjoyed regardless of your age. People everywhere love the funny filters, and it’s guaranteed to get a smile out of anybody, whether they are 8 or 89.
As with any social media app, you need to be careful. There’s a lot of NSFW content on there, particularly models selling access to “premium snaps,” which tend to be lewd or pornographic in nature. Do be careful as you navigate the app. With 249 million users daily, it’s a great app for getting yourself out there.
7.Reddit
If you’re an OG internet user, you likely were on a forum for something you enjoyed back in the day. Nowadays, the forum users have flocked to Reddit, where there is a Subreddit for just about ANYTHING you can think of.
Whether you want to read jokes, stuff about cooking, sporting events, or even technology and data, you can be assured Reddit has something for you.
As always, we have to lay out a disclaimer: there are some pretty bad Subreddits out there, and politics lead to lots of vitriol and division on that site. So, make sure you use caution and remember that there is way more good than bad out there.
There are more than 430 million users on Reddit each month. And, that number just keeps going up thanks to new users joining every day and the varied topics you can enjoy.
8. Pinterest
This is a unique and popular site, unlike any other social media site. It is popular mostly with women, with over 70% of its users being women. Most of these users also have a college degree, and over half of the users live outside of the United States, says Omnicore Agency.
Moms especially love it – 80% of USA moms who use the internet also use Pinterest. It is a great place for people that are into crafts, who take care of kids, and who are into cooking and trying out new recipes. Users create boards and title them with topics that interest them- for example, women getting married create “Wedding” boards and use it to pin ideas for decorations, dresses, favors, and more.
Moms might create boards dedicated to kid-friendly crafts and recipes.
And remember, there’s way more to it than “mom” stuff! It just happens to resonate with women. Go check it out to organize and pin ideas/articles about stuff you enjoy.
9. LinkedIn
This is a hugely popular social networking site, but most people simply brush it off. This is a social media networking site for professionals. You can create a profile and have that profile serve as a resume of sorts.
It’s a great place to network with other professionals and find a job if you would like to make a career change. It’s a good place to follow the companies and leaders you are most interested in and talk to others about your field or the market at large. You can use the Pulse feature for blogging about professional life if you choose.
Indeed, this is one you don’t want to sleep on. The platform is growing and currently boasts 250 million active users each month. It is an awesome place to get your name out there and connect with other professionals, learn tricks of the trade, and learn new things every day.
10. Facebook
This is, no doubt, the top of the dogpile when it comes to social media apps. There are over 2.7 billion users of the social networking platform.
Facebook offers users the chance to post videos, create groups, post their photos, and even start chats with other users.
It’s a great place to also list events you will be hosting and having- you can send e-invites to all your friends, and they can RSVP at the click of a button.
Not only do you get the features of Facebook that everyone loves, but you can also enjoy its offshoots, too: apps such as Messenger keep you connected with friends and family, and businesses can use Facebook Ads and Facebook Pages manager. This is just a small sampling of what this monstrous platform has to offer.
11. Parler
Parler is an up and coming social media platform you’d be wise to keep an eye on. Bear in mind that this platform is very heavy on politics and consists of mostly right-wingers, so please be advised if you don’t care much for politics/that subset of beliefs. That being said, the app is for everyone and wants to be a place where free speech reigns supreme.
The app is new and, as of June 2020, boasted 2 million users, not a terrible start by any means. Users are being added every day. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are great, but they have been accused of blocking or banning users from simply trying to express themselves. This aims to be a place where all speech is welcomed.
So, go check it out if it’s something you’d like to get into. Right now, it is very politic-heavy, but with time as things smooth over, the platform could very well expand into a place for ALL topics.
12. MeWe
There are over 6 million users in total on MeWe, and 2.8 million of them are active. This is an ad-free platform, and they expect to grow to 100 million users by the time 2020 comes to an end.
It is a social media networking site designed with privacy in mind. It’s freemium and contains no ads, states Mark Weinstein writing for the Wall Street Journal, and contains no manipulations of newsfeeds, and doesn’t target anything toward anybody.
Indeed, it is good to see a different platform starting to take flight. Plus, the site bills itself as an uplifting social networking site, which is something we call can agree is necessary in our current stressful world.
The advisory board of the platform includes the inventor of the Web itself, Sir Tim Berners-Lee. “MeWe gives the power of the Internet back to the people with a platform built for collaboration and privacy,” he stated.
Members are guaranteed to have control of their newsfeeds, privacy, and data. They offer very tough Terms of Service, which helps fend off bad actors.
In their own words, they state, “Member data is #Not4Sale to advertisers or marketers. Exciting, easy to use features people love for connecting with friends and family, plus common interests.”
The platform offers all you’d expect out of a great social media site: the chance to enjoy open and private groups, chats, newsfeeds, pages, custom cameras, live video and voice, gif reactions, and so much more. There is also a personal cloud feature, voice messaging lots of other great features.
Best of all, it comes in 19 different languages and is available on your device or your desktop.
13. Mastodon
There were 2 million users as of last year for Mastodon, the social networking platform which was trending in India last year.
It reminds us of Twitter in terms of its function and feel. It is decentralized, has a user-friendly interface, and is moderated by the community. It runs using open-source software. Anyone can host a server and take control of their own data.
Once you create your account, you choose a server that correlates with a community of interest to host that account. Rest assured, you can still access content from other instances of Mastodon, plus other social networks by ActivityPub such as PixelFed.
It’s a totally ad-free experience, and your feed is chronological. Nobody is collecting your information. Your server host will set rules, such as what kind of content is allowed on that server. Since servers can be run by anybody, there are ones that allow just about any content to be posted.
Keep in mind that the stuff that’s posted has to be in line with Mastodon Server Covenant’s guidelines, which are posted on the main website.
It’s going to be very easy for Twitter users to adapt to this website as compared to Facebook users, but it is still a great way to keep up with topics you care about. It’s more like Twitter than anything else, so if you can learn to deal without the large offering of features like you get with Facebook, you will love Mastodon.
14. Medium
Created by Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, Medium is a content publishing network where users can type more than Twitter’s 280-word limit. Members create content ranging from serious topics such as sexual assault and upcoming entrepreneur tips to light-hearted topics such as commentaries on a poorly constructed burger. Upon publication, the articles, just like Twitter’s tweets, can be viewed across the world.
Readers then interact in the comments, commenting, praising, disapproving, or building on the subject of discussion. Most articles are free to read although there’s a paid membership plan for those who would like to earn from their content.
It is a blend between journalism and a conventional social network. Just like traditional social media, content rises to the top through social impressions and interaction with the posts. Medium is like Twitter, but with more word count for those who have more to say.
15. Quora
Quora is a platform where people ask questions and give answers across a wide variety of topics. If you can think it, you will probably find it on Quora—in text form.
Boasting of over 300 million monthly users, in essence, Quora is a Question-and-Answer social media platform. It has a lovely interface and is super easy to navigate. The answers by the majority of users are of good quality and mostly from experienced people or professional experts.
Quora is akin to Instagram, minus the over-edited attractive images. Here, the most creative and intelligent answer gets more upvotes. This causes the post visibility to rise, gets you more followers, and more social interactions.
Most discussions surround philosophy, social behavior, business, and everyday experiences.
You can blog and curate a community around your interests. Like other conventional social media sites, you can upvote, follow members, comment on posts, and privately chat with users.
If you’re looking for a place where you’re free to share your expertise, everyday experiences, express your thoughts, and even possibly create a name for yourself without the superficial element of Facebook and Instagram, then Quora is for you.
16. WhatsApp
Although WhatsApp was bought by Facebook back in 2014, this instant messaging platform is an independent social media network in its own right. Though late in the game compared to other mainstream social media players, WhatsApp has managed to win over the imagination of millions of users across the globe by offering them the opportunity to communicate and share media posts instantly with fellow users and contact groups.
The platform offers a “stories” feature where users upload memes, pictures, and texts for their contacts to view. It also has a popular call feature and has greatly simplified how people communicate around the world.
17. Telegram
Like WhatsApp, Telegram is another instant messaging social media platform that is prominent and features eight customizable languages. The outstanding thing about Telegram is that it offers a more secured and encrypted way of sharing which is particularly important for people who share sensitive information and messages.
Telegram offers a limitless storage cloud for messages, photo, and video media storage, without a need for backup, meaning that you can delete the application from your phone, log in and out, and all the information will always be available at any time.
It also offers image compression, a 5,000-member super-group capacity, direct communication without a user’s contact number, unlimited number of members on Telegram channels, secret chat options with a timer to delete sensitive messages, and voice calls.
For these reasons, Telegram is popular with geeks and freaks.
18. Goodreads
Goodreads is a social media platform where you can be a part of a digital book club with fellow bookworms around the world. It was founded back in 2006 as a niche social network and is still a continuous source of knowledge, and discussions.
The platform is both a social cataloging site and a platform that helps people with book listing, finding books in its database, reviews, book quotes among other functions. The site has 90,000,000 members as of July 2019.
You can look up particular books and view what other readers thought about it. Likewise, you can drop your own reviews and give recommendations to other readers. The platform has virtual book clubs and an Artificial Intelligence feature that recommends books.
You can follow your favorite authors, update the books you have read, need to read or are presently reading. Goodreads offers more than book reviews and recommendations. The site has free samples and even free eBooks.
Basically, Goodreads is an easy-to-navigate social media network for book lovers.
19. Skype
Owned by Microsoft, Skype is one of the most popular communication-based social media platforms. It offers the ability to communicate with people via voice calls, video calls and instant texting. It also offers group conference calls.
Skype has over 600 million users and 300 million active users. Skype-to-Skype calls, messaging, and photo sharing are free, and there are no ads and spammers.
20. SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a social media platform where users share their audio content. For perspective, Quora is for text, Instagram for photos, SoundCloud is for audio. It’s a hub for upcoming and established musicians such as Damien Marley, as well as producers to share their beats and songs.
Upon signing up, users can upload free 120 minutes of audio content. For accounts that upgrade to SoundCloud Pro and Premium, users get extra add-ons, such as hosting space and in-depth engagement analytics.
As for the social network element, SoundCloud has public comments, number of listens, likes and reposts, to spur engagement and interaction on the site.
Bottom line, Soundcloud is the social media site for audio content creators.
21. DeviantArt
As the largest online art community, DeviantArt offers a platform where artists can share their photography, traditional drawings, pottery, painting and videography content. With over 9 million users, DeviantArt constantly evolves and grows with its members and to attract new ones.
Like traditional social media networks, DeviantArt allows members to comment, like, chat, join discussion forums, and share art pieces.
Deviant art is the social media platform for all artists around the world.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to read about our 21 social media apps and sites trending right now. You know about the heavy hitters, but you should definitely take some time to learn about the underdogs.
After all, you never know what could blow up and be the next big thing on the Internet. Take some time and check out a site you never heard of before – it could be one you really end up loving!