Introduction and some basics
To reinforce our definition from Module 1, “Social Media” describes various forms of electronic communication through which users participate in online communities to create and share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos). Knowing how to use social media is an essential 21st century skill. We cover 3 popular examples of social media platforms in this module: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, with Facebook being the world’s largest social networking site, with more than 1 billion users worldwide.
Social Media platforms are essentially tools for social networking – conversations and interactions in a community of persons with similar interests, where you can share your thoughts, questions, pictures, links, videos, or anything else with your friends and others on the same network.
Two common considerations before we get started:
The Password
Your social media account is an important representation of your online identity and persona. Good practices and common sense in how you manage and use your account is extremely important to ensuring that your online identity and reputation remain intact. Creating strong passwords is your first line of defence in protecting yourself and your personal data online. Please observe and practice the important guidelines covered previously in module 4 of the 1st Course – Foundations of being Digital, including using different passwords for each of your social media accounts (use your own personal memory trick to remember your passwords)
The Terms and Conditions
As you create your social media accounts, you will likely encounter something like: “By clicking create an account , you agree to our Terms…”. Every social media site has a set of terms and conditions that govern the use and policies of the site. The document containing the terms and condition are often considered quite lengthy and overlooked by many users. Is is recommended that you peruse them and be familiar with terms and conditions of your use of the related social media platform.
