Category: Social Media

It can be hard to have one of the most viral posts in Twitter history as you have to already have a large following while also saying something that catches the attention of even the most casual of Twitter users. There have been a handful of tweets that have garnered millions of likes, with some standing out well above the rest. In fact, the most liked tweet has more than 2 million likes above any other. Here are the five that went viral and got the most attention.

Joe Biden Becomes President

The 2020 Presidential election was one of the most contentious ones that the United States has ever seen. Donald Trump had been running for re-election, but ultimately lost out to former US Vice President Joe Biden. That didn’t stop Trump and his supporters from claiming that the election results weren’t valid, which led to both sides becoming even more heated toward one another.

Despite all of the lawsuits and court hearings, Biden’s win was declared legitimate and he was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021. Biden had his first tweet as President that day, simply tweeting “It’s a new day in America.” Millions of people liked the tweet over the course of the day, and despite being in the first three weeks of 2021, became the most viral tweet of the year.

Greta Thunberg Claps Back

Nobody has been a bigger lightning rod on social media than Andrew Tate. Tate has had a lot of controversial opinions, especially when it comes to relationships with women. Tate has even tweeted out at other notable people on social media, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg. Tate posted a photograph of himself fueling up his car, saying that he has 33 of them.

Tate then said in the tweet “Please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions.” Thunberg’s viral tweet responded to Tate by saying “yes, please do enlighten me. Email me at smalld***energy@getalife.com.” Tate attempted to create another response of his own but received less than 10 percent of the number of likes and gave away his location via a pizza box, leading to his arrest.

Barack Obama’s Response to Charlottesville

In August 2017, James Alex Fields Jr. caused havoc in Charlottesville, Virginia when he ran his car through a crowd of protesters. The protestors were standing against the Unite the Right rally, and it was found that Fields had neo-Nazi beliefs. There were dozens of people injured as he drove his Dodge Challenger through the crowd, ultimately taking the life of Heather Danielle Heyer.

Fields pleaded guilty to a hate crime act resulting in death and 28 counts of hate crime acts that carried an attempted murder charge. Barack Obama, who had left the White House as President just a few months prior, quotes Nelson Mandela on Twitter in a post that went viral. He started out by saying “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion,” garnering over 4 million likes on the social media platform.

Elon Musk Buys Twitter

2022 was perhaps the most interesting year for Twitter as there was a change at the top for the first time in the site’s history. Billionaire and oft-richest man in the world Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion in one of the most talked-about acquisitions ever. Musk had been a regular on the platform and he only became more involved after he took over.

On April 27, 2022, shortly after the acquisition was announced, Musk said that he had another purchase in mind. “Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in,” Musk tweeted. Originally, the drug was part of the Coca-Cola formula, and Musk was clearly joking, but it did draw a lot of attention. Unfortunately for Musk, Coca-Cola would be nearly a $200 billion investment if he wanted it.

Chadwick Boseman’s Death

Chadwick Boseman had starred in many films throughout his career, but most know him for playing T’Challa (a.k.a The Black Panther) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Black Panther” was a monumental film and one of the highest-grossing movies in cinema history. For the final years of his life, Boseman was battling colon cancer, and only those who were closest to him knew.

That’s why so many people were blindsided on August 28, 2020, when his Twitter account announced his death, with his family making the post. “It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman,” the tweet read. “Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last 4 years as it progressed to stage IV.”

Instagram allows us to simply share a photo with a caption and it can be seen by millions of people around the world. It’s an extremely useful app for those that don’t want to read too much into backstories and simply enjoy photos for what they are. Over the history of Instagram, there have been several posts to garner tens of millions of likes, with these five going more viral than any other.

For this list, we wanted to make sure that we only got one Instagram post per user. The 2022 World Cup saw the top of the list get filled up by many posts from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, so we’re taking just the top one from each player.

Ariana Grande Gets Married

Singer Ariana Grande has had a ton of hits throughout her illustrious career including “7 Rings”, “Thank U, Next” and “Bang Bang”. The amount of success she was able to achieve before turning 30 was remarkable, though perhaps her best day came on May 15, 2021. It was on that day that Grande married real estate agent Dalton Gomez.

For Grande, it was the first time that she was in a relationship with someone who wasn’t a celebrity, so many people didn’t even know that she was getting married. Donning a Vera Wang dress, Grande posted an album of her wedding on Instagram and it became one of the most-liked posts in Instagram’s history.

The Last XXXTentacion Post

XXXTentacion got his music career off the ground in his early teenage years when he was releasing his tracks on Soundcloud. By the time he was in his late teens, he had developed a large following thanks to his song “Look at Me” from his debut album “17”. Born Jahseh Onfoy, XXXTentacion had a lot of personal problems, and sadly only lived to be 20 years old.

On May 19, 2018, XXXTentacion posted what would end up being his final photo on Instagram. The photo was simply of him shirtless and upside down with the caption “LOVE IS WAR”. Almost exactly one month later, XXXTentacion was murdered in broad daylight in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Many went back to his last post to like it as it became a piece of history.

Ronaldo’s Advertised Chess Match

We now get to the soccer portion of the list as Cristiano Ronaldo has dominated a good portion of the list of most-liked Instagram posts ever. Ronaldo’s most popular post of all time, though, is simply an advertisement that he posted in November 2022. The photo shows Ronaldo playing a game of chess on top of a Louis Vuitton case that resembles a chess board.

The caption makes it so that people are fooled and states that it’s an advertisement from a photoshoot. “Victory is a State of Mind,” Ronaldo said. “A long tradition of crafting trunks photographed by (Annie Leibovitz) for (Louis Vuitton).” What made it so popular is that it took two legends of the sport and put them together, with celebrities instantly calling it one of the most iconic pictures in sports history. 

The Egg

On January 4, 2019, a man named Chris Godfrey set out to have the most-liked post on Instagram and wanted things to be very simple. He posted a photo of an egg with a white background and nothing more. Godfrey named the account world_record_egg and it would be the account’s only post.

Godfrey succeeded in his mission as the egg became the most-liked post within weeks, destroying the previous record of 18 million. The caption said “Let’s set a world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram. Beating the current world record held by Kylie Jenner (18 million)! We got this.” Naturally, everyone wanted to be part of history and started liking the egg photo tens of millions of times over.

Messi Becomes the GOAT

We had already mentioned soccer legends and Lionel Messi, and now we get to both his top post and the top post in Instagram history. There had been one accomplishment that Messi was searching for in his illustrious career, and that was winning the World Cup for his native Argentina. Messi did just that with a huge game in the finals of the 2022 event.

Shortly after winning the title, Messi took to Instagram, posting an album of his team celebrating while he holds the prestigious trophy. When translated to English, the post reads “Champions of the world! So many times I dreamed it, so much I wanted it that I still don’t fall, I can’t believe it…Thank you so much to my family, to all who support me and also to all who believed in us.”

These days, people are becoming more and more exposed to disinformation across the internet. Disinformation is when you’re fed false facts through any form of media, and it usually pertains to propaganda, especially on a political scale. No social media site is able to fully avoid disinformation on the internet, and that even includes messaging apps like Whatsapp.

Some of the most common ways in which disinformation is shared come from when people that you know and typically trust intentionally misguide you so that you see things their way. If you feel like you’re being tricked into falling for fake news, there are some ways to avoid it. Here are five ways on how to dodge all of the disinformation that can come from Whatsapp groups.

Always Check Sources

Some of the biggest sources of disinformation are websites that have little to no legitimacy. If you see something that’s shared from a news site that has hundreds of journalists working and checking their sources, then there’s probably a lot of weight to that story that was shared with you. Some of the most reliable sources for news include the Associated Press, BBC, C-SPAN, and The Christian Science Monitor.

These are media outlets that mostly report facts without putting their own personal spin on things. Much of the disinformation that we see in today’s day and age will come from URLs that are operated by one or two people. Sites that have names like FreedomBeliefFigtherRebel.net or something along those lines that use buzzwords are often recently-created disinformation content mills.

Know Who You’re Talking To

There are always going to be people in our lives that we love dearly, but we know that they’re susceptible to falling victim to fake news. You should familiarize yourself with the people in your network and how often they’re sharing news stories from untrusted sources. If you’ve received seemingly countless messages like that from the same people, just pretend that those links were never sent.

Instead, try to steer the topic into something that’s completely different. You may also want to inform them that they’re spreading fake news and need to check their sources. Some people only find what they want to believe, so it can be like talking to a brick wall, but it’s worth it to let someone you love know that they’re being targeted with disinformation.

Look For Satire

You may have heard of the phrase “eating the Onion” when it comes to people who fall for satire that they believe is real news. This phrase comes from the satirical news outlet The Onion, which has had headlines including “New Zealand Prime Minister Resigns Citing Burnout” or “Election to Be Decided By Whoever Can Keep Hand on White House the Longest”.

There are more and more satirical websites that are popping up each day. Sites like The Babylon Bee, ClickHole, and Topeka News are all known for their humorous headlines that can often be taken too seriously. If you see someone sharing links to websites like this, let them know immediately that it’s just satire.

Take a Break

Social media will often bombard you with a lot of news headlines on a daily basis, and sometimes it’s just best to step away for a little while and live life while you can. People can easily become addicted to reading articles, many of which can be sensationalist and fake. Disconnecting from a Whatsapp group for a few days or even permanently can be good for your health.

While you should always be connected to what’s going on in the world so that you’re well-rounded and educated, ignorance is bliss when it comes to fake news. You don’t have to avoid the internet altogether, but sticking to trusted sources and avoiding certain groups can be great for you.

Look at the Headline

Any legitimate headline will be able to tell you exactly what you’re about to read without using sensational buzzwords. If you see a headline that’s something along the lines of “BUSTED! Joe Biden’s Hidden Secrets Revealed!” or “JAIL? Donald Trump On the Verge of Being Sentenced FOR LIFE!”, avoid them at all costs.

These types of headlines only exist to get you to click on them, and in many cases, try to pander to those who only want news that they want to believe is true. On the flipside, if you see a headline that’s something like “Department of Justice Investigates Donald Trump Over Classified Documents” then it’s likely going to be an article that contains mostly facts without personal opinions.

TikTok is one of those platforms where all of us wish that we would’ve gotten in on the ground floor because it exploded in popularity almost overnight and made stars out of those that were there first. Many of us are now left to play catch up and attempt to build a following, but that’s much easier said than done. There are millions of users on TikTok, so it can be hard to stand out in such a massive crowd.

If you’re dead set on finding TikTok fame but aren’t sure where to start, don’t worry. We’ve got some tips and tricks that are sure to get you plenty of viewers and even develop a new following on one of the world’s most popular apps. Here are five ways to make compelling TikTok videos that stand out.

Get Trendy

There’s no better way to get noticed on TikTok than to jump in on something that has just started trending. Check the hashtags that are starting to get traction on TikTok, and try to make a video when there aren’t too many videos just yet. There’s a bit of a parabola that happens for each trend as it comes out of nowhere, quickly reaches a peak, then fades into obscurity quickly.

If you’re able to stay on top of trends and get a video posted before that trend has hit its peak, you’re going to be getting a ton of shares and views. There will be plenty of opportunities every day to find a new trend, whether it’s a lip sync video, dance challenge or anything else in between.

Find a Gimmick

Almost all of the biggest names on TikTok have a certain gimmick that they stick to that helps them to stand out. Some of them interject themselves into other videos for comedic effect, some simply respond using only facial features to others’ content, and some have completely original ideas that have never been seen on the platform before.

At the end of the day, the people that have a formula and a gimmick are going to be the ones that are the most successful. Try to think about what it is that you’re best at, whether it’s dancing or being funny. There’s no doubt that people will keep coming back to your videos to see what you come up with next in that genre.

Get The Right Setup

Out of all of the TikTok accounts that end up getting a lot of followers, very few of them have grainy videos and poor lighting. If you’re serious about getting people to follow you on TikTok, you have to make sure that you’re spending money on a good setup. While it’s your personality that’s going to take you to the top, the professionalism of your videos will get you noticed.

With that in mind, you’ll want to invest in some good lighting more than anything. Make sure that you also have a phone that’s capable of recording high-definition video and audio. These key factors alone are more attractive to people that are scrolling through and only clicking on the thumbnails that look the most appealing.

Work on a Script

There are plenty of videos that are completely ad-libbed and the candidness can make them insanely hilarious. However, many of the videos that you see from some of the biggest names on TikTok are 100 percent scripted. It’s true, even the ones that tend to be “x reacts to y” are scripted far in advance.

While it takes away from some of the authenticity of what makes a TikTok fun, a script is what gets more views. Make sure that you’re coming up with something funny that people are going to want to watch, or some commentary that hits hard with people.

Keep It Short

Every once in a while, a TikTok video that’s several minutes in length will end up going viral, but most of the ones that get millions of views are only a few seconds, and hardly ever longer than 25-30 seconds. People don’t have a lot of time, and they want to watch a bunch of videos all in one sitting rather than a couple of long ones.

You can also mix it up a little bit on your profile. Not every video has to be short, but try to focus on those more often than the long ones. Once your following is large enough, it won’t matter how long your videos are as people will still want to watch them from beginning to end.

Whatsapp is one of the most used apps worldwide, with 2 billion active users each month. That’s an astonishing number as just a few years ago, that number was less than half. Because of the growth in popularity, we’re seeing more and more people join Whatsapp on a daily basis, with many of these users having no familiarity with how it works.

For new users, Whatsapp might be a little overwhelming, but thankfully it can be easy to master the app. If you’re one of the people that hasn’t yet joined Whatsapp but want to get in on the action, we have some tips on getting started. Follow these five things you need to know before you start using Whatsapp, and you’ll feel comfortable with the app in no time.

Setting Your Profile

The first thing that you’re going to want to know about Whatsapp is how to set up your profile. You can enter your phone number, and when you do, you can choose to have all of your contacts imported from your phone. This is the easiest way to make it so that you don’t have to go through and individually add every person that you know.

You can also import all of your contacts from Facebook to make things easier. This can also help you to set up your entire Whatsapp profile if you don’t feel like entering your details manually. If you do want to enter this info, though, you can do so by clicking the settings tab and changing your information in the ‘about’ section.

International Internet Importance

One of the things that people love about text messaging is that you can be just about anywhere and still get a message out. As long as you have cellular service, you don’t have to be on wifi to use Whatsapp, but it does help if you have a solid internet connection. Whatsapp has become popular as you can send texts on an international basis without being charged for international messages.

To take advantage of this and avoid the fees for texting overseas, make sure that you are connected to wifi before using Whatsapp. This will also help protect your messages better while also providing a more reliable delivery. Not all apps run better on wifi, but Whatsapp is certainly one of them that does.

Group Messages

Whatsapp became popular worldwide for a lot of reasons, with one of the most important being the ability to send group messages. This has helped keep families and groups of friends connected no matter where they are in the world. To get a group message started, simply head to the ‘broadcast lists’ tab on Whatsapp.

From there, you’ll be able to select which contacts you want to be involved with in your new group chat, and more than 250 people can be in one group. This isn’t just great for connecting with loved ones, but can also be a huge advantage for small businesses where you can send messages instantly and not worry about them not getting read like an email would.

Finding Old Messages

There will be times when someone mentioned something to you in a chat and you completely forgot what they said specifically. When this happens, many of us simply scroll up until we find the right message, but if there is a lot to sift through, it can be nearly impossible to find that exact message you were looking for.

Thankfully, Whatsapp has a feature that allows you to search through both group and individual messages to find what you were looking for. Click the contact info at the top of the screen within the chat and then on the ‘search’ button. From there, you can find keywords that were typed out in the chat, taking you to each message that contains those words.

Clearing Storage

Whatsapp is a great communication tool and allows for a lot of video and image sharing, but it can wreak havoc on your phone’s storage capacity. If you find that your storage space is getting a little bit low, you can sort through which chats are taking up the most and delete some of the images and videos that have been shared.

To do this, go to the ‘settings’ tab and then click on ‘storage and data.’ From there, you’ll be able to click ‘manage storage’ and choose the contact that you chat with the most. An option will pop up that allows you to delete all multimedia, clearing up a lot of valuable space on your phone.

Mastodon has emerged as one of the top Twitter alternatives, leaving many to wonder if it’s time to set up an account. The up-and-coming social media site was formed in 2016 but saw a massive user boost after Elon Musk took over Twitter. If you’re considering making the switch, it’s worth comparing the two sites first.

What is Mastodon?

Mastodon is a decentralized social media site broken up into servers operated by various entities. Each server has its own themes, rules, and moderators. Still, you can communicate with users from other servers as well as those on your server. This concept may sound complicated, but it’s easy to understand once you get your account up and running.

Mastodon vs. Twitter

Twitter is a social media and micro-blogging site owned by Elon Musk. It was previously publicly traded but has been a private company since October 27, 2022. On the other hand, Mastodon is decentralized, meaning it isn’t owned by a singular entity. According to Mastodon’s founder, Eugen Rochko, “The code is free, open-source software, and nobody can change the license or take it back retroactively, and all of the different servers are owned by other people.”

Mastodon’s decentralized approach makes it an attractive option for those who disagree with Twitter’s new direction. Twitter provides a more robust user base, meaning you’ll see more posts and get more engagement. Still, Mastodon’s growing user base already includes notable figures like George Takei, Neil Gaiman, and Stephen Fry.

Both sites let you follow others, write short posts, and like posts from other users. Additionally, both can be accessed on your web browser or via their smartphone apps.

Mastodon pros and cons

Pros

• Character limit: Mastodon posts are limited to 500 characters instead of the 280 you’re allowed on Twitter.
• Enhanced security: In April 2022, Mastodon tweeted, “We’ve been planning on adding end-to-end encrypted messages to the platform for a while now. It’s coming.” Although direct messages aren’t yet encrypted, the site gives you plenty of control over who can see your posts.
• Decentralization: The decentralized nature of Mastodon means large corporations can’t purchase it. Additionally, it makes it less likely that a single point of failure could shut the site down.

Cons

• Fewer users: As it stands, Mastodon has around 2 million active users, compared to about 206 million active Twitter users.
• Less user-friendly at first: Although the various servers become easier to understand over time, they can be intimidating when you first start.
• No monetization: This can be a good thing, but it may cause issues down the line. People and organizations are paying to operate the servers used to host Mastodon accounts, but they have no financial incentive to do so. Over time, we’ll see if Mastodon’s community-funded model works or if servers begin to shut down when people are tired of paying for them.

Is Mastodon better than Twitter?

Mastodon offers an exciting alternative to those who don’t support Twitter’s new direction. It’s better than Twitter in many ways, but ultimately, it boils down to your preferences. If you care more about decentralization and security, Mastodon is the site for you. On the other hand, Twitter is still the best choice if you want exposure to as much content as possible.

Twitter has been one of the most popular social media sites for years, but after the company switched hands, many began looking for alternatives. Mastodon seems to be the go-to choice, as it has doubled its user base in just a few months. Those looking for a Twitter alternative should consider hopping on the Mastodon bandwagon. Still, before you do, it’s worth gaining a better understanding of what sets it apart from other social media sites.

What is Mastodon?

Mastodon is a decentralized social media site based in Germany. In many ways, it’s similar to Twitter, but several things make it unique. The site lets you follow users and like and share posts, similar to any other social media site. However, Mastodon is broken up into various servers, operated by different organizations and individuals, each with its own themes and rules. 

This site is one of the few social media options that is both free to use and ad-free. It’s operated by a non-profit organization and markets itself as “social networking that’s not for sale.”

Does it matter which Mastodon server you use?

When choosing a Mastodon server, you’re choosing which node will host and moderate your account. Users from various servers can interact with each other, so you aren’t limited to those on the same node as you. There are thousands of independent servers, known as the “Fediverse.”

For many, the main consideration is how the server is moderated. Luckily, you can switch servers anytime, meaning you can leave the node you initially chose if you disagree with their decisions.

According to fedi.tips, anyone can run their own server for around $8 a month. Generally speaking, joining someone else’s server is easier, and there isn’t really a financial incentive to create your own. Still, creating and joining your own server is an option if you’re up for the challenge.

Is Mastodon associated with the blockchain?

Blockchain and Web3 technologies generally market themselves as “decentralized,” so it’s natural to wonder whether Mastodon is a blockchain-based social media site. As it stands, Mastodon isn’t associated with any type of blockchain technology or cryptocurrencies.

The main reason Mastodon utilizes a decentralized approach is to give users the power to support the servers they like most. Because it’s decentralized, you’ll never have to worry about it getting bought by corporate entities. Additionally, since the site is spread among various servers, a technical issue is unlikely to prevent it from working. If something were to happen to one server, it wouldn’t impact the other servers in the network.

How to sign up for Mastodon

First, you’ll need to choose which server you’d like to join on Mastodon’s server directory. Most are open for anyone to join, but some require an application process. Regardless of your choice, you’ll need to read their rules to ensure it’s right for you. 

Next, input your preferred display name, username, email address, and password. Finally, you can confirm your email address and begin using the site. Like Twitter, you can start by adding a profile picture, following a few accounts, and making your first post.

Political polarization divides people into two groups with completely opposing views. Examples are pro-life vs. pro-choice, liberal vs. conservative, and Democrats vs. Republicans.

2014 Pew Research pointed out many years ago that studies showed a strong move away from the center by both American political parties. This shift caused the center position to decrease to 39% in 2014, down from 49% in 1994.

In 2021 Pew Research, the center shrunk to 37%. Those in the contemporary center have little to no interest in politics. The center’s disappearance from the political conversation reinforces the feeling that political polarization is growing.

Republicans and Democrats agree on very little, except they share the belief of having almost nothing in common with the other party. Four out of five people from both parties say they fundamentally disagree with the other side about core American values. Political polarization creates affiliations of being either Red or Blue but nothing in-between.

Social Media Increases Political Polarization

Social media substantially increases the intensity of political polarization. The Brookings Institution research found that a relationship exists between social media platforms and extreme polarization that may erode democratic values and increase partisan violence. 

Engagement

The goal of social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tik Tok and others, is to keep people using their systems as much as possible. This use allows them to monetize their users’ attention and track information to sell to advertisers. This process is engagement.

Engagement is the interaction and activity with social media content. Creating a powerful reaction in a viewer by sensationalizing political issues (including spreading misinformation) is far more engaging than a boring presentation of facts.

Addiction to the Release of Dopamine

People are obsessed with social media because of its constantly changing 24/7 modality, unpredictability, the tiny pieces of information (or misinformation) it offers, and the reward cues such as likes, shares, followers, etc. Those characteristics stimulate the release of a neurotransmitter (brain chemical) called dopamine, which is pleasurable.

Research into addictive behaviors suggests that dopamine triggered by social media use is so powerful it is harder to resist than the addiction to alcohol or cigarettes.

Social Media Algorithms, Media Bubbles, Echo Chambers, and Confirmation Bias

The goal of any social media system is to attract new users and keep existing users engaged with the system. A social media algorithm is an AI-driven computer program that selects content choices based on user profiles to keep users coming back for more.

The system tracks what you do and how you engage with content and then presents similar content or its best guess of what content you might like to keep you as engaged as possible.

When you engage with certain content, like watching a specific news piece, you will see that type of content presented to you on your next use of the system. This phenomenon is a “media bubble.”

 An “echo chamber” effect happens when you get more content that matches previous content. Confirmation bias occurs when a user looks for content that reinforces a previously-held opinion. All of this leads to increased political polarization shaped by social media use.

Facebook denies doing this and says mainstream media and cable news spreads more disinformation than social media.

Conclusion

Overwhelming research shows that social media increases political polarization.  Social media use allows the easy spread of misinformation and makes it difficult to tell what is legitimate. Social media use makes political polarization more intense.

There are all types of social media platforms these days, but there’s one in particular that people turn to the most for breaking news since it’s so easy to find things out before anybody else, and that’s Twitter. On the other hand, Twitter has gotten a bad rap over the years because it’s not just for breaking news, as people post whatever they feel and it seems that the rules of Twitter are changing on a daily basis.

After all, multiple surveys and studies have shown Twitter to be the “most toxic” social media platform, even ahead of the likes of Facebook. If you’re on Twitter and want to get the best of what it has to offer without getting much of the worst, there are some alternatives to try out. Here are the five best Twitter alternatives out there right now, some of which you may not have heard of yet.

Reddit

Through the 17 years since Reddit was founded by previous college roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, along with friend Aaron Swartz, it has become one of the most visited and used social sites in the world. 

The site, available via an app on iPhone and Android devices, primarily consists of user-based content. Redditors can post content in separate subreddits, with subjects ranging from news, cooking, relationship advice, gaming, and so much more. Users can upvote, downvote, comment, share posts, and do whatever they choose on the platform, within the limits of each subreddit’s rules. Each subreddit has its chosen users acting as moderators to keep the peace and enforce rules, something Twitter doesn’t offer. 

Discord

Discord was founded in 2015 and was initially used as a way for gamers and their friends to communicate more easily during gameplay. Discord now allows users to interact with communities run by users as well as acting as an instant messaging, video calling, file sharing, and audio calling platform. 

Unlike some social media outlets, Discord doesn’t prompt users to reveal too much personal information with profile pages for others to view. Allowing for anonymity and simplicity. Users can create communities, called servers, for whatever purpose they desire. A majority of the user-created servers are made up of twitch streamers who want to give their followers a place to come together as a community and share news about their content. 

Tumblr

Founded in 2007 by David Karp, Tumblr is surprisingly still around, after overcoming the rumors and controversy that made many think the site was obsolete. Widely popular in the 2010s, Tumblr was, and still may be, the place for displaying all of your thoughts, poetry, and artwork, along with reblogging all of the quirky, aesthetic, and often NSFW content you came across. 

Tumblr cloaks users in anonymity and even allows nudity once again after it was previously banned throughout the site in 2018, making it a pretty neat place if you’re into that. It’s likely the closest Twitter alternative you’ll find with the freedom you’re allowed on the site. 

Clubhouse 

Clubhouse was founded recently, in March of 2020, a time when the majority of society was most likely aching for a social outlet to escape the monotony of staying inside at the very beginning of the pandemic. 

Clubhouse allows users to socialize using audio chat rooms, ranging in privacy and accessibility. Moderators of private rooms can pick and choose who they want to join and when they’re able to participate in audio conversations. Though open rooms are available to all and can get pretty interesting. 

Hive Social

Hive Social was founded just three years ago in 2019 by the Brazilian company Hive. It’s sort of a mix of all the popular social media apps of the past and present. 

The site gives users more freedom and allows nudity, urging users to be 17+ to join. Users can share files, pictures, and text posts, and even have their own profile that plays their favorite song when viewed. 

The music industry has changed a lot over the years, and it’s not enough to simply release a song and hope that it gets popular. Marketing a song has also changed, and now executives are making sure songs are gaining traction on the social media app TikTok so that it can boost exposure. With that, there have been several songs that have climbed the charts thanks to going viral on TikTok, with these five, in particular, receiving the biggest boost.

“Say So” by Doja Cat

A lot of people think that Doja Cat was brand new to the scene when her song “Say So” was released from her album “Hot Pink”, but she had actually been on the scene since 2014. Doja Cat had released several singles and an album up to that point, with none of her songs making the top 40 and her debut album “Amala” not cracking the top 100 of the Billboard charts.

“Say So” came out of left field as it didn’t become a main release until it gained traction on TikTok with content creator Haley Sharpe offering up a dance challenge with “Say So” playing. The trend would end up becoming viral, and the track that was an afterthought for Doja Cat ended up being her biggest hit. The song eventually reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to TikTok.

“Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion

Releasing her first singles in 2017, Megan Thee Stallion got off to a solid start in her career, with modest successes in the form of “Big Ole Freak” and “Cash S***”. Megan had her first hit with “Hot Girl Summer” featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla Sign in 2019, but it wasn’t until the release of “Savage” that she scored her first top 10 and number one song.

“Savage” got a viral dance challenge of its own thanks to Keara Wilson, with her original video getting well over 15 million views. The song was the most played on TikTok, and it took off right as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking full effect, with more people glued to their smartphones in their houses doing viral dance challenges.

“Remember (Walking in the Sand) by the Shangri-Las

Though most people find the remixed version to be incredibly grating on the ears, the original version of “Oh No” by Capone is the 1964 hit song “Remember” by the Shangri-Las. The song, which typically accompanies someone or something experiencing immediate regret, was remixed and repitched to fit the TikTok motif.

The song went viral due to its use in seemingly every video, and it drummed up interest in the original version. Google searches for “the Oh No song” spiked in November of 2020, leading to a huge surge in the original’s popularity. As for the Shangri-Las, they had other hits including “Leader of the Pack” and “Give Him a Great Big Kiss”.

“Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga

First written in 2007, “Paparazzi” was a solid hit by Lady Gaga upon its initial release back in 2009 from “The Fame” album. The song peaked at number six in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 and saw a resurgence in 2021 thanks to its use on TikTok. Many of the videos associated with the song were satirically obsessed over a person.

The version of the song that was used came from Lady Gaga’s live performance at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. For those that haven’t seen the video, her voice sounds almost nothing like the album since she’s showing a lot of emotion as she’s playing someone that’s been mortally wounded and showing a ton of distress.

“Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo

In 2021, actress Olivia Rodrigo had a massive breakout in the music scene thanks to her debut album “Sour”. The lead single from the album was “Drivers License”, which helped get a massive boost in popularity thanks to TikTok. The song has a strong emotional message and was used for more somber TikToks and also plenty of satirical comedy.

The success on TikTok helped get “Drivers License” to the number one spot of every major music chart in the world and propelled “Sour” to the number one album. Rodrigo would end up winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Drivers License”.