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Sometimes you still wonder what social media is. And what are social networks?

Are you confused and end up treating everything with one or the other term?

Didn't even imagine that social media and social networks could be different?

These are not your exclusive doubts, many entrepreneurs, especially those just starting out, are faced with this same type of questioning.

In the day-to-day application, it is quite easy to confuse the terms. Precisely for this reason, we want to help you! We created a very complete content so that you can understand the difference between them.

That way, when applying your strategy, everything will be much simpler.

Are you ready?

So let's start!

What is social media?
The term social media is not new. For a long time, these platforms were already called “new media”, that is, new media. In the past, social media has been considered a new way to get the message across in a decentralized way compared to traditional media.
Currently, they are considered online tools that help any type of business model to share information in real time, creating an approximation in the relationship between brand and target audience.

Basically, we can say that social media is a kind of blog open to the public. From which updates happen in real time, in a total interaction relationship.

And social networks are what, then?
In the past, social networks have been assigned to groups of people who share the same interest. So much so that, for a long time, this term was assigned to social networking sites.

Obviously, this is no longer the case. Social networks today continue to be based on relationships, but not only informal and personal, it is now possible to visualize different types of scale and needs.

For example, Facebook is, at the same time, a social network of friendship and also of business.

Perhaps, the subject is a little confused to understand. Right? But do not worry. We will explain to you in a more comprehensive and clear way, below, how it is possible to differentiate what is a social media from what is a social network.

How to differentiate a social network from a social media?
Understanding the correct way to make this comparison is not very simple, we must admit. This is because; one is directly linked to the other.

To make you understand better, we can say that social networks are a category within the media, where through them it is possible to create relationship patterns.

Because we believe that perhaps this comparison is still quite difficult, let's try to give you an example.

We took Twitter as an example. If we asked you if it is a social media or a network, what would you answer?

Well, if you use Twitter to share content, then it is social media. Now, if you only use it to interact with friends, it is a social network.

The questions remain: Does one fact have nothing to do with the other? After all, how do you know if what you share only with friends will not go viral?

This is one of the many charms that new media have the power to provide us!

Is it possible that social media is not a social network? Or, a social network, not a media?

It is impossible that a social network is not a social media, there is no possibility of making this separation.

After all, you'll be using some kind of tool to interact, even if it's just with friends.

However, the opposite may already exist. If you use social media only as a marketing tool, as with web 2.0, you have an advertising space without any interaction.

Did we knot your head?
We imagine that this could happen, but we are sure that all the future technology information that we make available, will help you to understand details about the subject.

Do not worry! With time and practice, you can make this insight much simpler.