Social network | Habefast
Social networks play a central role in how we communicate, consume, and even shape collective thinking.
Initially designed as platforms for personal exchange, they have, in less than two decades, evolved into global ecosystems with diverse uses: informing, debating, discovering, influencing, and selling.
For brands, social media is no longer just a visibility channel. It has become a strategic lever to capture attention, build proximity, generate engagement, and support the customer journey. Whether the objective is awareness, conversion, or loyalty, social networks allow for the delivery of targeted, contextual, and measurable messages in real time.
Social network: definition and role in digital marketing
A social network is a digital platform that allows users to create a profile, connect with other individuals or organizations, and interact through various content formats (texts, images, videos, or reactions). These interactions can be public, semi-public, or private, depending on the chosen settings.
There is a wide variety of social networks, each distinguished by its purpose, positioning, and audience.
Some are geared toward professional networking, such as LinkedIn, while others focus on personal or community-based interactions, like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Each platform also attracts specific age groups and user profiles, influencing how content is created, shared, and consumed.
In a marketing context, social media is used to build brand awareness, engage communities, and drive conversions through the distribution of targeted messages.
Major social networks
Here is an overview of the most widely used social media platforms globally, along with their key features, and a look at the dominant platforms in Asia.
Most used social networks in the Western World
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Facebook
Although early platforms like Six Degrees (1997), Friendster (2002), and MySpace (2003) laid the groundwork for modern social networks, it was Facebook that truly marked a turning point in widespread adoption. Launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard students, Facebook quickly became the first global platform to surpass one billion users in 2012.
Facebook transformed digital communication by introducing key features such as the News Feed, business pages, and advanced advertising tools. These innovations made it a defining platform of its era—one that remains essential for brands looking to engage with their audiences.
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Instagram
Acquired by Facebook in 2012, Instagram has become the leading platform for visual content sharing. With the introduction of Stories in 2016 and Reels in 2020, the platform has strengthened its appeal among younger generations and brands, making it a key tool for influence marketing and visual branding.
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X (formerly Twitter)
Launched in 2006, X has become a go-to space for real-time news and public debate. The platform is widely used by journalists, politicians, and businesses for monitoring trends, live-tweeting, and institutional communication.
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LinkedIn
Since its launch in 2003, LinkedIn has been the go-to professional network. It allows users to expand their network, share professional content, and explore career opportunities. For companies, LinkedIn is a strategic tool for recruitment, corporate communication, and employer branding.
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YouTube
Founded in 2005 and acquired by Google in 2006, YouTube is the world’s leading video-sharing platform. It is used for entertainment, education, product discovery, and video SEO. Brands use it to share long-form and engaging content and to collaborate with content creators.
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TikTok
Launched in 2016 by ByteDance, TikTok has revolutionized the social media landscape with its short, viral videos. The platform has become a powerful lever for brands, especially with TikTok Shopping, which directly influences consumer purchasing decisions.
Dominant social networks in Asia
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WeChat
Developed by Tencent, WeChat is much more than a messaging app. It integrates payment services, e-commerce, administrative tools, and content sharing, making it a must-have super app in China. For brands, WeChat offers unique opportunities in integrated marketing and CRM.
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Weibo
Often described as a hybrid between X and Facebook, Weibo is a popular microblogging platform in China. It is used to follow current events, comment, and interact with brands, offering a dynamic space for communication and influencer campaigns.
We could have further explored other influential platforms such as Snapchat, WhatsApp, or LINE, which meet specific local or generational needs and offer targeted marketing opportunities.
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Social media: impact on Marketing, Communication, and Society
A channel for expression and connection
Social media has disrupted traditional models of communication. By offering a public space for exchange, it allows brands to speak directly to their audiences—without intermediaries—while building a human, authentic, and ongoing relationship. Whether for large corporations or small businesses, this ability to “speak truthfully” encourages engagement, closeness, and customer loyalty.
Influence on buying decisions
Social networks play an increasingly central role in the purchasing journey.
Before buying a product or service, consumers consult reviews, watch video demonstrations, follow influencer recommendations, or view content from their own network. This social proof—visible through likes, comments, and shares—greatly influences brand perception.
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have integrated e-commerce features directly into posts (shops, product links, live shopping), closing the gap between inspiration and conversion. This has reshaped the logic of selling, encouraging impulse purchases and product discovery through social navigation.
Powerful and measurable advertising tools
Social media stands out for the richness of its user data and the precision of its advertising targeting.
Thanks to behavioral algorithms and analytics, brands can run highly personalized campaigns, shown at the right time, to the right audience.
These campaigns are also immediately measurable—impressions, clicks, conversions, engagement rates—allowing marketers to continuously optimize investments and adapt messaging based on performance. In this context, social ads, brand content, and influence marketing have become pillars of digital strategy.
A driver of global economic growth
Beyond communication, social media has a real impact on the global economy.
It has created thousands of new jobs—community managers, content creators, social media analysts—and has fueled the growth of entire ecosystems: influencer marketing, social commerce, SaaS platforms.
They also contribute to the international expansion of brands, enabling them to gain exposure across borders quickly and without the cost of traditional media. This dynamic benefits both major corporations and smaller businesses—especially SMEs—who see social media as an accessible and flexible growth lever.
A strategic tool for SMEs
For small and medium-sized enterprises, social media is often the first gateway to digital visibility.
It allows them to showcase products and services, highlight their expertise, humanize their brand by sharing behind-the-scenes content, and develop an attractive employer brand.
It is also an increasingly important channel for customer service. Consumers ask questions, report issues, or leave reviews on social platforms. Effectively managing these interactions—with responsiveness, clarity, and transparency—can greatly enhance brand trust and customer relationships.
A space of cultural and social influence
Finally, social media is not limited to commercial use.
It has become a space for expression, civic engagement, mobilization—and at times, polarization. It shapes cultural trends, public discourse, and even social behavior.
For brands, this brings greater responsibility: being active on social platforms means navigating a fast-changing, sensitive environment where authenticity, listening, and consistency are non-negotiable.
Conclusion
Social networks today is far more than a simple communication tool: they define behaviors, influence purchasing decisions, transforms marketing strategies, and plays an active role in the digital economy. As powerful drivers of visibility, engagement, and customer relationships, social networks offer companies—from SMEs to large corporations—a unique opportunity to connect directly with their audiences.
To fully leverage their potential, it is essential to understand platform-specific codes, tailor content accordingly, and integrate these channels into a strategy that is coherent, human-centered, targeted, and adaptable.
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