The Best Social Networking Apps of 2022

The 10 Best Social Networking Apps

For public figures and celebrities, social networking apps are a great way to further a business and stay in touch with fans on a more personal level. For everyone else, these apps are a great way to connect with people worldwide. With hundreds of sites available, we reviewed the top 10 social networking apps to help you learn a little bit more about them.

1. TikTok

If you haven’t heard of TikTok by now, you must have been living under a rock.

TikTok is a popular social networking app that has seen a surge in growth over the last couple of years, with more than 400 million global users. It lets users create and share 15 to 60-second videos with their smartphones. There are hundreds of songs and sound options users can apply to their videos. They can add filters and other effects to them as well.

You can watch and even record yourself reacting to other videos shared on the app. Also, users have a lot of control over what they view. For example, your "For You" page adjusts based on your likes and follows.

2. Twitter

For over a decade, Twitter has been one of the most widely used social networking apps.

With this app, you post short (or long, thanks to TwitLonger) messages or "tweets" on your profile, comment on other tweets, and share or "re-tweet" other user tweets. For the most part, Twitter is a real-time news source. However, it is also an excellent platform for business marketing and connecting with people with similar interests.

Twitter highlights trending topics on the home screen so you can stay current. Plus, users can also find content related to a specific topic by using hashtags. Overall, Twitter is a fun way to connect with friends and family, check up on local, world, and entertainment news, and much more.

3. Snapchat

With over 200 million active daily users, Snapchat has held firm to its popularity since its founding in 2011.

Snapchat is unique from other social networking apps as it also serves as a multimedia instant messaging app. True to its name, any messages or videos sent out are only available for a short amount of time before they disappear in a “snap”. Many users find plenty of entertainment in using the various filters and other visual effects like stickers and lenses.

Another quality that makes Snapchat unique is how the company is slowly evolving to incorporate different augmented reality technologies and features. They have developed a way for Snapchat users to create and share AR content. Users have access to an AR feature library that includes Lens Studio, Camera Kit, Snap Camera, and more. They have even created a pair of AR glasses called Spectacles, which have seen a few revisions.

4. Instagram

Instagram launched in 2010, and since then, it has been one of the most influential social networking sites, especially for younger users. It emphasizes mobile sharing, and since Facebook purchased the company in 2012, you can cross-post with ease on multiple social media sites.

With Instagram, Create stunning images and videos your way by using one of the many photographic filters and tools available. Some users take editing one step further by customizing photos or videos to create "Stories", which will appear on their main profile for only 24 hours. The most popular feature is "Reels" which is similar to TikTok, where users can record, customize, and share 30-second videos.

Instagram makes connecting with others easy. Follow profiles, send DMs, search for content by using hashtags, or check out the "Explore" page to see what’s trending or anything that merely piques your interest. It is also an excellent platform for promoting and supporting small businesses and brands.

5. Facebook

Since Facebook launched in 2004, it's considered the OG of social networking apps. Facebook is one of the most popular platforms with billions of users worldwide, spanning multiple generations.

Regardless of the numerous controversies that have come out over the years, Facebook remains one of the top services for many reasons. The app is easy to navigate, so uploading and sharing your status, photos, and videos is simple and enjoyable. Connect with friends and family by adding them to your "Friends" list, send DMs through Messenger, join groups depending on your interests, follow pages, like and comment on posts, and so much more.

Facebook is an ever-evolving social networking app that continues to innovate with its parent company Meta, so the amount of features the future holds is seemingly endless.

6. YouTube

Since Google launched YouTube in 2005, the video-sharing platform continues to be one of the most popular social networking apps, with hundreds of hours of content uploaded every minute worldwide. As long as you have a Google Account, you can broadcast videos to grow your channel, rate, and comment on other videos, and even pay to watch movies and content.

Like most social networking apps, YouTube owes much of its frequent use to its ease of accessibility. The app is accessible via smartphone, tablet, computer, Smart TV, or even video game console.

YouTubers are responsible for the majority of the content. The platform offers numerous categories, including vlogs, live streams, trailers, music videos, and more. Beyond being an excellent source of entertainment, YouTube has also grown the popularity of many content creators and companies with advertising and the app's global reach.

7. Pinterest

Pinterest is a unique social networking site as it serves as a visual discovery engine.

Pinterest users can search any topic, and the app will locate hundreds of images, GIFs, and videos related to that particular query. You can create specific boards to save the pins you like and keep your profile organized. However, with millions of daily active users and billions of pins, it's easy to find yourself scrolling for hours on end. From planning a wedding or party to finding a new hairstyle or outfit, Pinterest is good if you need inspiration or ideas.

Pinterest is fun to use when following others too, allowing you to peek at what your friends and family are interested in and choose to share some of their Pins in your own folders.

8. Reddit

Reddit is another outlier in terms of social networking apps as this is just one giant pool of more than 100,000 forums.

As a registered user, you can jump into a forum of your choice to view or discuss numerous topics. It’s a good way to connect with like-minded individuals to share your interests. For instance, you can find groups to discuss things as serious as current news to as silly as your favorite cartoon show. It’s one of the best social networking sites to meet up with strangers and form friendships.

Something to note about Reddit is that there are safe forums and NSFW (not safe for work) forums.

9. LinkedIn

If you’re looking for a social networking site that’s more professional for your career, LinkedIn is the number one option.

LinkedIn is known as the largest online professional network. The social platform is perfect for connecting with others in your job field, or it can even be used when hunting down a job as you can upload a resume, share skills, and more for prospective employers to view.

Join up with groups, write and share your own posts and status', and compile helpful articles for others to view and interact with.

10. Tumblr

Tumblr successfully blends blogging with social networking to form a giant microblogging social site.

Users can post content in short-form blog style. As it is a multimedia site, you can post a variety of content such as photos, videos, artwork, and more. You can make your blog private, sharing only what you post with those that follow you, or you can leave it public for anyone to discover.

As a user, you can comment on other posts as well as send private messages via an Ask box. Some users may set up anonymous messages too so that people that don’t have an account can still reach out to connect with them.

Honorable Mentions

Before we wrap things up, let’s touch on some other social networking sites. These five are upcoming in terms of popularity and worth the mention.

1. Signal

Signal is a cross-platform messaging app that’s made it big in the messaging world. It can be seen as a social networking app thanks to the fact that you can send numerous messages to friends and family.

You can start up group chats or stick to one-on-one interactions. Share videos, pictures, voice messages, and much more as you would with usual text messaging. However, unlike texting, Signal provides a much safer alternative. Everything is secure so only you and the sender who also needs to be on the app can view the messages.

2. TapeReal

TapeReal is a social networking app that may remind users of YouTube. You can upload and record your own content if you want to become a creator. Use the app to make a living, setting prices for your exclusive content.

You can even support other creators by following and unlocking their work. Many people have joined to offer fans and followers this exclusive content from YouTubers to educators. It’s a versatile platform that has a wide array of users. If you don’t want to sell anything, you can join up just for fun.

3. Caffeine

Have you heard of Twitch? If you have, then Caffeine should be familiar. It’s a live streaming social networking platform where users can watch their favorite content creators or become a broadcaster yourself. View anything on this versatile platform from gamers to musicians.

Truth be told, there are plenty of celebrities to view on the site as well as up-and-coming streamers. You don’t have to just watch the action though. You can join in via chatting with friends and other fans.

4. Peanut

Peanut is a distinctive social networking app since it caters to women. With millions of users, this app is steadily gaining popularity due to how easy it is to use it to connect with others that are within the same stage of womanhood as you are.

It’s more of a community than anything else. You do a text chat or even a video call with others. There are also groups to join to talk with numerous users with similar interests. It is a nice app to not just get in touch with others and make new friends, but also to ask questions and share advice.

5. Vero

Vero is a budding social media platform. It does share some similarities to Instagram, so users of that platform may easily get used to Vero. However, there is a single, glaring difference. Instagram and Facebook rely on an algorithm, while Vero focuses on a chronological content feed.

With this platform, users can share a variety of content. Although some controversies are surrounding the platform, it does appear to be continually working on improvements to make it more seamless for users.

Stay Connected and Find Community

There are dozens upon dozens of social networking sites, so finding just one isn’t the easiest task. Thankfully, many of them, like the ones in our top 10 list, have various uses so you can feel free to explore multiple platforms at once.