Business programme
Start-Up, Scale-Up by Lloyds Bank Academy
Use social media
Use social media to stay in touch.
Introduction to 'Use social media'
For many people, social media is one of the main reasons why they go online.
A recent survey showed that:
56.2 million
people in the UK use social media.
70%
use it every day.
You may have heard about social media apps. Like Facebook, X, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. These apps let people chat with each other to share ideas, opinions and content.
In this lesson, you’ll learn more about social media and its benefits. We’ll help you to find and use apps that work for you. Plus, we have tips on how to stay safe when you’re using them.
What you'll learn
- What social media is and why you might use it for.
- The different social media apps and how to pick the right ones for you.
- What you can do with social media.
- How to use these apps safely.
How long it takes
11 minutes
What is social media?
Chapter 1
How long it takes
2 minutes
Socialising online
Social media can be a fun and easy way to mix with friends and family. When you don’t have time for a longer call or in-person get-together, it’s a way to check in or say ‘Hello’. When life gets busy, it’s nice to see pictures and updates from your loved ones. The apps make it quick to post, react and reply.
Why use social media?
All social media platforms have their own benefits and features. Most of them have common features too.
They can help you:
Stay connected
Send messages and share photos and videos with friends and family you don’t see so often.
Plan events with family and friends
Most sites let you share invite details (like date and time) and get responses from people.
Access content
Find video content, written posts, images or articles. Follow topics and people who interest you.
Connect with a global community
Stay in touch with friends and reconnect with old ones. Join groups to meet people with similar interests.
Chat and video call
Some social media platforms let you message or video call, to reach out and chat with people directly.
Finding a platform that’s right for you
With social media, there’s no ‘one size fits all’. You may have read some of the features here and thought they sound helpful, while others don’t. The good news is, there are lots of options to pick from. So you can just use the sites that work for you. You also have the flexibility to decide what you want to do and share once you’re on these platforms.
In the next few chapters, we’ll take a closer look at the different social platforms available. This will help you feel better equipped to make choices that will suit you.
Social media platforms
Chapter 2
How long it takes
4 minutes
Popular social media platforms
Let's look at some of the UK's most popular social media platforms:
-
Facebook is a free to use social app.
You can use it to:
- Chat with friends, family and contacts.
- Post images and videos.
- View and react to other people’s posts.
- Create and join groups/communities.
- Keep track of your friends’ birthdays.
- Plan events and meet-ups.
- Buy and sell goods on the virtual ‘marketplace’.
There’s also Facebook Messenger, which is the instant messaging part of Facebook. Here, you can chat, group chat, phone and video call through the platform.
-
Instagram is a free image sharing platform. People post photos and ‘reels’ - short videos. There’s also a feature called ‘stories’. This lets you share short video clips or images that disappear after 24 hours.
You can buy goods through the shopping feature – look for a shopping bag icon or tag in posts and reels. You can sell here too – you’ll need to set up a Shop which you can use on Facebook and Instagram. You’ll also need your own website, to handle the checkout process.
-
Twitter was renamed ‘X’ in 2023. It lets you share updates, thoughts and ideas with other X users. You can edit your settings so only certain people can see your posts, like your friends and family. People also use it to share far and wide.
Posts, known as ‘tweets’, are up to 280 characters long. They’re short and to the point. You can also post images and videos and follow people/groups you’re interested in.
X is free to use, plus it has a paid subscription service that has extra features and fewer ads.
-
TikTok is another free platform. This one is all about creating and sharing short videos – some just a few seconds long. So you can scroll through videos from friends, people you follow, or the wider TikTok community.
Though TikTok started off just showing music videos to sing along to, it now hosts a range of videos for entertainment and learning. You can also use the TikTok Shop in the app, to buy and sell items.
-
Snapchat is a free photo and video sharing app. People tends to use it with friends or family members. Snapchat videos automatically delete after a set period of time, depending on your settings, though you can save them as ‘Memories’. Snapchat also has ‘stories’ and a chat function that you can use to chat or ‘snap’, one to one or with a group. You can call and video call too.
Although Snapchat is free, there are paid plans with extra features or if you need to store more ‘Memories’.
-
WhatsApp is a free instant messaging service. You can use it to connect, chat and call other people using their phone number. Unlike the other social apps, this site is just for sending and receiving messages, and having calls/video calls with people. You can share photos and videos and have group chats here, too.
-
This is mainly a job/career-based social media platform. Professionals, businesses and people looking for jobs all use it. It’s free to use, with extra features you can pay for.
You can:
- Search and apply for jobs.
- Network with others.
- Share posts and events.
- Chat with your network.
- Make video calls.
-
Want to redecorate your home, change your hairstyle or just looking for recipe ideas? Pinterest is an image sharing app that you can use as a visual search tool and online ‘scrapbook’. People share images and ideas on many topics. Use the search bar to find posts that match your interests. Then save or ‘pin’ them to a virtual ideas board. You can have multiple boards and they can be private or public.
Remember
Do you own research to explore the options and find out what will work for you and your needs.
How to pick a platform
You don’t just have to pick one platform. It’s common for people to use more than one. Each of them has its different features and benefits. Which ones you pick and how you use them is up to you.
Before you decide, it’s important you know what you’re signing up for. Always make sure you do your own research. We’ve listed just some popular social media examples. There may be others that suit you better.
Ask yourself:
What do you want to do in these apps?
Do you just want to chat with friends and family? Share photos or videos? Are you looking for groups and others to connect with?
What social media platforms do the people in your life use?
There isn’t much point creating an account if there’s no one there to mix with. So ask your friends and family which ones they use.
What are the platform’s security and privacy policies like?
Always check these, to keep safe online. Check your personal settings there, too. They can help you control who sees your posts and details.
Using social media
Chapter 3
How long it takes
2 minutes
The main features of social media
How you learn to use social media depends on your device and the social media platforms you use. Take time to look through and learn the features of each one. Here are some common features to get to know, before you start.
Let’s start with what you can do.
Calling
Most apps let you make voice or video calls, using the internet. You can speak one-to-one or in a group chat.
Look out for a phone or video camera icon.
Messaging
This lets you send and receive instant messages in one-to-one and group chats.
To find this feature, look out for a speech bubble icon.
Posts
Share text, images and video content.
You can choose to share your posts with just friends/followers or more publicly.
Stories
These are like posts. They’re usually short videos your contacts can see for a short period of time, normally 24 hours.
This may be different for each platform.
Groups
Pages/spaces where lots of people can come together, often around a shared interest or theme.
You may need permission to ‘join’ these, depending on the group.
Adding friends/followers
Send and receive requests to connect and share content.
You can either accept or decline requests you get from others.
Remember
Before you accept a request, make sure you check what you're giving them permission to see and do.
Notifications
When someone interacts with you on social media, you’ll see something called a ‘notification’. This is usually a little red dot with a number in it. If it says ‘2’, it means you’ve got two new notifications. Select this red dot to see how people have interacted with you or your post. It’s not just for messages, either. Someone may have interacted or ‘reacted’ to your post.
You’ll usually get a notification if someone:
- Likes your post.
- Comments on your post.
- Shares your post.
- Sends you a ‘friend’ or ‘follow’ request.
- Accepts your ‘friend’ or ‘follow’ request.
Be aware
Each platform has different reaction tools which people can use to share their feelings about your post.
Profiles
This is where other users see your pictures, posts and any other details you share. Not all platforms have profiles. Those that do will let you change your privacy settings, so you only share yours with people you trust. So maybe only ‘close friends’ see your birthday, but ‘friends of friends’ can see your profile picture.
Idea
Some apps let you see your public profile. This is useful, as it shows you what anyone can see when they look for you on that app.
Look for ‘Public Profile’, ‘Public View’ or ‘View As’ in your profile or settings.
Stay safe on social media
Chapter 4
How long it takes
3 minutes
How to stay safe
Social media can have many benefits for you and your social life, but you need to use it safely. In this lesson, we’ve talked about the importance of staying safe on social media. This is to make sure your personal details are only visible to the people you want to see them
Here are few things to think about:
- Be wary about connecting or talking with people you don’t know.
- Check the privacy and security settings of the platforms you want to use.
- Check your personal settings too – Do this once you’ve signed up to a platform.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in social media
You’ll see AI in social media whenever you use it. It helps the social apps decide what to show you, based on how you react to content. They use it to learn what you enjoy over time. For instance, if you ‘like’ or spend time watching cooking videos, you might see more recipe ideas. Enjoying someone’s posts? The app may show you more of these, prioritising them over other content.
This way of personalising what you see can be helpful. But it can become limited, only showing content that’s similar to what you already see.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in social media
You’ll see AI in social media whenever you use it.
It helps the social apps decide what to show you, based on how you react to content. They use it to learn what you enjoy over time. For instance, if you ‘like’ or spend time watching cooking videos, you might see more recipe ideas. Enjoying someone’s posts? The app may show you more of these, prioritising them over other content.
This way of personalising what you see can be helpful. But it can become limited, only showing content that’s similar to what you already see.
Be aware
You won’t see all the same content that your friends and family see. Plus, you may not see everything they post.
What AI can do to help you keep safe
AI can help you stay safe online by:
- Spotting and filtering out suspicious posts.
- Flagging content that might be harmful.
- Helping you to filter who can comment or message you.
Be aware
AI can help with safety. But it’s not perfect. It may miss things or make mistakes.
Always report anything that feels unsafe, even if AI hasn’t flagged it.
What to be aware of in AI
AI can make social media more enjoyable and easier to use, but it’s important to understand how it works so you can stay safe.
Here's what you should know:
AI decides what posts, videos and adverts you see
Be aware of this, especially if you’re seeing content that feeds your worries.
Try searching for new topics or people, to ‘retrain’ the AI.
Some content may be AI-generated
Just because something looks real, it doesn’t mean it is.
See something unusual or too dramatic? Double-check with trusted sources like news sites.
Social platforms use AI to learn from your behaviour
These apps use AI to note what you like, watch and search for.
So, use privacy settings to limit what data is collected.
Remember
These sites are meant to be fun.
If they’re making you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, change your notification settings, take a break or delete the app.
Want to find out more?
Want to learn more about how to make the most of social media and stay safe? See our Stay safe on social media lesson. It will help you become more confident in using social media safely.
Remember
You're in control of who can see your posts by adjusting your personal settings in the social media platforms you use.
Test your knowledge
Try again - that's not quite right!
Remember, not everything you post is suitable for everyone to see.
That's right!
Adjusting the permissions on an individual basis will make sure people can interact with your profile in ways you're comfortable with.
Want to learn more?
Socialise and connect online
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Lloyds Bank Academy is committed to providing information in a way that is accessible and useful for our users. This information, however, is not in any way intended to amount to authority or advice on which reliance should be placed. You should seek professional advice as appropriate and required. Any sites, products or services named in this module are just examples of what's available. Lloyds Bank does not endorse the services they provide. The information in this module was last updated on 30th March 2026.