TTC - Social Media 101

Humans are social animals. We don't need science to tell us that because we know it instinctively-we look to make friends even in our youngest years and feel safer and happier when we're connected to others. In fact, neuroscientific research has shown that our desire for social connection is no less biologically based than our need for food or sleep. The human brain is, quite literally, wired for social connection, and our current technology taps into that need for connection through social media.

Throughout history, however, the technologies we've developed to bring us closer together and make our ideas more accessible have not always been welcomed. Fear of social change has been a common response to the development of life-altering technologies like the printing press and the telegraph, for example, and many people have similar concerns about social media today. Nevertheless, with more than 100 websites and apps to help us meet one of our most basic human communication needs, social media is here to stay.

In Social Media 101, educator and photographer Pei Ketron will teach you how to utilize social media to your best advantage, with a step-by-step guide to a curated group of 16 exciting and commonly used social media platforms. She shares her knowledge-and her screen-to teach you how to get started, build your network, and use the most powerful options each platform has to offer. While Social Media 101 includes many of the most popular platforms worldwide-some of which you might already be using-it also includes some lesser-known websites and apps that might be just right for your specific needs. In addition, Pei teaches you the best ways to use one of the most powerful aspects of any social-media exchange: photography.

Even if you are not an avid social media user, understanding this increasingly influential and far-reaching tool can help you decide if there is a form out there that could work for you. Whether social media is an active part of your life or just something you often hear about in the news, no one can deny how powerful it is and how helpful it can be to know its reach and how it works.

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