Social media have gained incredible popularity over the past few years and one thing is certain – they are here to stay. Social networking provides some great opportunities but such websites are also misused quite often. What are some of the most common uses and misuses of the popular social networks?

Best Uses of Social Media
Social media facilitate communication. You can easily interact with friends, coworkers or business partners that live in another country or on another content. Social networking enables easy sharing of information and interactions with the people who you need to talk to.

Interesting ideas and breaking news are also shared through social networks. Social networks have made it easy for people living in countries where censorship is still widespread to share with the world what is going on.

Business owners and professionals can also benefit from social networks. Websites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+ are perfect for professional interactions and the execution of internet marketing campaigns. Social networks make it easy to find prospects, to expand business activities and to find new partners.

How Social Media are Commonly Misused
Despite the fact that social networking is quite beneficial, there have been some quite widespread misuses.

Spamming is one common problem that many companies are guilty of. They share information that nobody wants to receive and they tend to be quite insistent in terms of updates.

Cyber bullying and defamation have also become quite common. People are starting to share a lot of personal information through their social networking profiles. As a result, they become an easy target. Teenagers are especially vulnerable because they are unaware of the damage their social network profiles are capable of causing.

Sharing too much is probably the most common misuse that both businesses and individual users are guilty of. People have already lost their jobs because of provocative photos or inappropriate pieces of information shared online.

Social networks can be incredibly beneficial both for personal and professional uses. They make it easy for people to reach anyone, anywhere. Communication through these channels is fun and highly beneficial. At the same time, social networks have been connected to some privacy concerns. There are common misuses that interfere with the usefulness and the safety of social media usage.