Social media means websites and apps where ordinary users make the content and share it with others. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X (old name Twitter), LinkedIn and WhatsApp are everyday examples. Punjab Police SI and Constable papers ask about this topic again and again: what social media is, which platform is used for what, who founded each app, who owns it today, and the good and bad sides of instant messaging.
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Past questions on this topic
Punjab Police SI & Constable
280
Characters in a standard post on X
Was 140 until 2017
2006
Google bought YouTube
YouTube started in 2005
2021
Facebook's company renamed Meta
Owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp
What social media is
The definitions that papers copy almost word for word.
KEY TERM
Social media
A computer-based technology for sharing ideas, thoughts and information through virtual networks and communities. It is internet-based, so anyone online can join. Its content is user-generated: the users themselves post the photos, videos and comments. Others react with likes, shares and comments.
User creates a post→Shares with network→Likes, shares, comments
Do 1
Converse
Chat and comment with other users.
Do 2
Share information
Pass on news, photos, links and videos.
Do 3
Create web content
Post your own text, pictures and videos.
An internet platform that lets users converse, share information and create web content is called social media.
| If the question says… | The answer is |
|---|---|
| Social media platforms are ___ or applications | websites |
| Social media features ___ content and personal profiles | user-generated |
| Staying in touch and collaborating with friends, peers and like-minded people on a platform | Social networking |
| Connecting directly with people through groups, networks and locations | Social networking |
| An organisation that gives the public a service to spread speech, information, photos and videos | Social media platform |
QUICK CHECK
______ is a computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts and information through virtual networks and communities.
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — Social media
Punjab Police SI, 2023. "Virtual networks and communities" is the textbook definition of social media. The internet is only the network it travels on.
QUICK CHECK
Which of the following statements regarding social media platforms is/are correct? (i) Social media is an intranet-based form of communication. (ii) Social media platforms allow users to have conversations, share information and create web content.
Tap an option to answer
Answer: D — Only (ii)
Punjab Police SI, 2023. Statement (i) is wrong by one word: social media is internet-based. An intranet is a closed office network.
Which platform does what
Video, photo, professional, question-answer, community and live streaming.
| Type | Platform | Words that point to it |
|---|---|---|
| Microblogging | X (Twitter) | Short posts, 280 characters |
| Video sharing | YouTube | Upload, watch, like, comment, share videos |
| Short video, video sections | TikTok, Facebook Watch | TikTok: short clips. Facebook Watch: Facebook's video section |
| Photo and video, filters, stories | Photo-first app with filters and Stories | |
| Image-based, visual discovery | Save image pins on boards for ideas | |
| Professional network | Jobs, careers, business contacts | |
| Questions and answers | Quora | Users post questions; others answer |
| Community content aggregator | Subreddit communities vote posts up or down | |
| Community blog | Tumblr | Short blogs that others reblog |
| Live streaming | Twitch | Live video with chat and emotes |
THESE ARE SOCIAL MEDIA
- Snapchat (disappearing photos and videos)
- WeChat (Chinese messaging and social app)
- Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok)
- Medium (blogging), Quora (Q&A), Discord (chat communities)
- ResearchGate (network for scientists), Pinterest
THESE ARE NOT SOCIAL MEDIA
- Bing, Google, Yahoo, Yandex: search engines (Yandex is Russian)
- Chrome: a web browser
- Amazon Web Services: Amazon's cloud computing service
- Uber: ride booking; Flipkart: online shopping
- Chatterley, Bingo: not real social platforms
- Other video sites: Dailymotion is a French video site, Wistia hosts videos for businesses. Both are far smaller than YouTube.
- Quora is not a video platform. It is a question-and-answer site with text answers.
QUICK CHECK
Which of the following social media apps is a community-focused content aggregator?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — Reddit
Punjab Police SI, 2023. Reddit collects posts and links into communities called subreddits, where members vote them up or down. Pinterest collects images, not community discussion.
QUICK CHECK
Which of these is a community blog type of social media platform?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: D — Tumblr
Punjab Police SI, 2023. On Tumblr each user runs a short blog that others reblog. YouTube is video sharing, Facebook is social networking, Twitter is microblogging.
QUICK CHECK
Which of the following is NOT an example of a social media platform?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: D — Yandex
Punjab Police SI, 2023. Yandex is a Russian internet company best known for its search engine. Douyin is the Chinese version of TikTok, and WeChat is a Chinese social and messaging app.
Who founded it, who owns it now
Founders, buyers and new names. Buying is not founding.
Founders you must know
Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook · 2004 · Founder of Facebook; head of Meta
- Started Facebook in 2004 as a Harvard student, with college friends
- His company bought Instagram (2012) and WhatsApp (2014); it did not found them
Anthony Quintano, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Jack Dorsey
Twitter · 2006 · Co-founder of Twitter (now X)
- Twitter's co-founders: Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Evan Williams, Biz Stone
- Dorsey sent the first tweet in March 2006
Brian Solis, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Jan Koum
WhatsApp · 2009 · Co-founder of WhatsApp
- Founded WhatsApp in 2009 with Brian Acton
- Both were former employees of Yahoo
afromusing, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Kevin Systrom
Instagram · 2010 · Co-founder of Instagram
- Launched Instagram in 2010 with Mike Krieger
- Facebook bought Instagram in 2012
Christopher Michel, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
| App | Founded by | Owner today |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook (2004) | Mark Zuckerberg | Meta (company renamed from Facebook Inc. in 2021) |
| YouTube (2005) | Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, Jawed Karim | Google (bought it in 2006) |
| Twitter → X (2006) | Dorsey, Glass, Williams, Stone | Elon Musk bought it in 2022; renamed X in 2023 |
| WhatsApp (2009) | Jan Koum, Brian Acton (ex-Yahoo) | Meta (Facebook bought it in 2014) |
| Instagram (2010) | Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger | Meta (Facebook bought it in 2012) |
| Telegram (2013) | Brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov | Telegram's own company (not Meta) |
| LinkedIn (2003) | Reid Hoffman and partners | Microsoft (bought it in 2016) |
WHEN THE BIG APPS ARRIVED
- 2003LinkedIn
Professional network starts.
- 2004Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg starts it at Harvard.
- 2005YouTube
Video-sharing site starts; Google buys it in 2006.
- 2006Twitter
Microblogging starts with 140-character tweets.
- 2009WhatsApp
Jan Koum and Brian Acton launch it.
- 2010Instagram, Pinterest
Two picture-first apps arrive.
- 2013Telegram
The Durov brothers launch it.
- 2021Meta
Facebook Inc. renames itself Meta Platforms.
- 2023Twitter becomes X
New name under Elon Musk.
REMEMBER
"Two ex-Yahoo men built WhatsApp; Facebook only bought it." Founders: Koum and Acton. Buyer: Facebook (now Meta).
QUICK CHECK
Who among the following is NOT a founder of Twitter?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — Sergey Brin
Punjab Police SI, 2023. Twitter's co-founders were Dorsey, Glass, Williams and Stone. Sergey Brin co-founded Google with Larry Page.
QUICK CHECK
WhatsApp was founded by former employees of _________.
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — Yahoo
Punjab Police SI, 2023. Jan Koum and Brian Acton both worked at Yahoo before starting WhatsApp in 2009.
QUICK CHECK
Which of the following social media platforms is owned by Meta?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — Facebook
Punjab Police SI, 2023. Facebook Inc. renamed itself Meta in 2021. YouTube belongs to Google, and Telegram and TikTok have their own owners.
YouTube and X: the numbers
Play buttons, the 280 limit and how recommendations work.
KEY TERM
YouTube
A video-sharing website and app. People upload videos to a channel. Viewers watch, subscribe, like, comment and share. It is not a video-editing program and not a chatting system. Its parent company is Google, which bought it in 2006.
Founded 2005→Google buys 2006→Largest video platform
| Subscribers | YouTube Creator Award |
|---|---|
| 1,00,000 (100 thousand) | Silver Play Button |
| 10,00,000 (1 million) | Gold Play Button |
| 1,00,00,000 (10 million) | Diamond Play Button |
| 10,00,00,000 (100 million) | Red Diamond Play Button |
REMEMBER
S-G-D-R, and add a zero each time: Silver 1 lakh → Gold 10 lakh → Diamond 1 crore → Red Diamond 10 crore.
HOW YOUTUBE PICKS YOUR NEXT VIDEO
The recommendation system mainly suggests videos that are likely to keep you engaged and watching longer. It does not rank videos mainly by factual accuracy or by what you searched for.
KEY TERM
Microblogging: Twitter, now X
Microblogging means posting very short public messages to your followers. Twitter is the standard example. A tweet was limited to 140 characters at launch in 2006. In 2017 the limit became 280 characters. Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and renamed it X in 2023. Paid X accounts can now post longer messages, but exam answers use 280.
140 (2006)→280 (2017)→Renamed X (2023)
QUICK CHECK
Google bought YouTube in which year?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: A — 2006
Punjab Police SI, 2021. YouTube started in 2005 and Google bought it in late 2006. 2005 is the trap: that is the founding year.
QUICK CHECK
Which of the following pairs of the YouTube play button and the number of subscribers on a YouTube channel is NOT correct? I. 100000 - Silver Play Button II. 10000000 - Red Diamond Play Button III. 1000000 - Gold Play Button
Tap an option to answer
Answer: C — Only II
Punjab Police SI, 2021. 1 crore (10 million) earns the Diamond button. Red Diamond needs 10 crore (100 million). So only pair II is wrong.
QUICK CHECK
The maximum character limit for a tweet is:
Tap an option to answer
Answer: C — 280
Punjab Police SI, 2023. The old 140 limit was doubled to 280 in 2017. None of the other numbers was ever the limit.
Instant messaging apps
WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Messenger, Teams, FaceTime and their pros and cons.
| App | Made / owned by | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Meta | Free, cross-platform, centralised messaging and VoIP (internet calls) | |
| Telegram | Durov brothers | Free, cross-platform, cloud-based; file sharing, calls |
| Signal | Signal (non-profit) | Encrypted; chats stored on your own device |
| Messenger | Meta (Facebook) | Facebook's chat app with your full chat history |
| Teams | Microsoft | Chat and meetings for businesses of all sizes |
| FaceTime | Apple | Proprietary video calling on Apple devices |
| Skype | Microsoft | Video calling and conferencing app; Microsoft closed it in 2025 and moved users to Teams |
| Slack, Cliq, Viber | Salesforce, Zoho, Rakuten | Other messaging apps (Slack and Cliq for offices) |
MULTI-PLATFORM
- The same account works on mobile, web and desktop
- Messages stay in sync on all of them
- WhatsApp Web / Desktop is linked to your phone by scanning a QR code
END-TO-END ENCRYPTION
- Only the sender and receiver can read the message
- It is about privacy, not about syncing devices
- "End-to-end decryption" is not a feature name
QUICK CHECK
Which of the following is an instant messaging application based on local-based device storage?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — Signal
Punjab Police SI, 2023. Signal keeps message history only on your own devices. Telegram is the trap: it keeps chats in its cloud.
QUICK CHECK
Which of the following features of instant messaging support provides the opportunity to sync messages across mobile, web and desktop platforms?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: D — Multi-platform
Punjab Police SI, 2023. Working on many platforms at once is the multi-platform feature. Encryption decides who can read a message, not where it shows up.
QUICK CHECK
All of the following are common disadvantages of Instant Messaging in the workplace, EXCEPT:
Tap an option to answer
Answer: A — group chats
Punjab Police SI, 2023. In an EXCEPT question, pick the good point. Group chats help a whole team talk at once. The other three are real drawbacks.
Social media in business and government
Marketing, analytics, advertising, government use and the risks.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Social media marketing (SMM) | Selling a company's products on social networks: Facebook or Instagram ads, influencers, an online presence |
| Social media analytics | Gathering and analysing data from blogs and social sites to make business decisions |
| Social engineering | A cyber-crime trick: fooling people into giving away secrets. Not marketing. |
| Search engine optimisation (SEO) | Making a website rank higher in search results |
New ad form
Social media campaign
Sponsored posts and influencer content on a platform.
New ad form
Push messages
App or browser notifications sent straight to your device.
New ad form
Pay per click (PPC)
The advertiser pays only when someone clicks the ad.
All three are new forms of advertising that grew out of social media.
- Any business sector can use social media: energy, financial services, construction and manufacturing alike.
- The most common business use is advertising products and services. Personal updates and memes are not business uses.
- Twitter (X) and LinkedIn both help a business build its identity and reputation. Marketers use social networks for brand recognition and brand loyalty.
- Government uses social media for human services, disaster management and resilience (bouncing back), and building citizens' trust.
ADVANTAGES
- Make new connections
- Cheap promotion and advertising
- Attract customers, build the brand, reach a bigger market
- Government can raise public awareness
DISADVANTAGES
- Needs active daily monitoring
- Easy to create fake (fraudulent) profiles
- Can spread misinformation, disinformation and rumours
QUICK CHECK
The practice of gathering and analysing data from blogs and social media websites to assist in making business decisions is commonly known as ________.
Tap an option to answer
Answer: D — social media analytics
Punjab Police SI, 2023. The key word is "analysing". Analytics measures the data; marketing is selling through the platform.
QUICK CHECK
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of social media?
Tap an option to answer
Answer: B — It allows the creation of fraudulent social media profiles.
Punjab Police SI, 2023. Fake profiles are a risk, used for fraud and impersonation. The other three are real benefits.
Quick revision
App types, owners, traps and one-line facts.
FLASHCARDS
Which app is it? Tap to check
- Largest professional network
- Microblogging, 280 characters
- Twitter (now X)
- Visual inspiration, image pins
- Questions and answers
- Quora
- Live streaming with chat and emotes
- Twitch
- Photos, filters and Stories
- Cloud-based messenger by the Durov brothers
- Telegram
- Microsoft's business chat app
- Teams
- Apple's video calling app
- FaceTime
- Facebook's chat app with full chat history
- Messenger
- Parent company of YouTube
- Owner of WhatsApp
- Meta
COMMON TRAPS
- Buying is not founding: Zuckerberg founded Facebook only. WhatsApp was founded by Koum and Acton.
- YouTube: founded 2005, bought by Google 2006. Don't mix the two years.
- 1 crore subscribers = Diamond, not Red Diamond (Red Diamond = 10 crore).
- Social engineering is a cyber-crime trick, not social networking or marketing.
- Telegram = cloud; WhatsApp and Signal = local device storage.
- Bing, Yandex, Google and Chrome are not social media.
Also asked onceTap to open
- WhatsApp's icon is a green speech bubble with a white telephone handset inside.
- Telegram was founded by Nikolai Durov and his brother Pavel. It is free, cross-platform and cloud-based, with encrypted calls and file sharing.
- WhatsApp is a freeware, cross-platform, centralised messaging and VoIP service owned by Meta.
- A Facebook business page builds the brand's identity, lets it talk to customers, lets posts be shared and makes it popular. All four uses are correct.
- Amazon Web Services is not a professional networking site, and YouTube is not a photo-sharing site. Both statements are false.
- Facebook Watch is Facebook's video section, so it counts as video sharing. Quora does not.
CHECK YOURSELF
Name the founders of WhatsApp, the company they worked for earlier, and the company that owns WhatsApp today.
Show answer
Jan Koum and Brian Acton founded WhatsApp in 2009. Both were former Yahoo employees. Facebook bought it in 2014, and Facebook's company is now called Meta.