0.1Social media landscape
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Attention contract: each network has its own culture and audience — people don't go there for the same reasons, and you don't post the same thing there.
- Algorithm gatekeeper: each network filters what retains (views, interactions, shares) — organic reach is earned through the hook and the value.
- Pro hat: a business account kept separate from personal, analytics and advertising on one side, private life watertight on the other.
Threaded mini-case — Nour maps the networks
Nour, community manager for a local brand of natural cosmetics in Algiers, must explain to her manager where to be present. She maps the networks: Instagram for the showcase, Facebook for the local community, TikTok for discovery, LinkedIn for partners. She decides: two well-run networks beat five abandoned ones, and each network gets its own format.
This same case returns in the lesson, the diagram, the script and the 48h challenge — and continues in 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4.
1. The landscape: who goes where, for what
Instagram/TikTok (discovery, short video, young B2C), Facebook (local communities, 30+), LinkedIn (B2B, expertise, recruitment), X/Threads (news, debate), Pinterest/YouTube (search, inspiration, tutorials). Each network has its own attention contract: people don't go there for the same reasons, and you don't post the same thing there.
2. The algorithm: the invisible gatekeeper
Each network filters: it shows what retains attention (watch time, early interactions, shares, saves). Understand the gatekeeper and stop shouting into the void: hook in 3 seconds, immediate value, call to interact. Organic reach is earned, never decreed.
3. Pro vs personal: two watertight hats
A professional/business account (analytics, advertising, action buttons) kept separate from your personal one (opinions, compromising likes). Check your personal privacy settings before representing a brand: an old post always resurfaces.
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Concrete example — Where to go by trade
Local bakery → Instagram (showcase) + Facebook (local community)
B2B firm → LinkedIn (expertise) + newsletter
Teen shop → TikTok (discovery) + Instagram (conversion)
→ 2 well-run networks beat 5 abandoned onesTakeaway: the audience decides, not trends.
Lesson: the next section (0-2) locks in this choice.
Section vocabulary
- Social network
- Online platform for publishing content and interacting with a community (each with its own culture).
Simple example: Nour compares Instagram, Facebook and TikTok before choosing for her brand.
What it is not: the same post copy-pasted everywhere with no adaptation.
Reflex: in front of each network, ask "who goes there, for what?".
- Facebook / Instagram
- Meta group networks: Facebook (broad, groups); Instagram (visual, Reels, stories, brands).
Simple example: Nour keeps Facebook for the local community and Instagram for the showcase.
What it is not: opening both then abandoning them after a month.
Reflex: a distinct role per Meta network, never duplicated.
- Professional network: B2B, personal branding, recruitment, valuable content.
Simple example: Nour follows distributors there and posts the brand's expertise.
What it is not: posting mainstream jokes there to chase numbers.
Reflex: on LinkedIn, bring professional value.
- TikTok
- Short-video platform, trends and virality, young audience (and widening).
Simple example: Nour tests a 15-second product demo there.
What it is not: reposting a long horizontal video there with no adaptation.
Reflex: hook in 3 seconds, vertical, adapted trend.
- Usage / audience
- The audience and way of using specific to each network, which determine the right type of content.
Simple example: Nour notes each network's dominant audience and formats.
What it is not: publishing the same everywhere while ignoring the codes.
Reflex: tone, format and codes adapted to each audience.
In practice — Hands-on — Learn the social media landscape
- Identify the major networks and their culture: Facebook (broad/groups), Instagram (visual), LinkedIn (B2B/pro), TikTok (short video/trends), X (real time), YouTube (long video), Pinterest (inspiration).
- For each one, note its dominant audience and its typical uses/goals.
- Remember that you don't communicate the same way on every platform (tone, format, codes).
- Stay on watch: networks evolve fast (formats, algorithms, new platforms).
Ready-to-say script — explain the landscape to her manager (1 min)
"Each network has its contract: Instagram shows, Facebook gathers the local crowd, TikTok drives discovery, LinkedIn proves expertise. The algorithm only shows what retains. So we pick two grounds where our customers are, we publish adapted content there, and we keep pro and personal separate."
To say in a meeting with the network map; move on to choosing 1 to 3 networks (0.2).
Copy-paste template — network map
NETWORK 1 (name + audience + use): _______________
NETWORK 2 (name + audience + use): _______________
NETWORK 3 (name + audience + use): _______________
ATTENTION CONTRACT (why we go there): _______________
PRO / PERSONAL ACCOUNT (separate?): _______________Small business / tight budget
With no budget: one page with the 2 chosen networks, their audience and one format each — the map fits on one card.
SME in Algeria
Nour checks where her customers in Algiers really are (local Facebook groups, Instagram showcase) before deciding.
B2B brand
LinkedIn first (expertise, partners) + a light showcase network; young networks come later.
Neighbourhood shop
Facebook first (local 30+ community) + Instagram (product photos); the rest on watch only.
✓ Best practices
- Choose by audience, not by trend.
- Understand each network's gatekeeper.
- Separate pro and personal from the start.
✗ Common pitfalls
- Being everywhere half-heartedly.
- Posting the same thing everywhere.
- Mixing pro/personal on one account.
Key takeaways
- Each network has its culture, audience and codes: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, YouTube, Pinterest.
- You don't communicate the same way on every platform (tone, format, goals).
- The prerequisite for any strategy: where is my audience, which network serves my goals?
- Networks evolve fast: these markers last, but watch remains necessary.
48h Challenge — apply tomorrow
Fill in the network map (template above) for your activity: audience and use of each network, then your 2 priority grounds. 20 minutes is enough.
- I can name the major networks and their use in one sentence each.
- I can explain the algorithm gatekeeper (retention, interactions).
- I have filled in my map and chosen 2 priority grounds.
Frequently asked questions
Should you be present on every social network?
No, definitely not — it is even the most frequent and most exhausting mistake. Wanting to be "everywhere" scatters your efforts, dilutes your energy and usually leads to a mediocre presence on every network rather than excellence on a few. Each platform takes time (creating content adapted to its codes, posting regularly, animating the community, replying) — multiplying networks multiplies that workload, often beyond what you can sustain. The right strategy is to choose 1 to 3 platforms (section 0.2), the ones where your audience really is and which serve your goals, and to be good and consistent there. Better a strong, coherent presence on two networks than a ghost presence on six (abandoned accounts, generic content, no interaction — which even harms your image). You can always expand later, once the first networks are mastered. The real question is not "on how many networks?" but "where is my audience and where can I be excellent?". Focus and quality beat scattering and quantity.
Social networks change all the time: how do you keep up?
That's true, and you have to accept it: social networks evolve very fast (new formats, algorithm changes, emerging new platforms, others declining). Wanting to master everything all the time is impossible and anxiety-inducing. The right approach is twofold. First, master the lasting fundamentals: the big principles don't change (know your audience, bring value, be consistent, engage your community, measure) — that is what this guide teaches you, and it holds whatever the technical changes. Second, keep a light but regular watch on the platforms you actually use (not all of them): follow what's new on your networks, test the new formats they push (algorithms often favour new formats at launch), observe what successful accounts in your field do. Don't chase every trend or new platform: many are short-lived. Wait to see whether something new sticks and concerns your audience before investing. Agility (adapting) plus solid fundamentals, rather than a frantic race for novelty: that is what lets you last on social media without burning out.
Should you be present on every social network?