C4.46 Social Media Apps
Recommended Social Apps for Studying in the UK
Here I’ll only share a few social apps I commonly use while studying abroad, ranked by my frequency of use. These are all chat and networking apps besides the most frequently used email.
Facebook Messenger
The one circled in red is Facebook’s Messenger.
Messenger has been my most frequently used social app for communicating with foreigners during my years studying abroad—including group discussions, conversations with teachers, meeting new people, and chatting with classmates.
It’s a free app owned by Facebook. If you use the Facebook social platform, instant chats will automatically switch to this messaging app.
I recommend downloading it. It’s not only convenient but also saves chat history—even messages from years ago are preserved. I once uninstalled it thinking past chats were gone, but surprisingly, they were still there when I reinstalled.
Messages sent on the app show checkmarks to indicate read or unread status. It also displays if the other person is online; if they’re offline, it shows how many minutes ago they were last active. Sending voice messages, making video calls, and sharing photos all work great.
As shown in the screenshot below of my Facebook Messenger:
2、Facebook
I think every international student knows this social app. Basically, most foreigners around the world use it, except in countries where the app is blocked.
You can make friends, post videos, share selfies, chat, play games, find communities, read news, and more on it. Almost all UK universities have official pages on Facebook—you can follow your school’s official account to get updates and information about the university
3、Instagram
This is mainly a social app for sharing photos and videos. You can take nice photos and videos to upload, and it offers many free photo filters. You can also follow your favorite celebrities or the UK university you’re attending.
The app allows private messaging—even if you don’t follow the other person, which is quite convenient. However, if the other person has set their privacy settings, you won’t be able to see anything from their account
4，WhatsApp
This app is also free and doesn’t require registration—your phone number serves as your user account. It connects to your phone’s contacts, so people in your address book become direct friends automatically. Sending messages and more is free, but I don’t use it often. However, some foreigners love it—for example, my foreign landlord prefers not to send SMS and only uses WhatsApp to communicate
5、Twitter
I mainly use Twitter to read news and follow some internet celebrities. This app is similar to Weibo in China and also supports private messaging.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a professional social app, mainly used for showcasing oneself and following others in the workplace. Through this app, you can view information such as the other person’s educational background, past and current jobs, skills, and photos. However, it has a drawback—if you visit someone’s profile, your visitor record will be left, and the other person can see it.
I use this app mainly to follow articles from business leaders, as many of them like to post notes on it
7、Skype
I mainly use Twitter to read news and follow some internet celebrities. This app is similar to Weibo in China and also supports private messaging.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a professional social app, mainly used for showcasing oneself and following others in the workplace. Through this app, you can view information such as the other person’s educational background, past and current jobs, skills, and photos. However, it has a drawback—if you visit someone’s profile, your visitor record will be left, and the other person can see it.
I use this app mainly to follow articles from business leaders, as many of them like to post notes on it.
8、Quora
Quora is a Q&A SNS website, similar to Zhihu in China. I use it occasionally—mostly I still rely entirely on Google.
9、Snapchat
Of course, there’s also Snapchat, but I don’t use it.
Snapchat is a "disappearing photo sharing app" developed by two Stanford University students. You can take photos, record videos, and add text and drawings. Photos and videos are called "Snaps", and users refer to themselves as "snubs". Its main feature is that all photos have a lifespan of 1 to 10 seconds. After you take a photo and send it to a friend, it will be automatically deleted according to the preset time. If the recipient takes a screenshot during this period, you will receive a notification.
10、telegram messenger
