With Google Plus being gradually shut down, following revelations of a security issue and its lack of popularity, it seems that Google now has plans to add a social element to search. Changes to the Google mobile app indicate the company's special media aspirations haven't faded - they have shifted.

None of us like to think about our death or the death of a loved one, but it's important to prepare for it. You don't want to be stuck trying to get into a loved one's Gmail or Facebook account to shut things down. This graphic shows you what you're in for, and what you and your loved ones should have ready.

iPhone: The only thing better than using social media is not using social media. That's why there's Binky, which is sort of both.

In 2016, after killing blogs dead, Twitter considered massively expanding its character limit -- or, more precisely, allowing users to attach long blocks of text the way they can attach pictures or videos. This never came to pass, and Twitter users kept shoehorning essays into self-reply threads called tweetstorms.

We're all aware of the deal we make when we sign up with Facebook: we get somewhere to post vacation photos and stalk friends, and Mark Zuckerberg gets to sell your passion for fishing trips to fishing equipment retailers. What you might not realise is how deep or extensive the tracking goes -- so let's shed some light on it.

Thanks to the latest Instagram update, you'll now be able to hide your less-than-flattering selfies without truly forgetting how awful they were.

I'm going to admit something. I'm on LinkedIn but I really have no idea why any more. Adding to their social media for business and employment ads, they've now added Trending Storylines in an attempt to salvage some relevance .

Is there a way to work out where Facebook gets its "suggested friends" lists from? I recently started getting some very specific suggestions which Facebook could only know if it had access to my SMS messages from some years ago. I have no common friends with them and these people are no longer part of my life for a reason. I'm worried that these people may be seeing me as a suggestion too which I absolutely don't want.

Facebook Groups are underrated. You can use them to find people with similar interests, share files with others in your group, or even network professionally. It's easy to find groups to join now with the Groups Discover section in Facebook.

When you're looking for a new job, you're probably not heading to Facebook first. However, the biggest social network might still be important for finding new jobs. After all, everyone you know is there.

After 10 years of documenting the world in 140 characters, Twitter now has more than 300 million active users. This might be far fewer than Facebook's 1.5 billion, but Twitter arguably has a disproportionate influence on the world, partly because it attracts a significant number of politicians, journalists and celebrities. Our expert panel explain how their field has been changed by the little blue bird.

Even if you're looking forward to the new start, your first few days at a new job can be rough. Rather than stew in your gawkiness or wait to be engaged, take the initiative.

Sometimes in this world, you want to make someone as wildly uncomfortable as humanly possible. That's why Facebook's here.

Facebook is full of tools that claim to tell you about your personality. Obviously, most of them are crap. However, the University of Cambridge has created one that analyses your Facebook likes to reveal the kind of demographic information the company can learn about you.

Android/iPhone: Instagram has rolled out an update to its app that allows you post landscape or portrait photos and videos. This means you're no longer required to crop your photos into squares.

Back in the primitive days of MSN Messenger and ICQ, typing "LOL" was the most popular way to convey online mirth. However, according to new user data released by Facebook, the acronym has since fallen from favour. It seems most internet users have reverted to the more phonetically sensible "Haha" with chuckling emoji also gaining traction. We're curious to hear what your preferred laughter signifier is?

Tinder is about go from dating app to business networking tool. Swipe right if you like this idea.

Twitter released a new data dashboard tool today that allows you to see login activity to help ensure no extra devices are connected to your account. When you head to the Twitter data dashboard, you'll now see a list of login activity.

iOS: Sharing links and images on iOS got a lot easier in iOS 8, but it still doesn't offer you much control. Linky is a small little app that does just that.