In 2023, our social world will be interconnected with social media networks.
These amazing platforms are our best channels for communication and endless sources of constantly updatable knowledge.
With an incredible ability to connect people all over the world, social media networks are used by companies and business-minded individuals all over the world for digital marketing, data collection, and other beneficial endeavors.
Still, while these systems are mostly used for good, bringing individuals from all corners of the globe, some unfortunate regions are disconnected from this phenomenon. It mostly occurs in countries with strict internet privacy laws.
Still, even in countries with a high interned freedom index, the rendered version of a social media site is also restricted by localization and personalization.
These websites track the approximate location of visitors via their public IP address.
Because of that, internet users in that region always often see ads in their native language, and the sites that appear on your feed are associated with their country.
Thankfully, with a collective effort of internet privacy enthusiasts, we have a way out.
To see all possible variations of a visited site, web users reroute their internet connection to a remote proxy server.
All things considered, an alarming question arises: how different does a connection get with this additional station? In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of using proxy servers to connect to social media sites.
Here you will learn how proxies work, what are their popular use cases, and how effective they are at unblocking restricted content.
For example, in multiple accounting, a tool for automated data collection often comes equipped with IP addresses from a trustworthy proxy server network.
Proxy Seller, one of the top providers in the industry, also includes information on accessible multiple accounting tools or any other tool, all contained in blog articles like this.
How Proxies Work
A proxy server is a very simple digital structure that accepts incoming web traffic from the user but changes the information within the HTTP header.
If you don’t know what that is, think of it as a document or a signature that contains information about your location.
A proxy server takes this header and replaces the public IP address that connects you to your internet service provider (ISP).
With a new identity, you can access websites that have your original IP banned or location restricted.
The same rules apply to social media platforms, as many of them are banned in highly censored countries.
Most proxy servers are either residential or datacenter IPs. Once we go deeper into their pros and cons, you will see that in some cases, one type or another will eliminate a predicted issue with their use, therefore all you need to do is pick the right type.
Datacenter proxies are a better choice for simple everyday connections. They are fast, and you can scroll social media platforms without buffering.
Still, their main downside is easier detection. Because their IPs are tied to hardware in data centers, they have a harder time blending in with regular internet traffic, whereas public IPs are associated with ISPs.
Residential proxies are slower, but their IPs are addresses from real devices. They create a more believable disguise, which is better for ad verification, data scraping, social media management, and other business-oriented tasks.
The features from both types also exist in mobile proxies that are better for tackling sophisticated social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Proxy Server Pros For Unblocking
By routing your connection, or traffic of web tools through proxy servers, these extra steps can transform the connection, both in good ways and some bad ones for inexperienced users.
Right now, let’s look at the advantages of proxy servers for connections to social media platforms.
Access Restricted Content
For internet users in repressed countries, proxy servers are a blessing for bypassing geo-blocking and censorship.
They are extremely popular with internet users in China, Russia, Indonesia, and other restricted countries.
With proxies in Western countries, they can the popular and entertaining social media sites.
Similar principles apply to cases where you can access the social media site but are restricted to personalized and localized content.
With a good proxy supplier, you can choose from over 190 countries to find a new identity in that region and enjoy their version of the site, with the ability to change it again at any time.
Proxy servers are a simple yet very effective tool for seeing the presented content from all angles and breaking out of the blinders enforced by the site.
Protect Your IP
Proxy servers unblock the way towards valuable information and protect your web connection from IP bans, which can ruin data-sensitive tasks.
Bot applications are notorious for sending manu connection requests that can even be mistaken for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS attacks).
While these bots are not disruptive, their behavior obscures analytical data on user traffic entering the site.
In short, social media networks dislike internet bot connections on their site. Proxy servers let you protect your IP address for all personal or business-oriented tasks.
Collect Information Without Limitations
Data scraping is a popular use case for proxy servers, with some experts running multiple bots at the same time without much risk because each instance is protected with a residential proxy server.
With great opportunities for scalability, the amount of available proxy servers makes them an awesome option for protecting data collection tools.
Proxy Server Cons
While proxy servers are very effective and widely used tools, there are a few downsides associated with their use:
Requires Initial Investment
To start using the best proxy servers, one must have access to a network offered by a legitimate provider.
It requires an initial investment, and the potential shortcuts, such as free proxy servers, are too dangerous due to common affiliation with cybercriminals.
Slower Speeds
If you need the secrecy of residential proxies for your tasks, slower connection speeds from less reliable networks can disrupt your work, especially in cases where the distance between your location and a proxy server is too big.
Summary
Once we look at the service from all angles, proxy servers still reign supreme as the best tools for unblocking geo-blocked content on social media platforms.
Even better, with a large number of available identities, users can automate bots and their processes without risking IP bans.
