Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): En esa red social no solo comparto fotos, sino también un tipo de diario personal. - On that social network I not only share photos, but also a kind of personal diary.

a esa red social — suggests toward or to that social network (more like movement, which doesn’t fit here).
por esa red social — could mean through or via that social network and sounds more like by means of that platform, often with a different verb (for example, Nos conocimos por esa red social = We met through that social network).

So en is the natural choice to express on that platform.

Why is it esa red social and not esta red social or esa red social with an article?

Spanish demonstratives (este/esta, ese/esa, aquel/aquella) work a bit like this/that in English, but also indicate distance (physical, temporal, or psychological).

esta red social: this social network (close to the speaker, or very “present” in the conversation)
esa red social: that social network (not as close; maybe already mentioned, or assumed to be known by both speaker and listener)
aquella red social: that social network over there (far away or distant in time / emotionally)

Here, esa suggests a platform that both people know about, but which is not being presented as “this one right here.”

You don’t add a definite article after a demonstrative:

✅ esa red social
❌ esa la red social

The demonstrative (esa) already does the job of the; adding la would be redundant.

What does red social literally mean, and is it the standard way to say “social media” in Latin America?

Literally:

red = network
social = social

So red social is literally social network. In practice, in Latin American Spanish, red social is the standard term for what in English is often called a social media platform or social network site.

Examples:

Uso varias redes sociales. = I use several social media platforms.
Esa es mi red social favorita. = That’s my favorite social media platform.

Why is it no solo comparto fotos, sino también… and not just comparto fotos y también…?

The pairing no solo … sino también … is a set structure meaning roughly “not only … but also …”. It emphasizes that the second element is an addition that might be unexpected or more important.

Compare:

Comparto fotos y un tipo de diario personal.
= I share photos and a kind of personal diary. (neutral addition)
No solo comparto fotos, sino también un tipo de diario personal.
= I not only share photos, but I also share a kind of personal diary.
(emphasizes that it’s more than just photos)

So no solo … sino también … is used when you want to highlight that there is more than what someone might think or expect.

Why is it sino también and not pero también?

In this structure, sino is part of the fixed expression no solo … sino también …. It’s not the same usage as pero.

General idea:

pero = but (simple contrast)
sino = but rather / but instead, often after a no and used to correct or expand the first part.

With no solo, sino también doesn’t exactly mean instead, but it follows the same grammatical pattern: negative idea + sino + additional element.

You wouldn’t say:

❌ no solo comparto fotos, pero también…

You need:

✅ no solo comparto fotos, sino también…

Another pattern:
No comparto videos, sino fotos. = I don’t share videos, but (rather) photos.

I’ve seen no sólo with an accent on sólo. Why is it no solo here?

The word solo can be:

an adjective: solo = alone
an adverb: solo = only

Traditionally, the adverb solo (only) was sometimes written sólo to avoid confusion. However, the Royal Spanish Academy now recommends writing solo without the accent in almost all cases, in both Spain and Latin America.

So:

no solo comparto = I not only share
You may still see no sólo comparto, but no solo (without accent) is considered the standard modern spelling.

Why is comparto used (present tense) instead of estoy compartiendo?

In Spanish, the simple present (comparto) often covers meanings that English expresses with both:

I share (habitual / general)
I am sharing (right now / ongoing)

In this sentence, comparto is understood as a habitual action (what the speaker usually does on that social network):

En esa red social no solo comparto fotos…
= On that social network I don’t only share photos…
(i.e., that’s my general behavior on that platform)

If you said estoy compartiendo, it would sound like you are describing what you are doing right now, in this moment, which doesn’t fit as well with the general statement.

What person and tense is comparto, and what’s the infinitive form?

comparto is first person singular (yo)
It is in the present indicative tense.
The infinitive is compartir = to share.

Conjugation (present indicative):

yo comparto
tú compartes
él/ella/usted comparte
nosotros/nosotras compartimos
ustedes comparten
ellos/ellas comparten

Why is there no article before fotos? Why not las fotos or unas fotos?

In Spanish, when you talk about things in a general or indefinite way (especially with a plural object), you often omit the article, similar to English:

comparto fotos = I share photos (in general, not specific photos)
comparto libros = I share books
vendo coches = I sell cars

If you say:

comparto las fotos
You’re referring to some specific photos already known from the context (the photos we talked about).
comparto unas fotos
Means I share some photos (a few, not all).

Here, the idea is general: what the person typically posts on that social media platform, so fotos without an article is natural.

What does un tipo de diario personal literally mean, and why not just un diario personal?

Literally:

un tipo de = a type of / a kind of
diario personal = personal diary

So un tipo de diario personal = a kind of personal diary.

Using un tipo de adds nuance:

un diario personal
= a personal diary (plain, straightforward).
un tipo de diario personal
= a kind of personal diary;
it suggests it’s similar to a diary, but maybe not exactly a traditional one (for example, posts about daily life, reflections, etc., but in social media format).

That un tipo de is often used in Spanish to soften or approximate a description, similar to English sort of / kind of.

Why is diario personal in the order noun + adjective, instead of personal diario?

In Spanish, the normal order is noun + adjective, unlike English:

diario personal = personal diary
coche rojo = red car
libro interesante = interesting book

You would only put personal before the noun in special stylistic or poetic cases, or with some fixed phrases. For everyday speech, diario personal is the correct and natural order.

So:

✅ un diario personal
❌ un personal diario

Could I say no solo comparto fotos, sino también comparto un tipo de diario personal, repeating comparto?

Yes, it is grammatically correct to repeat comparto, but it is usually not necessary and sounds less natural in this sentence.

Spanish often avoids repeating the same verb when it’s clearly understood:

No solo comparto fotos, sino también un tipo de diario personal. (natural)
No solo comparto fotos, sino también comparto un tipo de diario personal. (correct, but a bit heavier / more repetitive)

Repeating the verb can be useful if:

You change the tense or person, or
You want to strongly emphasize each part.

But in most ordinary speech and writing, the shorter version is preferred.

Is red social feminine because of red? How do I know which article and demonstrative to use?

Yes, the noun red (network) is feminine in Spanish:

la red (singular)
las redes (plural)

Therefore, when you add social, it stays feminine:

la red social
las redes sociales

And the demonstratives and adjectives must agree in gender and number:

esa red social (that social network) — feminine singular
esas redes sociales (those social networks) — feminine plural
esta red social, aquella red social, etc.

In the sentence, esa matches red:

esa (feminine singular)
red (feminine singular)
social (adjective agreeing with red)