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Social media has taken the world by storm, building virtual communities for anyone who has internet access and allowing people to connect and share across the globe. A lot of these sites have changed the world in terms of how we meet people, read the news, get jobs and even date. These companies are on the cutting edge of social trends and are a good beacon to look toward for change.

The September 15 short interest data have been compared with the previous report. Short interest was up across the board in these selected social media stocks for this settlement date.

Some investors will wonder if the LinkedIn-Microsoft buyout will send more large media and tech shops looking to acquire in the social media space.

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) had short interest increase to 20.49 million shares from the previous 18.56 million. Shares closed most recently at $127.31, within a 52-week trading range of $85.72 to $131.98.

Twitter Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) saw its short interest increase to 55.48 million shares from the previous level of 51.17 million. Shares closed most recently at $23.37, in a 52-week range of $13.73 to $31.87.

LinkedIn Corp.‘s (NYSE: LNKD) short interest for this settlement date increased to 1.58 million shares, compared to the previous level of 1.55 million, primarily due to the ongoing merger with Microsoft. Shares closed most recently at $193.04, in a 52-week range of $191.40 to $194.27.

Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MTCH) saw its short interest rose to 8.04 million shares from the 6.75 million in the previous period. Shares closed Monday at $17.67, in a 52-week range of $8.41 to $18.13.

Yelp Inc. (NYSE: YELP) short interest increased to 4.87 million shares. The previous reading was 4.49 million. Shares closed most recently at $39.44, in a 52-week trading range of $14.53 to $41.47.