Why do images I upload and use for social/ad platforms look different than the images on my computer?

The common issue is the export/save settings of your image editing software, specifically 'color profiles'.

Short Answer: Export/Save your image as 'sRGB' color profile.

Color matching & theory is a deep rabbit hole, but the most common issue is the export/save settings of your image editing software, specifically 'color profiles'. This is especially true for powerful image editing software that is intended to be used for mixed media (digital and physical). Adobe's Creative Suite is a perfect example of this.

Essentially, your media file contains a bigger range of color than web-based software can understand and most software will do its best to approximate a conversion if the media file is not in a color profile it understands.

Relying on web-based software (especially those not based around media editing) to convert color profiles is not generally a good idea to retain consistency in your media assets. Using the source editing software has much more information to be able to consistently execute the color conversion.

'sRGB' color profile is the most common color profile that is legible for web-based digital assets due to its simplicity. There are definitely more advanced configurations to get more juice from the squeeze as far as quality, but the 'sRGB' color profile should cover most instances.