Learn about the history of social media, learn about the history of social media through its timeline, milestones and key events.
History of social media
Social media has been around for a long time, starting with electronic messaging and becoming important to business. The first electronic message was sent in the 1840s and in 1997. Reddit was bought for a lot of money in 2006, and by 2020, 430 million people were using it every month.
Before the internet, social media wasn’t that great, but platforms like YouTube and Facebook changed things. In the early 2000s, social media grew, with platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp. Now social media is a big part of the digital age. Recently, platforms like Snapchat and TikTok have become popular, changing the way people use social media.
Timeline
1970s to 1980s
The PLATO system was built at the University of Illinois and then sold by Control Data Corporation. It is an early type of social media such as Notes, which was a message forum, TERM-talk for direct messaging, which was one of the first Internet chat rooms, News Report which was like an online newspaper and blog, and Access Lists allow owners to control who can see their stuff. Usenet was the brainchild of Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis in 1979 and began in 1980 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University.
1980s to 1990s
When computer systems like Windows and Mac OS, which have images and icons, started to become popular, it became a good place for early social media to grow. Message board systems and Internet Relay Chat were very popular at the time, and IRC is still used today. WELL, which started in 1985, is one of the oldest online communities. Its name comes from “Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link” and it was created by Stewart Brand, who also created the Whole Earth catalog.
1990s to 2000s
Some important social media sites like Myspace and Facebook were created and became popular and blogging also became more popular. Messaging platforms such as AOL Instant Messenger and Windows Live Messenger also became instantly popular.
in the 2010s
Many social media platforms that have been around have been doing well for a while, and new ones are popping up every now and then. These include well-known blogs and various social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat and Twitter. With improvements in smartphone technology, all social media services now have their own mobile apps.
2020s
Most people use social media on their mobile phones, and apps like TikTok, Instagram and Twitter have hundreds of millions of active users every day. Big platforms and popular social media celebrities are trying to engage people, personalize content with algorithms and monetize with ads.
The birth of social networks
The early 2000s brought us important social networks that changed the digital world. In 2003, LinkedIn and Myspace started, focusing on professional networking and customizable personal profiles, music sharing and blogging. The following year, Facebook launched and became the most popular social network in the world.
In 2005, YouTube and Reddit changed the way we share content online, and Twitter did the same in 2006 with small updates and real-time communication. In 2007, Tumblr became popular, especially among certain interest groups. These platforms have a huge impact on social media and the way we connect, share and talk online.
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Categories: General
Source: HIS Education