Photo credit – El Commercio Peru
The social media era began in the late 1990s to early 2000s, with the technology budding as early as the 1970s.
We want to take a step back in time and explore the fascinating history of social media, from its early beginnings to the present day. Buckle up and let’s dive in
- 1969: The ARPANET was launched by the United States Department of Defense, allowing scientists at four interconnected universities to share software, hardware and other data.
- 1970: The PLATO system, developed by the University of Illinois, had many features of an early social media network, but was largely used in academia.
- 1987: The National Science Foundation launched a more robust, nationwide digital network known as the NSFNET.
- 1997: The first true social media platform, (link unavailable), was launched. This site allowed users to set up a profile page, create lists of connections and send messages within networks.
- 2000: The site Hot or Not was launched, which allowed users to submit photos of themselves so others could rate their attractiveness.
- 2001: Friendster was launched, which allowed users to create a profile, include status updates and reveal their mood.
- 2002: LinkedIn was founded as a networking site for career-minded professionals.
- 2003: Myspace was launched, which allowed users to create customizable public profiles.
- 2004: Facebook was launched by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg.
- 2005: Reddit was launched as a news-sharing platform.
- 2006: Twitter was founded as a microblogging site.
- 2010: Instagram was founded as a photo-sharing site and Pinterest was founded as a visual pin board.
- 2011: Snapchat was founded as a video-sharing service.
- 2016: TikTok was founded as a short-form video-sharing site.
There you have it – That’s how social media evolved over the years! From its humble beginnings to the global phenomenon it is today, social media has revolutionized the way we connect, communicate, and share information.
Whether you’re a social media enthusiast or just curious about its origins, we hope you enjoyed this journey through time. Stay tuned for more interesting content!