History of Social Media Timeline
by Reshwanth A
Updated Mar 25, 2024
History of Social Media
Social media has existed for a long time, starting from electronic messages and becoming important for businesses. The first electronic message was sent in the 1840s, and 1997. In 2006, Reddit was bought for a lot of money, and by 2020, it had 430 million people using it every month.
Before the internet, social media wasn't as good, but platforms like YouTube and Facebook changed things. In the early 2000s, social media grew, with platforms like 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 people's use of social media.
Timeline
1970’s to 1980’s
The PLATO system was made at the University of Illinois and then sold by Control Data Corporation. It is an early type of social media like Notes, which was a message forum, TERM-talk for instant messaging, which was one of the first online chat rooms, News Report which was like an online newspaper and blog, and Access Lists let the owner control who could see their things. Usenet was an idea by Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis in 1979, and it started in 1980 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University.
1980’s to 1990’s
When computer systems like Windows and Mac OS, which have pictures and icons, started becoming popular, it made a good place for early social media to grow. Bulletin board systems and Internet Relay Chat were really popular at that time, and IRC is still used today. The WELL, which started in 1985, is one of the oldest online communities. Its name comes from "Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link" and was made by Stewart Brand, who also made the Whole Earth Catalog.
1990’s to 2000’s
Some important social media sites like Myspace and Facebook were created and became popular, and blogging started to get more popular too. Immediately messaging platforms like AOL Instant Messenger and Windows Live Messenger also became popular.
2010’s
A lot of social media platforms that have been for a while are doing well, and new ones keep popping up now and then. This includes famous blogs, and different social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Twitter. With the improvements in smartphone technology, all social media services have their mobile apps now.
2020’s
Most people use social media on their mobiles, and apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter have hundreds of millions of active users each day. The big platforms and popular celebrities on social media try to get people involved, personalize the content using algorithms, and make money by using the ads.
Birth of Social Networks
In early 2000s brought us important social networking sites that changed the digital world. In 2003, LinkedIn and Myspace started, focusing on professional networking and customizable personal profiles, music sharing, and blogging. The next year, Facebook started and became the most popular social media site worldwide.
In 2005, YouTube and Reddit changed how we share online content, and Twitter did the same in 2006 with small updates and real-time communication. In 2007, Tumblr became popular, particularly among specific interest groups. These platforms have a huge impact on social media, and how we connect, share, and talk online.
