The Beginning and Development of Early Social Media
Right now, I want you to ask yourself when social media entered our lives. I’m guessing that you can’t give a definitive answer, right? It seems like it’s always been in our lives. However, it wasn’t. Social media appeared in many different forms until it became its current situation. In this blog post, we will discuss the social media history, what forms it appears in, and its future. Let’s explore the early social media stages.
Understanding Social Media
At its most basic, recognizable social media site is an online platform for social interaction. It enables people to share and interact with content and people from all over the world. I’m sure that the application you click on when you first pick up your phone is one of the popular social media apps.
When I think about today’s dynamics, you may be visiting TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube the most. Also, you may be existing on these platforms as a content creator rather than as a user. Although it is difficult to show and grow your presence on these popular social media sites, you do not have to worry about it when it comes to YouTube. With Views4You’s active and free subscribers service for YouTube, you’ll grow your channel before you know it.
Long story short, whether it’s a photo, an update, or a video social media has firmly established itself as an essential part of contemporary communication.
Publication of Social Media Sites
The social media sites we will talk about here are not the sites we are all familiar with. But to understand how they reached their current state, it is necessary to travel to the past. In the 80s and 90s, as the internet grew, there were platforms like CompuServe and America Online can be called the first social media sites. These platforms enabled users to send emails and chat online.
By the late 90s, social media started with other social networking sites like Six Degrees and Friendster where users create online communities and upload profiles. Around the same time, people started blogging using sites like LiveJournal and Blogger, which Google later bought. Following these developments, instant messaging service was developed by several companies and it was also a breakthrough in digital communication.
In 2002, LinkedIn started as a place for job-seekers and professionals to connect, and by 2020, it had millions of users. But not all social sites lasted. Myspace was big but lost to Facebook, and Google tried with Google+ but had to shut it down in 2018 because of a big data problem.
Popular Social Media Platforms
Throughout its history, social media has witnessed its ups and downs. Some platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, shared popularity thanks to their focus on visuals and in real-time, while other social media sites, such as Tumblr and Pinterest, carved out niches for themselves based on specific interests and audiences. Let’s face it, you spend more time on Instagram than you do on Tumblr.
Today, platforms like TikTok have captured audiences around the world with their emphasis on short-form content and the ability to inspire creativity in new and innovative ways. Another feature of TikTok that makes it so remarkable is that they can find whatever they are looking for on any subject, as the algorithm works well.
The Usage of a Social Networking Site Now
These days, social media platforms are more than just tools for communication. They shape culture, businesses, opinions, and global conversations. Companies use platforms like LinkedIn to hire people or network. Influencers -mostly known as the twenty-first century’s job- use Instagram to build their personal brands, make money, and increase the importance of social media.
Since all popular social media platforms allow you to share in real-time experiences, they are essential in today’s digital world. This means that you can keep up with the whole world with just your mobile devices. This is how social networking sites are used nowadays.
What’s Next for a Social Media Platform
This may be difficult to predict. I mean we can start by saying that everything is possible since even the “bluebird” we have known for years has changed. For example, Instagram was a place where only photos could be shared. Then videos were added, then stories and reels, and the future of Instagram changed in a way we could never have predicted.
Therefore, I think there is a possibility of this change for all notable social media platforms. Augmented reality and virtual reality, and the focus of everyone these days “AI-powered personalization” are all set to revolutionize social media users’ experiences.
Platforms will likely focus on privacy, preventing disinformation, and creating authentic connections. As technology advances, social networking websites will also evolve, adapting to new trends and user needs. In a nutshell, people are social beings and social network is led by people. These two realities will shape the future of social media for the next ten years and beyond.
Wrapping Up
The history of social media from its early days to its present-day is a journey to the human desire to share, connect, and create together. Since today’s online community faces the challenges and opportunities of this new digital world, one thing is certain: social media is here to stay.
Social networking websites will continue to grow, evolve, and change the way we experience the social media world and interact with each other. Taking advantage of social networking sites while handling their challenges is the key to unlocking their true potential in the years. You couldn’t have guessed that early social media platforms would bring us to today, right? Well, they did and a million users seem happy.