-
2002: Friendster Starts It Off
Back in 2002, there was this site called Friendster. It was one of the first real social networks where people could add friends and connect online. It wasn’t perfect, but it laid the groundwork for everything that came after. -
2003: LinkedIn and MySpace Join In
In 2003, LinkedIn launched, but it was more for professionals, like people looking for jobs and networking. The real game changer that year was MySpace. It let you make custom profiles, share music, and basically show off your personality. For a while, it was the most popular site around. -
2004: Facebook Is Born
Facebook started in 2004 in a Harvard dorm room. At first, it was only for college students, but by 2006, anyone could join. It changed the way people shared their lives online with the News Feed, status updates, and photo tagging. -
2005: YouTube Revolutionizes Video Sharing
Then came YouTube in 2005, and honestly, it changed everything. Now anyone could upload videos and go viral. From funny clips to music videos and how tos, YouTube became a huge part of internet culture. Google bought it in 2006 for over $1 billion. -
2006: Twitter Brings the Tweets
Twitter launched in 2006. It started with a 140 character limit, which forced people to keep things short and sweet. It’s where a lot of memes, news, and even major announcements started showing up first. -
2007–2010: Niche Apps Appear
During these years, more specific social apps started popping up:
• Tumblr (2007) was great for blogging and artsy content.
• Spotify (2008) added social features so you could share music.
• Foursquare (2009) let you “check in” at places like restaurants and earn badges.
• Pinterest (2010) became popular for finding ideas, especially for fashion, food, and DIY. -
2010: Instagram Changes the Game
In 2010, Instagram launched and totally shifted the focus to visuals. With filters, likes, and hashtags, it became super popular really fast. Facebook bought it in 2012. -
2011: Snapchat Starts a New Trend
Snapchat came out in 2011 and introduced disappearing messages and “Stories.” Now everyone from Instagram to Facebook has stories, but Snapchat did it first. -
2016–2018: Here Comes TikTok
TikTok actually started as an app called Musical.ly, where people made lip-sync videos. Then in 2018, it became TikTok the app we know today. It’s full of short, creative videos and trends that spread like wildfire. -
Now: Everything’s Connected
Today, most social media platforms are linked. You can post a photo to Instagram, and it’ll go to Facebook too. We also saw newer apps like BeReal, Threads, and Clubhouse try to grab our attention, though not all of them stuck.