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In 1997 Six Degrees was launched. It is considered by many to be the first true Social Media Site. Six Degrees was based on the "social-circles network model". It allowed users to connect with family, and friends by creating lists and allowing users to message one another. -
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Hot or not luanched in 2000. It was about as far as it could possibly be from Six Degrees. The site allowed users to submit photos of themselves and have other users rate the photos.
While it was very different from Six Degrees this Social Media site is a bit more like current Social Media Sites. To nobody's Surprise Hot or Not influenced both the creators of YouTube and Facebook. -
You would be hard pressed to find a professional in 2023 that doesn't have a LinkedIn. LinkedIn was launched in 2003 and gave professionals the ability to create profiles and connect. -
In 2003 Myspace was launched. If you talk to anyone who was attending college 2003-2005 they most likely had a Myspace account.
Myspace was developed around the idea of being a platform to both connect and entertain users. Just like many current Social Media sites users were able to make a profile and share photos, videos, and even message one another. -
In 2004 Facebook was launched. While when it was first launched younger individuals made up the majority of users Facebook was the first mainstream Social Media Site that people of all ages and backgrounds used.
Facebook allows users to create a profile and make posts that include text, video, and photos. It is amazing to think that nineteen years later Facebook is still a prevalent Social Media Site. -
YouTube was introduced to the U.S in 2005. It allowed users to post videos. Many users began posting informational videos on things such as how to fix a washing machine or car, while others shared videos purely for entertainment purposes. Today most children spend more time watching YouTube then they do watching television. -
In 2006 Twitter was launched. It was very different then other Social Media Sites. It allowed users to make posts and updates but limited the word count. This lead to more frequent use of the site and created more of a conversational atmosphere then other sites. -
In 2007 a 17 year old launched the site Tumblr which quickly blew up. It was a blog style site that allowed users to post multimedia and other content.
Tumblr was very popular with teens and young adults. Over the years Tumblr began to lose relevancy. It still exists today and is used, but is not considered to be a main stream site. -
Grindr is a dating app catered towards gay and bisexual men that was released in 2009. It was the first dating site to use geosocial networking. -
Instagram was launched in late 2010. Instagram was able to hit the sweet spot with users providing the perfect blend of both Media and Text. In 2023 Instagram is still one of the most used Social Media Sites. -
Snapchat is an app that allows users to send chats (Text like Messages), and photos. The photos disappear after being sent. For safety and legal reasons there was and still is a lot of concern about the photos disappearing. Despite the controversy of Snapchat it is still widely used and can be found on most of anyone's phone under the age of 30. -
The Tinder app was released 2012. The app shows users different profiles and lets the user swipe left or right. If two users swipe right they match which gives them the ability to message one another.
Tinder was initially a hit with colleges students but soon began to be used by people of all ages and walks of life. In 2023 Tinder is the most used dating site. -
Vine was an app the allowed users to post six second videos of themselves. The videos that were posted were usually of a humorous nature. Unfortunately Vine lost popularity as quick as it gained popularity leading the app to be shutdown in 2017. -
In 2013 Slack was launched. Slack is a messenger that allows workers to quickly communicate rather then going through the process of sending and email. -
Bumble was launched in December of 2014. Bumble allows users to swipe left or right on profiles. If two people swipe right on one another they match. Bumble is very similar to other dating apps, what sets it apart from others is that the woman has to message the man to start the conversation. Bumble is the second most used dating app in 2023. -
Inspired by the success of Snapchat Instagram adds a story feature to the app. -
In 2016 Facebook Marketplace was released. Marketplace allows Facebook users to sell and trade items. -
Social Media made the 2016 presidential election very controversial. Russian agents began posing as U.S citizens on Facebook spreading disinformation. Facebook revealed that 126 million people were exposed to this information. -
In 2017 Twitter decided to double their character limit from 140 to 280 characters. -
In 2018 Facebook went on trial for harvesting data from 50 million users. Mark Zuckerberg participated in a five day hearing. -
IGTV was release in 2018 by Instagram. It allows users to upload videos that are longer then 60 seconds. -
TikTok was launched in China in 2017 and launched outside of China in 2018. TikTok allows viewers to post and watch short videos. While it took some time to gain popularity it is the most downloaded app in 2023. -
During the lockdown of the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020 people relied more on Social Media then they ever have before. Social Media not only gave them a way to stay in touch with loved ones but also allowed them to continue working using platforms such as Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. -
In 2022 the billionaire founder of Tesla purchased Twitter. Since purchasing Twitter he has made many changes that include app updates, visible view counts on tweets, and is currently looking into the algorithms that users see. -
U.S Government Officials are concerned that TikTok could be infiltrated by the Chinese government to essentially spy on American users or gain access to US user data. Another concern is the possibility that the Chinese government could use the app to spread propaganda to a US audience. Similar to what happened during the 2016 Presidential Election.