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Launch of Classmates.com
Classmates.com was created to allow former classmates to connect via the internet. It is considered the first modern social media site that featured profiles and friends lists. Classmates.com paved the path for our current social media giants that took a similar model. Classmates.com was sold roughly nine years after its launch and lost ground to newer growing social media sites. https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/then-and-now-a-history-of-social-networking-sites/ -
Launch of Napster
Napster was originally created as a peer to peer file sharing website. Users would create profiles and then be able to post or download files that other users had posted. It became an issue when copy righted material was posted to the site and legal action was taken by agencies working for the music industry. The courts finally shut down Napster in 2001 after it peaked with over 80 million users. This is considered the first large social site. https://www.lifewire.com/history-of-napster-2438592 -
Launch of LinkedIn
LinkedIn started with a few slow initial start. Due to the experience of some of the founders, they were able to stay operating thanks to some high level investors. LinkedIn started experimenting with new features and became set on creating a networking site for business professionals. Still a relatively smaller userbase, LinkedIn has found their niche and is the standard for creating business connections. https://ourstory.linkedin.com/ -
Launch of Friendster
Friendster was created to allow people to meet new friends and connect with existing friends all through the internet. The site had very quick success with millions of users in the first three months. Friendster is seen by many as one of the original social media sites. It eventually declined due to the growing success of new social media sites like Myspace. http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/history-friendster -
Launch of Myspace
For many, Myspace was their first social media site or the first they had heard of. Myspace gave users the ability to create a highly customizable profile, link with friends, join groups, and more. It became the number 1 website on the internet in 2006 stealing many users from other popular social media sites competing for the same crowd. https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/then-and-now-a-history-of-social-networking-sites/7/ -
Launch of Facebook
theFacebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg as a college specific social media site. With extremely rapid growth, facebook expanded to high schools and later to anyone with an email address. Facebook became the number 1 website in 2008. It is still currently the most popular traditional social media site. Material on facebook has been used in law or to catch wanted persons by governments around the world. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/jul/25/media.newmedia -
Launch of YouTube
YouTube is a different form of social media that focuses almost entirely on posting videos with people rating and commenting on them. The site was purchased by Google and is now the #2 most popular site today. Youtube has created a large online market for digital media. Facebook is trying to do many of the things Youtube has done but with less success. https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/10/the-history-of-youtube/ -
Launch of Reddit
Reddit is a social media site where users can find things on the internet and vote on what they believe to be the best or worst. Users can join communities to find content they are interested in. Reddit has contributed to countless efforts across the internet and is now the #6 most popular website on the internet today. https://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/10/14/a-rundown-of-reddits-history-and-community-infographic/ -
Launch of Twitter
Unlike many other social networks, twitter was focused on quick and short messages. Users could create basic profiles but nothing to the extent of Facebook. It became popular due to the timely information that could be spread and ease of connecting with celebrities and friends alike. Twitter is now the #12 most popular website in the world. https://www.lifewire.com/history-of-twitter-3288854 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_popular_websites -
Launch of Tumblr
Tumblr is still a growing social media site. It is dedicated to users creating short blogs that others can comment on or share. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/social-media-brief-history-tumblr-louisa-kelly/ -
Launch of Justin.tv (Twitch.tv)
Justin.tv brought the internet to the word of live-streaming content. In particular: video games. Justin.tv later became Twitch.tv and allowed all kinds of gamers to find an audience. Amazon now owns the service and it continues to grow. "SWATTING" is an active problem that is now starting to have real life consequences for the people calling in the false reports. https://www.fastcompany.com/1839300/many-pivots-justintv-how-livecam-show-became-home-video-gaming-superstars -
Introduction of the SmartPhone
Smartphones allowed everyday people to have access to their social medias from their pockets. At first they were not too popular for this feature but that quickly expanded as sites saw the potential they had. -
Launch of Instagram
Instagram is one of the first social medias to launch exclusively as an application for mobile devices. It focused on the sharing of photos, commenting, and liking. 2 months after launch it already had 1 million users. After being purchased by facebook, Instagram expanded becoming one of the most popular apps of all time as it continues to release new features today. https://wersm.com/the-complete-history-of-instagram/ -
Launch of Snapchat
Snapchat also started as an application but instead of wanting to launch a new social media, snapchat was looking to create a new form of communication. Snapchat popularized the idea of sending photos back and forth for conversation and we now see this idea copied all around. Snapchat has now expanded into a more social app filled with features. Instagram is looking to compete but snapchat is holding strong. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-vaynerchuk/the-snap-generation-a-gui_b_9103216.html -
Launch of Google+
Google launched their social media site Google+ in the midst of facebook privacy concerns. Google assured users that their information would be secure and their site would have all facebook had to offer. After a less than stellar start, Google+ is inactive relatively unchanged. The launch of this social media proved the current generation of social media sites where here to stay. http://www.seowebmarketing.co.uk/google-plus-history/ -
Launch of Vine
Like twitter and facebook, vine was like the little brother of YouTube. Users were able to create 6 second videos and the rest is history. Vines became popular on every other social media platform as they were seen linked or played everywhere. Vine was purchased by Twitter who shut it down just 4 years after its launch. https://www.wondershare.com/multimedia-tips/vine-history.html
