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SixDegrees.com
The first social media platform was created. You could set up a profile page, create lists of connections, and send messages within networks. -
AOL Instant Messenger
Also known as "AIM" for AOL Instant Messenger. This was released by AOL to be used for instant messaging. One could finally be at their computer working while also staying in touch with their friends (or the babysitter!) -
Major Acquisition - 1999
SixDegrees.com is acquired by YouthStream Media Networks for $125 million. Their annual revenue has been decreasing considerably since 2018. -
HOT or NOT
The HOT or NOT site was born, allowing strangers to comment on your looks. You could be scored on a scale of 1 to 10. This became a driver in how future apps developed their sites. Apparently the option to show many pictures of oneself was a user must. -
Friendster
Built intending to be a dating site. The idea was to meet friends of friends. Friendster was also good for discovering new events, bands, and hobbies. -
Myspace
If you did not participate, you at least knew about Myspace. Millions of teens used the site for its customizable public profiles. These profiles often featured music, videos and selfies, and could be set to be public. -
Facemash
Sound strangely familiar? That's because this is what Facebook originally called itself. It was designed for Harvard University students only. It was to be used as a type of Hot or Not site. -
LinkedIn
LinkedIn was born in 2003. This site was developed with the business community in mind, and has become a key tool for networking and career development. Many companies post their job openings, and many users post their resumes in hopes of landing a new position. -
XING
An online business platform for connecting with like-minded professionals. XING is highly popular in Germany and Spain. -
Skype
Online video/audio calling between two or more people. Skype became an even bigger hit during the height of the pandemic. -
(The) Facebook
A huge milestone for social media growth. The Facebook was born in 2004 becoming the most popular social networking service to-date. The "the" was dropped in 2005, after the new domain was purchased for $200,000. Facebook now offers voice and video calling service, and of course the popular instant messaging service. -
Flickr
An image and video hosting site to keep personal photos. Many users use Flickr to store the images and videos they will use later on for their website blogs. -
Twitter
Online microblogging service which can be used through desktop computers or mobile phones. Each message one sends is called a "tweet." Through the use of hashtags, a user can reach thousands of people. -
YouTube
The very popular YouTube offers its platform to creators of content making. One can find nearly any type of video (excluding pornography). If you can think it, you can find it in the search engine. -
Weibo
You may have never heard of Weibo. This is because Weibo is widely used in China. This platform is a good mix of Facebook and Twitter which were both banned in China. -
Grindr
The world's largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people. The app helps people "hookup" with other like-minded individuals. -
Instagram
A very popular photo and video sharing service known for its editing services. The content can also easily be organized by hashtags or by geographical tagging. -
Pinterest
This service allows for images known as "pins" to be "pinned" by others to their "pinboards." Users can then comment and connect over these images. -
Quora
Developed to help anyone with a question. All one needs to do is ask, and one of the many users will likely have an answer. -
Snapchat
Another photo/video sharing, and social media platform. The popularity grew with this site for its filters and captions. Posts are only available for a short time before automatically deleting. -
A Major Acquisition - 2011
In 2011, Myspace was sold to Specific Media to News Corp for $35 million. -
Tinder
An online dating app known for its swipe (liking what you see.) The app is also commonly referred to as a hookup app. -
A Major Acquisition - 2012
Facebook acquires Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock. The stock sells for $175.70 a share today (June 10th, 2022.) -
TikTok
A short video sharing and social media service. The videos are only 15 seconds long at most. Many of the videos reflect people expressing themselves creatively. -
Clubhouse
You can drop in on one of the millions of rooms where people are meeting to audio-chat. Just raise your hand if you want to chime in.