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The First Social Media Site
The first social media site, SixDegrees.com, was created in 1997. Users could set up a profile page, make lists of connections, and send messages within networks. -
Hot or Not
AmIHotorNot.com allowed users to submit photos of themselves to be rated by their attractiveness. The site is rumored to have influenced the creators of Facebook and YouTube. -
A Space for Friends
MySpace, which launched in 2003, was a popular site for teenagers. The profiles often showcased music, videos, and selfies. In 2005, the site began to decline after selling to NewsCorp. -
Gaining Traction
In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg created “The Facebook” which became “Facebook” in 2005. LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, and Reddit emerged around the same time. -
Twitter Takes Flight
Co-found Jack Dorsey posted the first ever tweet which read “just setting up my twttr.” -
Twitch
The immensely popular video game live-streaming site was initially launched as part of Justin.tv in 2007. After receiving millions of different viewers, Amazon bought Twitch in 2011. -
The OG Influencers
YouTube introduced its partnership program in 2007. This marked the beginning of social media influencers. -
#
In 2007, Chris Messina proposed the hashtag to organize tweets. -
Weibo
China’s Sina Weibo, a hybrid of Facebook and Twitter launched the same year (2009) the two sites were banned in the country. Weibo remains one of the most popular social sets in China. -
Checking In
Foursquare was a location-based app that allowed users to “check in” while sharing recommendations from their favorite cities. -
Revolutionizing Hookups
Grindr, a dating app for gay and bisexual men, launched in 2009. It paved the way for other dating apps like Tinder. -
Introducing Instagram
Co-founder Mike Kreiger posted one of the first Instagram photos on July 16, 2010. Instagram is the most downloaded app globally. -
Snapchat
Snapchat, formally called “Picaboo”, was created in 2011 and was Instagram’s biggest rival. -
Pinning Your Interest
Pinterest launched in 2011 and became a favorite hobby. As of 2022, the site had 445 million monthly active users. -
Google Plus
In 2011, Google attempted to launch Google Plus, an invitation-only system. The network was no match for Facebook and Twitter and eventually fizzled out. -
Facebook Acquires Instagram
Facebook bought Instagram for a billion dollars in 2012. Facebook also reached one billion users eight years after its launch -
Reshaping Videos
Videos on Vine could only be up to 6 seconds long and it created a distinct sense of humor. The app had a quick demise due to apps like Snapchat and Instagram video sharing features. -
Patreon
The platform allows patrons to subscribe to exclusive creator content from YouTubers or Twitch streamers -
The Creation of Live-streaming
Meerkat was the first app to create live-streaming. Soon after, Twitter developed Periscope which became the most popular. Apple awarded Periscope the iOS app of the year in 2015. Live-streaming is now a standard feature on apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook -
Social Media's Fake News
In 2016, “trolls factories” on social media spread misinformation on the US presidential election. -
A Star is Born
Douyin was released outside of China under the name TikTok in 2017. The app became popular in the United States in 2019 -
Facebook Goes on Trial
In 2018, it was made public that Facebook allowed a Cambridge Analytic researcher to harvest data from 50 million users without consent. Zuckerberg was part of a 5 day hearing in front of the US Congress -
Instagram Videos
Instagram launched Instagram Video in 2019 which allowed four different types of video formats: reels, videos, stories, and lives -
New Platforms Continue
In 2020, a social audio platform called Clubhouse became popular during the COVID-19 lockdown but struggled to remain popular as the pandemic decreased. In 2022, the unfiltered photo-sharing app BeReal became popular. -
Shops
Facebook and Instagram introduce Shops in 2020 giving users a way to purchase in app -
Twitter Gets an Update
Billionaire Elon Musk buys Twitter in 2022 and changes the app name to X.