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Major countries begin implementing 5G tech, this drastically increases mobile internet speeds and enabling the growth of new online services such as enhanced video streaming, and real-time gaming.
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TikTok surpasses 1 billion downloads, becoming one of the fastest-growing social media platforms globally. Its short-video format reshapes user engagement and the way content is consumed, especially among younger audiences.
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Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) gain mainstream attention, fueled by blockchain technology, as artists and creators sell digital art for millions. This is seen as a precursor to the Web3 movement, reshaping the digital economy.
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Facebook is hit with lawsuits from the U.S. government, focusing on its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, sparking global debates about the power of Big Tech.
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COVID-19 pandemic forces millions to work, learn, and socialize online, leading to a massive spike in internet usage, e-commerce, and video conferencing platforms like Zoom.
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Clubhouse, an audio based social media platform, sees rapid assumption during the pandemic, popularizing audio content in real-time conversations. This makes Twitter and Facebook to add similar features to their platform (Spaces, Live Audio Rooms).
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Governments worldwide introduce stricter data privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and updates to Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), responding to public concern over personal data usage by social media platforms.
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Facebook officially changes its company name to Meta, signaling a focus on building the metaverse a virtual reality space where users can interact, play, and work in a fully immersive environment.
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OpenAI's ChatGPT explodes in popularity, with millions of users experimenting with AI-generated text, showing the potential for AI to revolutionize social media engagement, customer service, and content creation.
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Elon Musk buys Twitter, rebrands it as X, and introduces drastic changes, including new monetization models, content policies, and moderation standards.
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Major platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, rely more heavily on AI-driven algorithms to curate personalized content, raising questions about the impact on mental health, misinformation, and user autonomy.