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CompuServe Founded
Containing an online chat system, message forums, online games and software libraries, CompuServe was the first major commercial online service in the United States. In the beginning, computers were connected over telephone lines. -
Macintosh Computer Released
The Macintosh, perhaps best known today for its provocative commercial directed by Ridley Scott, pioneered an image of personal computers as user friendly. It had a graphical user interface, or GUI, which meant that the screen produced icons and images instead of being a wall of text. The Macintosh attracted people who were previously wary of computers and popularized the concept of a recreational computer. -
AOL Launched
America Online contained member created communities as well as member profiles. To many it was the "Internet before the internet." -
Communications Decency Act
This act provides protection for interactive computer service providers from being liable for content posted by a third party. Because of this act, social media platforms are not in constant danger of being sued for something a user posted. -
Friendster Launched
Friendster allowed users to form an online community, to date, or to make friends. It is easy to see how platforms like Friendster influenced latter platforms like Myspace and Facebook, as the goals of these sites are very similar. At this point, there had been advancements in computer software and use that contributed to a growing audience for social interaction over the internet. -
LinkedIn Launched
Instead of focusing on the social component of social media, LinkedIn decided to focus on people looking for jobs. LinkedIn is associated with Microsoft. -
Myspace Launched
People could interact with others online and put people into a friend group. Similar to Facebook, it was the largest social media website for a long time. -
Facebook Launched
Based in California, Facebook is the largest social media site in 2019. 8 in 10 online Americans, and 68% of all Americans are on Facebook. If someone has only one social media account, it is most likely Facebook. Facebook also introduced the "Like" button, which has spread to many other social media platforms. -
Youtube launched
Youtube allows users to create and share video content. On top of uploading videos, people can comment, like, and subscribe to they like. -
Reddit Launched
Reddit is a compilation of interesting videos and photos from around the internet, where people can up vote and comment on user submitted content. -
Facebook Availiable to the General Public
Before 2006, Facebook, like many other social media sites, was intended only for university students. In Facebook's case, Harvard. -
Twitter Launched
A microblog that allows people to create content via short messages. Popular among younger adults and those with higher education. -
Tumblr Launched
Microblog where you are able to put content onto a user created blog and share your interests with others. Users can have more than one blog. -
iPhone Released
With the creation and subsequent models of the iPhone, social media became increasingly catered towards mobile devices. Many social media platforms and messaging apps are now created primarily for use on mobile phones. Social media is now extremely integrated into peoples lives no matter where they are. -
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Like Button in use
After Facebook introduced the "Like" button in 2009, it became a quick way to show support for posts on many social media sites, including YouTube and Twitter -
FTC Revises Guide
In 2009, the FTC revised its "Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials" by stating that sponsorships in which a company gives a blogger a product or service must be disclosed. This is important because advertising is how social media stars make the most money, and a popular method of advertising involves creating a post where the product or service is being used. -
Pinterest Launched
Allows people to share designs, recipes, and ideas. By a large margin it is more popular with women than men. -
Instagram Launched
When it started it was just a way to share photos, but now it allows users greater freedom to comment and interact with other users across the world. Instagram is extremely popular among young adults. -
Google+ Launched
Google+ was never a fully featured site in the vain of Facebook, but rather a social overlay of the Google experience. Nonetheless, Google+ had a live video chat feature called Hangouts that rivaled any video chat feature Facebook had at the time. -
Snapchat Launched
Like Instagram, it started as a photo sharing app, but it grew to include videos and messaging. Snapchat also features users "Stories", 24 hours of chronological content. -
Vine Launched
Vine was a video sharing service in which the videos had a strict time limit of six seconds. This lead to fast, energetic content and strong personalities becoming popular on that platform. One of the more notorious personalities to come out of vine is Logan Paul, who went on to start a popular channel on YouTube. Vine was purchased by Twitter, who saw it as compatible with its own short form text based platform. -
Vine Shut Down
Facing an exodus of creators and difficulty finding ways to grow its user base and revenue, Vine was closed down by Twitter in January of 2017. Despite being popular and a social hub, Vine failed to turn its popularity into profits and also fell behind other video sharing platforms in terms of new features.
