16 reasons why social media is important to your company 616d3200e6dc6 sej

Social Media Timeline - 7600:307.501

By DeclanEvans

  • Project Plato.

    Project Plato.
    Starting in 1960 and running until 1972, Project Plato was one of the first multi-user computing platforms. By the end it had features like message boards, chat rooms, instant messaging, and remote screen sharing.

  • The ‘First’ Social Media Site.

    The ‘First’ Social Media Site.
    SixDegrees.com, considered one of the first social media sites, launched in 1997.

  • Death of SixDegrees.com.

    Death of SixDegrees.com.
    SixDegrees.com reached approximately 1 million users before shutting down in 2000.

  • Too Successful.

    Too Successful.
    Friendster launched in 2002 but was shut down the next year because it became too popular for the servers to handle. It aimed to connect people to new friends and featured a private profile system.

  • The OG.

    The OG.
    MySpace launched in 2003 and peaked in 2005 with 25 million users before declining shortly after. MySpace used a public profile system that allowed anyone to view anyone else’s profile whenever.

  • Explosion of Social Media.

    Explosion of Social Media.
    Many different platforms would launch between 2003 and 2006. Names like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, and YouTube just to name a few.

  • Pay to Play.

    Pay to Play.
    In 2006 LinkedIn became the first social media site to offer a paid premium subscription.

  • Dawn of Microblogs.

    Dawn of Microblogs.
    Tumblr launched in 2007 resulting in the term microblog coming into use. This refers to Tumblr’s, in addition to Twitter’s, emphasis on sharing small amounts of content.

  • Partnered Creators.

    Partnered Creators.
    YouTube introduced its partnership program in 2007. Which is among the first systems put in place that directly allows creators to make money through social media platforms.

  • #Linked.

    #Linked.
    Twitter’s hashtags came into full power with the introduction of hashtag linking in 2009. This allowed posts with a certain tag to all be organized together.

  • Local Interaction.

    Local Interaction.
    FourSquare entered the scene in 2009 with a location based recommendation feature. This allowed people in a similar location to you to get recommended your content.

  • Social Separation.

    Social Separation.
    2009 saw the ban of both Twitter and Facebook in China accompanied by the launch of Weibo, which was a hybrid of the two. The platform continues to be the main performer in the region.

  • Square Photos.

    Square Photos.
    Instagram launched in 2010. From there it will rise to become one of the most downloaded apps on the planet.

  • Put a pin in it.

    Put a pin in it.
    In 2011 Pinterest officially released and popularity remains constant continuing into present.

  • Ghost Messages.

    Ghost Messages.
    Picaboo rebranded to Snapchat in 2011. Content sent in the app disappears after 24 hours as a way to focus on ephemeral moments. In addition it’s camera feature allows for the use of filters that are able to add effects to the user’s face.

  • Flop.

    Flop.
    Google attempted to launch Google Plus in 2011 to mixed success. The platform disappears not long after.

  • Live Streaming.

    Live Streaming.
    Justin.tv rebranded to Twitch in 2011 and gained 45 million viewers by 2013. Now in addition to YouTube, influencers can broadcast live to their audiences.

  • Consolidated Giants.

    Consolidated Giants.
    In 2012 Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion and hit 1 billion users.

  • Paid to Create.

    Paid to Create.
    Patreon launched in 2013 as a site that gave creators ways to further monetize their audiences. Viewers can pay a monthly subscription to gain access to additional content from a creator.

  • Vine.

    Vine.
    Vine launched in 2013 and rapidly declined due the expansion of its niche. However it’s impact has shaped the concept of short form video content moving forward.

  • Business Channels.

    Business Channels.
    Both Slack and Google Hangouts launched in 2013. They aim to bring social media into business settings in a different manner from LinkedIn.

  • Selfie.

    Selfie.
    2014 sees the rise of Selfies, pictures taken by yourself of yourself, if you have a long enough arm that is.

  • Live broadcasting.

    Live broadcasting.
    Meerkat and then Periscope launched in 2015 both trying to be the place that users can livestream whatever they want. This feature eventually makes its way into other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and later TikTok.

  • Political Assault.

    Political Assault.
    The 2016 presidential election is hindered by the spreading of disinformation through sites like Facebook. This will lead to Facebook, Twitter, and Google representatives being summoned by the U.S. Congress in order to testify regarding future interferences.

  • Data Pirates.

    Data Pirates.
    Facebook gave a Cambridge Analytica researcher access to data from 50 million users of the site in 2018. This was done without the users’ consent.

  • The Grape Vine.

    The Grape Vine.
    Chinese app, Douyin, gets a global release under the name TikTok. The app functions in a similar way to Vine, focusing on users creating short form video content. The app gains popularity in North America in 2019.

  • Social Commerce.

    Social Commerce.
    Facebook, Instagram, and later TikTok offer ecommerce options in 2020. This basically marks the rise of “Social Commerce.”