Social Media Timeline

Six Degrees Launch

1997

Six Degrees, the first form of social, media launched in 1997.The name comes from the term "six degrees of separation." Source

Myspace Launch

2003

Myspace launched in 2003. It was one of the first forms of social media and the first one to become a household name. Source

Facebook launch

2004

Facebook launched in 2004. Facebook became and still is the most popular social media site in the world. Source

Youtube launch

2005

Youtube launched in 2005. It remains the most popular website for video hosting. Source

Twitter Launch

2006

Twitter launched in 2006. It is one of the current major social media sites. Its style of short posts was revolutionary in social media. Source

Google buys Youtube

2006

Google purchased Youtube in 2006. The deal was for $1.65 billion. It was one of the first major acquisitions of a social media company. Source

Tumblr launch

2007

Tumblr launched in 2007. Tumblr combined aspects of other social media sites with blogging. It became popular as an alternative to blogging for people who didn't want the time commitment of a traditional blog. Source

Instagram Launch

2010

Instagram launched in 2010. It became the most popular photo sharing website. Source

Pinterest launches

2010

Pinterest launched in 2010. It's every crafty mom's favorite social media site. Source

Snapchat launch

2011

Snapchat launched in 2011. Its style of pictures messages which delete upon on opening was revolutionary. It became a strong competitor for Instagram. Source

Facebook IPO

2012

Facebook became publicly traded in 2012. It was a groundbreaking decision from Facebook to go public. Source

Facebook buys Instagram

2012

Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion. It was a massive acquisition which led to Facebook owning two of the biggest social media sites. Source