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Creation of the First Social Media Platform
SixDegrees.com was founded by Andrew Weinreich in 1997. It was the first website of its kind to allow users to build custom profiles, make connections with others, and send messages. -
Invention of Online Dating
"Are You Hot or Not?" and "Friendster" make their claim to fame by being among the first dating sites where users can upload and view pictures of themselves and others with the goal being to form relationships. -
MySpace
Rival to "Friendster," "MySpace" soars to popularity and takes over as the most commonly used social media platform. -
Facebook
Facebook, arguably the most influential social media platform hits the market, created by Mark Zuckerberg. The app saw its 1 millionth user join in the same year of its creation. -
Flickr
Flickr launches as part of the new social media platform surge that took place from 2003-2005. -
YouTube
YouTube launches as part of the new social media platform surge that took place from 2003-2005. -
LinkedIn Makes First Profit
Three years after launch, LinkedIn makes its first profit. This marked the site's first of many turns for profit in the years to follow, and still to this day. -
First Tweet
The first tweet was sent out by Co-Founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey that read “just setting up my twttr.” -
YouTube Partners Up
After being acquired by Google in 2006, YouTube sees its empire grow immensely, which leads to the site partnering with the most popular creators of content on their platform. This becomes known as a staple of the YouTube brand. -
Hashing Out the Hashtag
The creation of the "Hashtag" was monumental and revolutionized the world of social media. It now allowed users to connect common ideas, interests, likes, or campaigns together for other users to easily access. -
Birth of Blogging
Online blogging is born following the launch of Tumblr by 17 year old David Karp. -
The Founding of Farmville
Farmville for better or worse, marked the start of online gaming. As a result, several other spinoffs, and other online games surfaced soon after. -
Foursquare
At the time of it's launch, Foursquare was an important application that could allow users to check in others shared locations, and provide recommendations on places they like or enjoy. -
Advancement of Online Dating
Grindr makes its way onto the scene, changing the game for online dating forever, especially for gay men. Grindr was the first geosocial networking app that allowed users to connect more easily for hookups with potential suitors in their area. -
Emojis Emerge
While emojis first made their appearance in Japanese Smart phones in 1999, they weren't adopted into Apple and Google software until the mid 2000s. -
Invention of Instagram
Instagram is launched, being one of the pioneers for photo filters and editing within app. -
Pinterest
Pinterest launches the same year and it too quickly gains popularity, allowing users to "pin" certain posts that show their interests and likes. -
The Uprising at Tahrir Square
Social Media was credited as a crucial factor in the organization and planning of protests in Egypt at Tahrir Square to overthrow the dictator Hosni Mubarak. -
Snapchat
Snapchat introduces a brand new feature of the "vanishing" feed, allowing users to make posts that will disappear from their accountant after 24 hours. This sets the mark that will begin a long time rivalry with Instagram. -
Google Plus
After failed attempts at Google Buzz and Google Orkut, Google plus is launched with the unique ability to create "circles" or more interpersonal social media experience. Soon after, Google plus was absorbed under the umbrella of Google Hangout and Gmail. -
1 Billion
Facebook reaches 1 Billion users just 8 years after its launch. -
Selfie Stardom
Dubbed, "The Year of the Selfie," 2014 will forever be remembered as the year the iconic selfie by Ellen DeGeneres at The Oscars. The record breaking photo received over 3 million retweets. -
Periscope and the Streaming Wars
Meerkat takes stage as the first app for streaming, only to be quickly run out by Periscope, launched by Twitter. Periscope was later named IOS app of the year. -
Live Streaming
Facebook Live is introduced, paving the way for livestream features to be built in app, allowing users to connect more personally with their followers. -
TikTok Lands in The US
Perhaps the most recent app to skyrocket in popularity, TikTok makes its way to the US, just a year after it's launch in China.