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ICQ Released
Created by a group of college students created the site ICQ in 1996. On this site you could message any other user as long as you had their user number. This site enabled it's users to send messages back and fourth in real time. It's name was a clever play on words which stood for "I seek you."
Patrizio, A. (2016, Nov. 18). "ICQ, the original instant messenger, turns 20." Link text -
Six Degrees Launches
The first major social networking site, Six Degrees is launched. It was founded by Andrew Weinreich. This was the first website that allowed people to have profiles, add friends, and where you attend school. At this time not enough people had internet access so it wasn't able to thrive the way successful social media sites do today. Ngak, C. (2014, Feb. 4) "Then and Now: a History of Social Networking Sites." https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/then-and-now-a-history-of-social-networking-sites/ -
ICQ is Aquired by AOL
AOL purchasing ICQ was the turning point in ICQ's popularity. AOL had it's own instant messaging site so they focused primarily on promoting their own site and put ICQ on the back-burner. They continued to update the software but with all the attention AOL was getting, people migrated to AOL instead.
Patrizio, A. (2016, Nov. 18). "ICQ, the original instant messenger, turns 20." Link text -
Habbo Hotel Game Launched
Habbo hotel was the creation of two men from Finland. On this site you could create a character and customize them. Users could dress their avatar to match their own style, and decorate their room in the "hotel." Users all lived at the hotel and were free to socialize with other users as they pleased. The site was launched in several countries and gained popularity with the increasing access to broadband internet
"Habborator Hotel History." http://www.habborator.org/history/ -
Myspace is Created
On this day, the popular social networking site was launched. On MySpace you were able to fully customize your profile by adding a background theme, music, widgets, and the Top 8. Several bands took to the site to promote their music for free. On MySpace everyone started out with one friend, Tom Anderson, which was one of its creators.
Ngak, C. (2014, Feb. 4) "Then and Now: a History of Social Networking Sites." https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/then-and-now-a-history-of-social-networking-sites/ -
Facebook Launches
The website was launched by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004. On Facebook you could create pages, add friends, like, comment, share, and message. On Facebook you didn't have as much freedom with customization as past pages such as MySpace, but it soon became a user favorite and is still one of the leading social media sites today.
Ngak, C. (2014, Feb. 4) "Then and Now: a History of Social Networking Sites." https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/then-and-now-a-history-of-social-networking-sites/ -
YouTube Launches
Youtube was revolutionary for social media because this was the first time users could create their own content and share it all over the web. It quickly rose in popularity due to the range of content and has grown into one of the most popular social media sites today. Users today can be just as famous as celebrities we seen on television.
McEadden, C. (2017, June 29) . A Chronological History of Social Media. Link text -
Reddit Launches
Founded in June of 2005 by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian with funding from Y Combinator, a company that invests in small businesses to get them off the ground. In the beginning the owners created most of the content, but eventually opened it up to any user. It gained in popularity as users could post anything they want.
Macale, S. (2011, Oct. 13). A rundown of Reddit's history and community. https://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/10/14/a-rundown-of-reddits-history-and-community-infographic/ -
Twitter Launches
Jack Dorsey created Twitter in 2006 with the intention of it becoming a messaging platform where users could simultaneously update their statuses and watch what their friends posted by following them. Because twitter was a text-based platform it gave users a character limit, because that was the standard format for texting. Today Twitter is still one of the most used sites.
MacArthur, A. (2018, Aug. 27). "The Real History of Twitter, In Brief." https://www.lifewire.com/history-of-twitter-3288854 -
YouTube Bought Buy Google
Google bought Youtube in October 2006 for $1.65 billion. This was the largest purchase ever made by Google. Youtube continued to maintain it's headquarters, along with it's employees. Youtube's co-owners continued to work at the company. At the time potential was increasing because people were migrating from television to the internet.
(2006, Oct. 10). "Google Buys Youtube for $1.65 Billion." http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15196982/ns/business-us_business/t/google-buys-youtube-billion/#.W58BwehKhPY -
Instagram Launched
Instagram was extremely popular from the beginning. It was a brand new revolutionary format that had never been used before. It was something never before where people posted only photos. By December the networking site had already reached 1 million users, and within the first year had 10 million users. Instagram is still very popular and continues to adapt to satisfy the wants of it's users.
(2015, May 12). "The Complete History of Instagram" https://wersm.com/the-complete-history-of-instagram/ -
Snapchat Launches
At the time that Snapchat was created, social media sites were looking for ways to make posts last long and be more memorable. Snapchat went in a complete opposite direction. At the time users could only send photos and after ten seconds the photos would disappear forever. It quickly rose in popularity and is still a social giant.
Vaynerchuk, G. (2015). "The Snap Generation: A Guide to Snapchat's History." https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/the-snap-generation-a-guide-to-snapchats-history/
