So I’ve talked about social media in my previous blogs but only very vaguely. Let’s take a step back from me talking about Instagram and talk about how social media started and became one of the most used communication tools in present day society. Although there are many different dates on when social media actually started, the first true social media site was created in 1997 called SixDegrees. This social media page allowed users to create a profile and make lists of connections with other people within the network. The site was able to garner over one million users before it was eventually bought out. The next few years saw some traction with the invention of MySpace and Friendster but in 2003 one of the most famous social media apps was created, Facebook. Originally named Facemash by the creator Mark Zuckerberg, this social media platform would eventually become the most used application in the world and still hold the title to this day.

When Mark Zuckerberg purchased the domain “Facebook.com”, a tsunami of new social media sites began to emerge. Linkedin, Flickr, and WordPress soon followed after Facebook, each with their own target audience. However, the creation of these sites were overshadowed by the creation of YouTube. YouTube is a video sharing platform that allows users to post videos of whatever they want. It has gained so much popularity that as of today, it is the most popular website in the world besides google. But during the time that these social media sites were created, only people who had computers were able to access these resources. It was until 2007 that american entrepreneur Steve Jobs created the first iPhone which sparked a new era in technology.

 Steve Jobs introduces iPhone in 2007

With the invention of the iPhone, some other big name social media applications started to come around. By 2012, Snapchat and Instagram were created and took the world by storm. These two social media apps would not only become a primary communication tool for Gen Z but for all popular news stations, celebrities, athletes, etc. 

All of these applications would gain more and more followers as the years progressed but a new application has emerged and it is gaining popularity like no other. TikTok, a short-form video service, has become the fastest growing social media app in 2021 and is rapidly gaining more and more users which may eventually lead to TikTok becoming the most popular social media application in the world. Nowadays, you can find almost anyone in the world who owns a phone to have some form of social media. The rise of social media has made it become one of the most powerful communication tools and will continue to grow as the years go by.