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Precursor to Social Media
The University of Illinois developed the PLATO system in 1960. PLATO or Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations was the first computerized learning system. Through the 60's and 70's, several versions of PLATO would be made. Beginning in 1972, social Media based applications such as Notes (Email), Talkomatic (the first chat based system), and Term-Talk (instant messaging) would appear. Scott Kenimond -
The First Signs of the Internet
The first computer to computer communication happened roughly at 10:30 PM on a system called ARPANET, which was built on the TCP/IP system used today. This allowed for the transfer of a simple message from one machine to another. Further developments would happen over the next few decades that would produce the Internet as we know it today. Scott Kenimond -
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Personal Computers and Operating Systems
In the early 1980s, operating systems began to appear. DOS on the Commodore 64, Windows was created for PC, and OS for Macintosh computers. Not only do these systems make it easier for users to use their new home computers, but it was the beginning piece to creating a system where social media could thrive. Scott Kenimond -
World Wide Web
Sir Timothy Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. This is a system of stored information that can be located through the use of hypertext and URLs while connected to the internet. He also wrote the first web browser in 1990 while employed at CERN in Switzerland. In January of 1991, this browser was shared with other research institutions and was released publicly by August of the same year. By late 1993/early 1994, everyday use of the world wide web had taken off. Scott Kenimond -
America Online
By 1994, the internet was a new hot commodity in everyone's homes. Once of the most popular internet providers was America Online, or AOL for short. One of the pioneers of providing internet, AOL was a web portal, email system, instant messenger, and web browser all rolled into one. Founded by Marc Seriff, Steve Case, Jim Kimsey, and William von Meister the company went through a few name changes before becoming AOL. One of the early forms of Social Media was their chat rooms. Scott Kenimond -
SixDegrees.com Launch
Launched in 1998 by Andrew Weinreich. It was sold in 1999 to YouthStream Media Networks and shut down in 2001. It has since reopened, but only to previous users of the platform. Any new users have to be invited. Scott Kenimond -
Blogger Launch
Blogger was created by founders Pyra Labs. It is considered to be one of the earliest blog sites in history and it allowed users to keep blogs on any subject they desired. In 2015, the site banned sexually explicit material for the health and safety of it's users. Scott Kenimond -
Hi5 Launches
Hi5 was anAmerican social networking app based in San Francisco California. Roy Thurman -
Friendster Launch
Friendster was launched in March of 2003 in California by founder Jonathan Abrams. Originally designed and operated similar to Facebook, allowing users to interact with each other, in 2011 it switched to a gaming site. Scott Kenimond -
Linked-In Launches
Linked-in was created for people to publicize there resumes and job qualifications and look for employment. Roy Thurman -
Myspace Launch
Launched On August 1, 2003 Myspace quickly gained popularity due to it's influence on technology, music, and pop-culture. Founded by Chris DeWolfe, Tom Anderson, and Jon Hart, it was originally more visited than Facebook when it emerged, as Facebook was originally intended for college students only. Scott Kenimond -
Facebook Launch
In 2004, a group of college students led by Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook. Originally open to Harvard students only, and then any student in college, it was a way for college students to find each other. In 2006, the company opened up registration to anyone aged 13 and older. Facebook over took Myspace's popularity, eventually forcing the latter site to change it's format completely. Scott Kenimond -
YouTube Launches
An online video sharing platform, was launched in 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. The popular platform has over two billion users to date. Hailey Eckelberry -
Twitter Launch
The company Odeo releases “Twttr” which is now known as Twitter, on July 15, 2006. The microblogging and messaging service has over 1.3 billion accounts created. Hailey Eckelberry -
Tumblr Launch
Tumblr was launched in 2007 under David Karp, a high school dropout who created the site at the age of 20. Hailey Eckelberry -
Justin.tv Launch
Justin.tv was launched by Justin Kan in 2007, designed as a website similar to Youtube where instead of VODs users could live broadcast themselves. Kan originally used the site to broadcast his life 24/7 via a webcam attached to a baseball cap, save some NSFW parts. This has been dubbed “lifecasting” and has largely died out as a form of content. Justin.tv was shut down in 2014 so Kan could focus on the video game live streaming platform: Twitch. Matthew Pemberton -
First Generation iPhone Launch
The arrival of Apple's first iPhone not only changed the face of communication and phone technology, but made social media even more accessible. Within months of the launch of the first generation iPhone social media companies were developing and releasing apps so that one could take social media with them wherever the went. Scott Kenimond -
Dailybooth Launches
In February of 2009 John Wheatley and lead app developer Ryan Amos launched Dailybooth. The site/app encouraged users to take a photo a day to share a glimpse into their lives. They adopted the slogan "Your Life In Pictures." Though the app was geared towards a more teenage audience, I had quite a bit of fun on the platform. Scott Kenimond -
Grindr Launches
Founded by Joel Simkhai, this location based social media platform allows gay men to chat, trade pics, share locations, and promotes hook-ups and anonymous sex. Profiles are often precise and to the point as to what the specific user is interested in and looking for. Scott Kenimond -
Instagram Launch
Instagram, the photo sharing platform was launched by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. The apps gained popularity has led it to be one of the top photo sharing apps. Hailey Eckelberry -
Twitch Launches
Twitch focuses on e-sports and gaming. It allows players to livestream while playing games. Roy Thurman -
Snapchat Launch
Snapchat, a photo and video sharing social media platform launched in 2011 on iOS, originally under the name of Picaboo, by Spiegel's. Hailey Eckelberry -
Tindr Launches
Tinder was born out of a partnership between Xtreme Labs and IAC. It is a geosocial dating app that allows you to anonymously like (Swipe Right) or dislike (Swipe Left) random people that appear on your device within a certain radius of you which you set. Originally requiring a Facebook account to sign up, limited users so Tinder began allowing users to sign up with just a phone number in 2019. Scott Kenimond -
DailyBooth Shuts Down
For no explained reason, Dailybooth contacted Members on November 11 stating that they would no longer be able to post content after November 14.. Users were given instruction on how to export their photos, and the platform went read only. They shut down completely on New Year's Eve, 2012 Scott Kenimond -
Vine Launch
Vine was launched in 2012 by Dom Hofmann, bought by Twitter a few months later, and released to the public in 2013. Vine allowed users to post six second videos on their mobile devices. Vine was mostly used for short form comedy and music clips. Vine forced Instagram to launch its own short video features and is considered a predecessor to the massively popular social media platform Tik Tok. Matthew Pemberton -
Periscope Launches
Developers Kayvon Beykpour and Joe Bernstein created and sold Periscope to Twitter prior to the launch in 2015. Much along the lines of Vine, users make videos to express themselves and can follow up to 8,000 people. The site was the first to use shadow banning if enough users were blocked from "scopes" or videos. This practice is along the lines of ghosting, where the shadow banned user dioxan't know about the ban and continue to post without others seeing them. Scott Kenimond -
Discord Launches
Discord was conceived by Jason Citron when he realized how difficult it was to strategize with his friends while playing Final Fantasy XIV while using the game's existing VoIP. Discord is built to create private communities that users can request to join and utilizes everything from text, VoIP, and phone calls. It is primarily used by gamers. Scott Kenimond -
Friendster Suspends Service
Just after 12 years, Friendster suspended their services. They cited that this was due to low user ship and the constant evolving of social media platforms. Three years after suspending services, the company actually shut its doors as well. Scott Kenimond -
TikTok Launches
In 2017 the popular app Musical.ly was bought by Chinese company ByteDance. Though Musical.ly was originally a Chinese company, this sale brought up many fears of the renamed TikTok’s (Douyin) ties to the Chinese Communist Party. These fears were amplified when documents were leaked confirming the site was blocking criticism of the CCP. Despite attempts to shut down the application in other countries, TikTok continues to be one of the largest social media platforms today. Matthew Pemberton -
Only Fans Launches
In 2016, a new sort of social media hit the scene, where broadcasters had channels, and they create and share content with their "fans" (subscribers) for a price that they have set. Fans my also have the choice to purchase extra content for small fees. While popular with sex workers who are tired of studio drama and have chosen to go independent, there is other content on the site as well ranging from chiropractic doctors, fitness trainers, and even singers and comedians. -
Vine Shuts Down
In 2016 Twitter announced it would shut down vine, to the chagrin of many active users. The death of Vine is often attributed to a flood of similar functions on other more diversified applications, such as Instagram and Snapchat. Leadership was also cycled in and out frequently, making it very unstable at the top. Matthew Pemberton -
Facebook Data Breach
In 2018 Facebook announced that it had a massive data breach, effecting 50 million users. This data breach spawned a new conversation about social media sites’ responsibility for user data and information, and even made Mark Zuckerberg testify in front of congress. It is still unknown who achieved this hack. Matthew Pemberton -
Co-Star Launches
Co-star asks users for detailed biographical information to develop an accurate natal chart, which is an “astronomical snapshot of the sky based on the exact day, time, and place you were born. Roy Thurman -
Spike in Social Media Use
Due to COVID-19 and the global pandemic, social media use spiked- March 1 2020. Usage has increased 4% while human lifestyle has declined 3%. Roy Thurman
