Social networking has become such a
popular trend in recent years that one would think that Twitter, Facebook and
MySpace were the introduction of social networking to the world. In reality,
social networking has been around much longer than we would imagine.
In 1985 The America Online (AOL)
service opened for use to the public. Those in my generation probably remember
this as the first means of communication with your friends, other than email or
your home telephone. In 1997 AIM (instant message) was introduced to the public
and became all the rage. This was easier than sending an email because it was
instant and normally received an instant response. It is similar to what we now
know as text messaging, except for using the computer instead of a cell phone.
As the years passed and more and
more people began using the Internet, more sites were created and within those
sites, MySpace, LinkedIn, and Facebook were all created as well. By 2005
Facebook had launched a version of their web page for high school students to
use. Social networking was sky rocketing and people of all ages were becoming
users. Facebook was most popular amongst college and high school students, but
as it became more popular older people became members as well.
In 2012 Facebook reached a billion
users, which constitutes for half of the 2 billion people using social media
and the Internet worldwide. Social networking not only helps people stay
connected with loved ones, old friends and new acquaintances but also is now
being used widely with businesses and employees. Thanks to the invention of
these websites we all so commonly use, we are able to do many things we
otherwise would be unable to keep up with.
http://www.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/NewMedia/SocialMedia/SocialMediaHistory.html
Author: Samantha VanDuyne
Author: Samantha VanDuyne
Interesting look back at social networking. I've never connected AIM with modern social networks before, however the connection is definitely real. I think a lot of the "problems" attached to social networks were already being seen back then. For me, when I think of my middle school years, hours spent chatting on AIM are what I think of. It is a depressing thought now because I think of how I could have better used the time. It makes me wonder how I'll view my college years and Facebook and Twitter ten years down the road.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Taringa, Hi5, Sonico, Six degree, Orkut and other Social website that has been forever. I remember ICQ, is this from AOL ?
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how social networks have changed our world, it is even more amazing how those generate profit. According to e-Marketer, global social networking revenues will exceed $10 billion 2013. Most social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and many others offer their services to members for free, yet still net significant income. In fact, reported by Mashable Business, Facebook earned $1.6 billion in revenues in the first half of 2011, and was on pace to achieve more than $3 billion in revenues by year end.
ReplyDeleteUyen Pham
Hi I am Zach Radmanesh,
ReplyDeleteYea I definitely agree that social networking has come a long way from the days that I remember it. I remember AOL, asking for my family's email addresses and adding them to my contact list. Then AIM, Yahoo and all those other chat programs came about which were thriving while we were in middle school. I didn't have a cell phone at that time because as a middle schooler I had no use for it, but AIM helped me make plans with my friends in a faster method. Then MySpace came around and eventually Facebook, but the overall evolution of social networking has been crazy. I wonder what will be next.
Social media has changed a lot in the past fifteen years and it is still changing now. I do remember AOL and using instant messaging a couple of times before, always disconnecting and very slow, so it wasn't as reliable. MySpace was overtaken by Facebook and now it seems like Tweeter is taking over Facebook. With so much technology, who knows what we will see in the next five or ten years.
ReplyDeleteI had almost forgotten about the days of AOL Instant Messaging. That was definitely the 'hit' thing when I was in middle school and part of high school. I remembering forming friendships with people from school over AOL Instant Messenger. Facebook is definitely an easier way to stay connected than Myspace was, because it is much more uniform and easier to search. I am able to stay in contact with people from all over the US that I went on mission trips with almost 10 years ago throughout middle and high school, which I find amazing! Social Media has truly changed relationships and communication.
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