In just a few short decades, social media have revolutionized our ability to stay in touch with one another, spread news, and learn new things. The intriguing development of social media is a reflection of the speed with which technology, social standards, and the demand to be connected have all advanced in tandem. In this survey, we'll look back at the early days of social media and forward to where we think it's headed in the future.
In the Beginning, There Were Online Forums and Communities
In the early days of the internet, Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) established the foundation for what would later become social media. Users might connect to a central system by dial-up modem and exchange messages and take part in group conversations on a bulletin board system (BBS). This transition from analog to digital communication was initiated by these systems, however rudimentary they may seem now.
Online communities sprang up alongside the rise of the internet. Community-driven discussion boards were made possible by services like Usenet and AOL. These groups were the predecessors of the broad and expansive social networks we know today.
Six Degrees of Separation and Friendster's Ascendance
Some of the earliest examples of social networking sites appeared online in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Launched in 1997, Six Degrees is widely considered the pioneering social networking site. It paved the way for future social networks by enabling profile creation and friend connections.
Friendster, which debuted in 2002, was one of the first platforms to establish the concept of a "social graph" - the network of relationships between members - which quickly gained popularity in Asia. However, despite initial success, Friendster's collapse was due to technological challenges and competition.
