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Period: to
Early Seeds (1980s-1990s)
Email
The World Wide Web
The Rise of Online Communities -
World Wide Web
The invention of the WWW by Tim Berners-Lee revolutionized information sharing, making it easier to connect and share content -
Email
Email, short for ‘electronic mail’, enables users to send and receive digital content, facilitating efficient communication across distances. It serves various purposes, from personal to business, making it a vital tool for modern communication. -
Period: to
.com Boom and Beyond (Late 1990s-2000s)
The Rise of Personal Websites and Blogs
E-commerce and Online Businesses
The Rise of Instant Messaging -
Instant Messaging
Platforms like ICQ and AIM revolutionized real-time communication, enabling quick and easy conversations with friends and family -
Online Communities
Early online communities, centered around shared interests, fostered a sense of belonging and laid the groundwork for social interaction online. -
Personal Websites and Blogs
Individuals started creating personal websites and blogs, sharing their thoughts, experiences, and creative work online. This marked the rise of personal online expression and the democratization of publishing. -
E-Commerce
E-commerce revolutionized shopping and business, making it seamless to connect online and offline. -
Social Media Explosion
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Period: to
Social Media Explosion (2000s-Present)
Rise of major platforms.
Democratization of information
Social movements and activism -
Evolution of Social Media
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Major Social Media Platforms
Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram revolutionized how people connect, consume information, and express themselves. -
Impact on Politics and Election
The 2008 presidential election was the first time candidates used the Internet and social media to campaign. -
Rise of Influencers
Social media platforms opened up new ways to become famous and influential, creating a whole new group of online personalities and influencers who amassed huge followings and used their platforms for all sorts of things. -
Impact on Mental Health
Social media’s constant connectivity and social comparison have raised concerns about their impact on mental health, particularly anxiety, depression, and body image issues. FOMO -
Social Movements and Activism
Social media amplified social movements like Me Too and Black Lives Matter, providing a platform for organizing, mobilizing, and raising awareness. -
Spread of misinformation "Fake News"
Social media's ease of sharing information has led to the rapid spread of misinformation and fake news, posing significant challenges to accurate information and public discourse. -
The Past, Present and the Future
Social media is like a kid that grew up with the internet. It’s changed how we talk to each other, how we find stuff, and how we live our lives. It’s a double-edged sword, though. It’s got lots of good stuff, but it also has some serious problems that we need to figure out.