The Rise of Social Media

  • MySpace launches

    MySpace becomes the first major social media platform for connecting with friends, sharing music and creating personal profiles.
  • Facebook launches

    Facebook, while initially just for Harvard students, began a global social networking revolution.
  • YouTube launches

    Video sharing goes mainstream with YouTube and user-generated content explodes. I personally don’t remember YouTube being a big influence in my life until I was in elementary school. Some prominent YouTube channels I remember are Kid History and Studio C.
  • Twitter launches

    Twitter launches and the world will never be the same. On a real note, microblogging and real-time communication become super popular because of Twitter.
  • The first iPhone is released

  • Facebook surpasses 100 million users

  • Instagram launches

    Photo sharing becomes social media’s visual focus.
  • Snapchat launches

    Snapchat changed, yet another way we communicate with each other.
  • Facebook celebrates one billion users and acquires Instagram

    This marks the era of Social media consolidation.
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    2014–2019: Algorithmic & Influencer Era

  • Instagram introduces algorithmic feed

    Social media becomes more curated; influencers rise.
  • Live streaming is popularized

    Facebook Live, Periscope, and Twitch create real-time video experiences.
  • The U.S. election and social media’s fake news crisis

    Facebook has since revealed that 126 million Americans were exposed to content by Russian agents during the 2016 election.
  • GDPR enacted in EU

    Data privacy becomes a major global issue for internet platforms.
  • TikTok rises internationally

    Short-form video begins dominating social media trends.
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    2019–Present: Pandemic, AI, and Platform Shifts

  • Zoom becomes mainstream

  • TikTok and YouTube surges during COVID-19 lockdowns

    Global adoption accelerates; new trends emerge.
  • Facebook rebrands to Meta

    Push toward virtual reality/metaverse; reflects tech industry ambitions.
  • Threads launches

    Meta introduces a text-based competitor to Twitter/X.
  • Generative AI integration

    ChatGPT, DALL-E, and AI tools begin shaping social media content creation.
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    Video shorts dominates

    Reels, Shorts, TikTok remain central to engagement.