The Evolution of Social Media: How Did It Begin, and Where Could It Go Next?
Maryville University
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The evolution of social media has been fueled by the human impulse to communicate and by
advances in digital technology. It is a story about establishing and nurturing personal
connections at scale. According to Merriam-Webster, social media is defined as “forms of
electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging)
through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal
messages, and other content (such as videos).” The 2019 Pew Research Center report on
social media use in the United States showed that 72% of American adults use some form of
social media. In 2005, the year after Facebook went live, that number was 5%.
A Brief History of Social Media
In less than a generation, social media has evolved from direct electronic information
exchange, to virtual gathering place, to retail platform, to vital 21st-century marketing tool.
How did it begin? How has social media affected the lives of billions of people? How have
businesses adapted to the digital consumer lifestyle? How do marketing professionals use
social media? It’s all part of the story of social media’s ongoing evolution.
Pre-internet Roots
In a sense, social media began on May 24, 1844, with a series of electronic dots and dashes
tapped out by hand on a telegraph machine. The first electronic message from Baltimore to
Washington, D.C., proved Samuel Morse understood the historic ramifications of his
scientific achievement: “What hath God wrought?” he wrote. While the roots of digital
communication run deep, most contemporary accounts of the modern origins of today’s
internet and social media point to the emergence in 1969 of the Advanced Research Projects
Agency Network — the ARPANET.
This early digital network, created by the United States Department of Defense, allowed
scientists at four interconnected universities to share software, hardware, and other data.
In 1987, the direct precursor to today’s internet came into being when the National Science
Foundation launched a more robust, nationwide digital network known as the NSFNET. A
decade later, in 1997, the first true social media platform was launched.
The Launch of Social Sites
In the 1980s and ’90s, the internet’s growth enabled the introduction of online
communication services such as CompuServe, America Online, and Prodigy. They
introduced users to digital communication through email, bulletin board messaging, and real-
time online chatting. These rudimentary platforms attracted millions of users and enabled
email address registration and basic online networking.
Weblogs, or blogs, another early form of digital social communication, began to gain
popularity in 1999. In 2002, LinkedIn was founded as a networking site for career-minded
professionals. By 2020, it had grown to more than 675 million users worldwide. It remains
the social media site of choice for job seekers and human resources managers searching for
qualified candidates. In 2003, Myspace launched. By 2006, it was the most visited website on
the planet. By 2008, it was eclipsed by Facebook. Google’s attempt to elbow its way into the
social media landscape, Google+, launched in 2012. A rocky existence came to an end in
2018, after the private information of nearly 500,000 Google+ users was compromised by a
data security breach.
Modern Social Media Outlets
Today’s social media landscape is populated by a suite of services that jockey for the
attention of more than 5 billion mobile device users worldwide. Here is an overview of the
most prominent social media networks of 2020:
Facebook
Launched in 2004 by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg, it has nearly 1.7 billion users —
including 69% of U.S. adults, according to Pew Research. (HubSpot: Facebook Marketing)
Twitter
Founded in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and others as a microblogging
site, by 2020, 22% of U.S. adults were Twitter users, according to Pew Research. (Hootsuite:
Twitter Marketing: The Complete Guide for Business)
Instagram
Founded in 2010 by Stanford graduate Kevin Systrom as a photo-sharing site and purchased
by Facebook in 2012, Instagram has more than 1 billion users worldwide. (HubSpot:
Instagram Marketing: The Ultimate Guide)
TikTok
Founded in 2016 by Chinese tech company ByteDance, this short-form video-sharing site
was merged with the U.S.-based mobile app Musical.ly in 2018 and became popular with
American teens and young adults. As of early 2020, it had more than 800 million users
worldwide. (Business Insider: TikTok Marketing Trends & Predictions for 2020)
Social Media: The End-User Experience
What began as a desktop or laptop experience shifted to mobile phones and tablets as cellular
service expanded; the capabilities of cellular phones expanded, turning them into
“smartphones”; and high-speed wireless internet became more readily available in homes,
businesses, and public spaces. With the advent of social media apps that could run on
smartphones, end users could take their communities with them wherever they went.
Businesses took advantage of this new consumer mobility by serving their customers new,
simpler methods of interacting — and new ways of buying goods and services.
At first, social media existed to help end users connect digitally with friends, colleagues,
family members, and like-minded individuals. The invention of the smartphone liberated
social media from the desktop and laptop computer. Apple’s first iPhone, launched by Steve
Jobs in 2007, helped shift the focus of online community building to mobile. Facebook,
Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media services thrived in the mobile
app environment.
Technological improvements — specifically, powerful in-phone cameras — shifted the focus
of mobile apps to video and images. In addition to written messages, end users could now
broadcast in real time. Instagram, in particular, became the app of choice for social media
users interested in travel, entertainment, fashion, and other visually oriented topics.
This Is How Social Media Is Destroying Your Life - The Fake Reality
MotivationGrid, YouTube, 16 July 2019
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Watch the video (4 mins 18 secs) available at the link above.
Self Identity in Teens: Social Media Is Getting in the Way
Solstice RTC, April 18, 2017,
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The shaping of self identity in teens is one of the most important and most vulnerable
processes of our lives. The self identity that we build during the adolescent years follows us
into adulthood, which makes it an extremely critical period of time. Social media could be
negatively affecting it, though.
We live in a world where nearly every teenager has access to social media, whether it’s
through their own device, a friend’s, or a shared one at home. This level of connectivity has
opened many doors in the way of communication, but it has also brought about questions of
the negative impact it can have on forming minds.
Social media can negatively impact young girls
Social media is largely based on looks. We already know that the images and expectations
depicted by the media can be incredibly harmful on a young girl’s forming mind, social
media just makes it easier to pass along those messages.
While social media is an inspirational and revolutionary means of connecting with others,
focusing on appearances is never good for a girl’s mental health–and that’s exactly what
social media tends to focus on and “reward” with likes.
Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook (just to name a few) are among the most used social
media platforms by adolescents, and they all heavily rely on the approval of others through
“likes” and comments.
If self identity in teens is based on how many “likes” you receive on a post, then there’s
always going to be someone who has more, and for that person, there’s always going to be
someone who has more, and so on. It’s a vicious cycle that makes absolutely no sense.
Many teen girls and assigned female at birth strive to get the coolest and most perfect photos
just for their online presence to appear “active” and “fun”–even if they’re not actually having
fun in real life. This type of behavior and thinking can lead to mental health issues like
depression or anxiety.
Self identity in teens needs to be nourished and built by more than just “likes” and shares on
social media. As parents, it’s our job to step in and offer support if we notice our child isn’t
basing their self-worth on things that truly matter.
If you believe your child truly is struggling, it’s imperative to reach out to a professional for
guidance.
Identity and the Impact of Technology and Social Media on Communication
Southern Utah University, Chron, 22 July 2020
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media-communication/
The digital age of instant communication and virtual social media communities has
unquestionably affected the way people communicate at every level. These developments
have also impacted the way people form their identities, both individual and collective. And
these new forms of communication and identity formation are directly tied to business
success through messaging media platforms, content development, marketing strategy and
research, consumer exposure, brand awareness and alignment, and customer service and
relations. Literacy in digital communication and influence across media platforms like
YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook is essential for the modern communications
professional.
What Does Identity Have to Do With Communication?
Identity is a broad concept and can mean many things. But, in essence, it is defining who a
person is, what that person feels or thinks, and how they see themselves in the world.
Communicating one’s identity takes place through written or spoken words, actions, and
body language. So identity is integral to why people communicate, what they communicate
and how they communicate.
What Does This Mean for Business Communications?
For the communications professional, it is important to understand this connection between
communication and identity. Although the above description uses the individual
representation of identity, it is every bit as applicable to a community and that community’s
collective, shared aspects of identity.
It is also applicable to the individual’s or the collective community’s perceived alignment
with a company’s identity. Every public representation of a company or its products and
services communicates that company’s identity to the public. This is where companies can
build brand awareness, loyalty and the longevity of the customer relationship.
How Have Technology and Social Media Affected Identity and Communication?
Although communication and identity have always been inextricably tied, technological
innovation and social media have given new dimensions to this connection. Given the
immediacy of communication through modern devices and media, information can spread
across the globe at unprecedented speeds. Trends can appear and disappear as fast as a video
goes viral on Facebook.
Virtual communities within media platforms, such as Facebook groups or online gaming
communities, develop cultures and distinct shared aspects of identity. These virtual
communities and the digitally literate culture at large develop new norms of interaction based
on these newly constructed identities and forms of communication.
This has affected every aspect of communication. Virtual communication has also changed
the language people use, be it shorthand, grammar and punctuation; the pervasive use of
acronyms; and the replacement of words with emoji, to name a few. With the exception of
video chatting and messaging, virtual communication has also minimized body language in
interpersonal communication.
The relative anonymity of virtual communication versus in-person communication has also
led to a change in cultural norms like politeness. For instance, social media, forums and the
like provide people a platform where they can communicate without the consequences of in-
person interaction, leading to more emphatic, overt statements of opinion, whether negative
or positive.
Plus, instant digital communication has brought about more interaction between people and
communities in vastly different global cultures. This impacts culture in many ways, both in
the increase of interaction between cultures and in the creation of virtual identities that have
immense potential for influence across the globe.
What Effects Do These Developments Have on Professional Communications?
As in years past, interest in a product may ensue from a good marketing campaign, with
continued, targeted marketing furthering it. But sustaining and building that interest or
scaling it to the coveted “viral” level relies in large part on a new form of word-of-mouth.
This is based on members of formal or informal communities across social media platforms
spreading the word about a new product or service.
An individual consciously or unconsciously promotes the product (or digital content
promoting a product) through social media posts, showing that it aligns with their identity.
People within that individual’s sphere of influence assume similar alignment with that
product or content, and share it with their online communities, resulting in widespread
alignment with a product, content or brand.
Technology and social media also provide a wealth of information for market research and
the possibility of relatively immediate exposure to consumer trends. And the digital
environment allows for widespread, around-the-clock communication with consumers. More
and more, people expect this, in both content creation and direct virtual interaction with
customers.
The influence of technological innovation and social media on identity development and
communication, both personal and in business, is extremely complex — far beyond the scope
of a single article. But this influence is a central aspect of study in modern business
communications. Clearly, today’s communications professionals must become experts in
social media communication to be effective in their roles.
Benefits of Internet and Social Media
ReachOut Australia, 2021
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The internet and social media provide young people with a range of benefits, and
opportunities to empower themselves in a variety of ways. Young people can maintain social
connections and support networks that otherwise wouldn't be possible, and can access more
information than ever before. The communities and social interactions young people form
online can be invaluable for bolstering and developing young people's self-confidence and
social skills.
The use of social media and networking services such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and
Snapchat have become an integral part of Australians’ daily lives. While many associate
social media with a degradation of young people’s social networks and communication skills,
a literature review published by the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre found that
social networking services actually play a vital role for in young people’s lives - delivering
educational outcomes; facilitating supportive relationships; identity formation; and,
promoting a sense of belonging and self-esteem.
Young people as social participants and active citizens
Social networking services can provide an accessible and powerful toolkit for highlighting
and acting on issues and causes that affect and interest young people. Social networking
services can be used for organising activities, events, or groups to showcase issues and
opinions and make a wider audience aware of them, e.g. coordinating band activities,
fundraisers, and creating awareness of various causes.
Young people developing a voice and building trust
Social networking services can be used to hone debating and discussion skills in a local,
national or international context. This helps users develop public ways of presenting
themselves. Personal skills are very important in this context: to make, develop and keep
friendships, and to be regarded as a trusted connection within a network. Social networking
services can provide young people with opportunities to learn how to function successfully in
a community, navigating a public social space and developing social norms and skills as
participants in peer groups.
Young people as content creators, managers and distributors
Social networking services rely on active participation: users take part in activities and
discussions on a site, and upload, modify or create content. This supports creativity and can
support discussion about ownership of content and data management. Young people who use
social networking services to showcase content - music, film, photography or writing - need
to know what permissions they are giving the host service, so that they can make informed
decisions about how and what they place on the site. Users might also want to explore
additional licensing options that may be available to them within services - for example
Creative Commons licensing - to allow them to share their work with other people in a range
of ways.
Young people as collaborators and team players
Social networking services are designed to support users working, thinking and acting
together. They also require listening and compromising skills. Young people may need to ask
others for help and advice in using services, or understand how platforms work by observing
others, particularly in complex gaming or virtual environments. Once users have developed
confidence in a new environment, they will also have gained the experience to help others.
Young people as explorers and learners
Social networks encourage discovery. If someone is interested in certain books, bands,
recipes or ideas, it's likely that their interest will be catered for by a social networking service
or group within a service. If users are looking for something more specific or unusual then
they could create their own groups or social networking sites. Social networking services can
help young people develop their interests and find other people who share the same interests.
They can help introduce young people to new things and ideas, and deepen appreciation of
existing interests. They can also help broaden users' horizons by helping them discover how
other people live and think in all parts of the world.
Young people becoming independent and building resilience
Online spaces are social spaces, and social networking services offer similar opportunities to
those of offline social spaces: places for young people to be with friends or to explore alone,
building independence and developing the skills they need to recognise and manage risk, to
learn to judge and evaluate situations, and to deal effectively with a world that can sometimes
be dangerous or hostile. However, such skills can't be built in isolation, and are more likely to
develop if supported. Going to a social networking service for the first time as a young
person alone can be compared to a young person's first solo trip to a city centre, and thus it is
important for a young person to know how to stay safe in this new environment.
