The rise of social media has proven to have changed the ways of communication within society. There have been many technologies that have led up to the creation of online communication, one of those being the first communication device; the telegraph. In 1972, the invention of this device allowed for faster methods of communication throughout the world (McFadden, 2018). Decades later, communication devices improved from the creation of the telephone and radio in the 1800s. Without the creation of these devices, social media today would not be possible.
In the 1960s the rise of Compuserve, the first major online service provider, paved the way for online communication (McFadden, 2018). Primitive emails also appeared in 1966, followed by the advent of UserNet in 1979 (McFadden, 2018). UserNet allowed people to communicate through a virtual newsletter, articles or posts to newsgroups (McFadden, 2018). Soon after in 1985, The Well and GENie were created. General Electric Network for Information Exchange was an online service created for GE (McFadden, 2018). A year later in 1986, came the creation of Listserv, a mailing list which allowed users to contact multiple individuals in one email (McFadden, 2018). Chat Sites soon came after mailing list communication, as The Palace was created in 1994. The Palace allowed users to interact with each other on a graphical chat room server, each user even had their own graphical avatar overlaid on a graphical backdrop (McFadden, 2018). In 1997, the very first recognizable social media site, SixDegrees.com, was born (McFadden, 2018). Six degrees allowed its users to upload profile pictures, post on bulletin boards, and connect with different social groups and friends (McFadden, 2018). In 1998, one of the first activist social media sites was created; Moveon.org (McFadden). This site was originally created as an email group passing around petitions to oppose the impeachment of then-President, Bill Clinton (McFadden, 2018). Just before 2000, the first blogging site formed, LiveJournal, which allowed individuals to express opinions and thoughts to blog posts. LunarStorm, one of the first commercially advertised and financed social networking sites, was created in 2000 (McFadden, 2018). The site was initially created for teens, and in 2007 had grown to acquire 1.2 million members, 70% of which were between the ages of 12 and 17 (McFadden, 2018). In 2002, one of the pioneers of social media sites today was created; Friendster. The social media network was used for not only connectivity with friends but also as a dating, gaming and event site, as well as a hobby discovery service (McFadden, 2018). In 2003, sites including Myspace; Linkedin; WordPress; and Flickr all launched (McFadden, 2018). These all became a critical part of individuals daily lives, as they provided a new way of simple communication across borders.
While all these forms of social media have had their glory days, this begs the question as to why so many of them failed. A prime example includes the networking site Friendster. Friendster paved the way for social media and became one of the first sites to allow for communication between friends, through the use of gaming, posts, photos, etc. However, the site could simply not compete with Facebook’s success. Peter Pascal attributed the fall of Friendster to its lack of a news feed (Pachal, 2011). Pascal explains “On Friendster, you could browse your friends (of course), send them messages, or even join groups, but the focus was definitely the profile, specifically, filling in your personal history, adding photos, and gathering as many testimonials you could” (Paschal, 2011). Friendster was much more media based, rather than socially based like Facebook. This is exactly the reason why Facebook was so successful because it focused more on status updates rather than customizing the layout of your profile. What makes Facebook and its successors so popular includes its easy to use features and addictivity. Riley Panko, author of “What Makes Social Media Apps Successful”, explains “Social media apps dominate app usage by offering a comprehensive source of online content and harnessing our desire for social validation” (Panko, 2018). Not only do these apps allow for simplistic communication, but they also give users an endless supply of information at the touch of a button. In fact, almost 72% of social media users read or watch news stories through these apps (Panko, 2018). What makes social media so successful, is also the swiftness and instantaneous gratification of them. Studies have shown that if a webpage takes longer than 3 seconds to load, 40% of users will abandon it (Panko, 2018). It has become an integral part of our digital culture to post on these social media sites, allowing individuals from all parts of the world to connect and stay in touch with one another. The engaging features social media has to offer is exactly why these apps are here to stay. Users thrive off of commenting, liking, sharing, and messaging off of each other’s posts. Individuals no longer have to rely on watching the news on television; struggling to keep in touch with long-distance friends or even finding out where their friends are located. Thanks to social media, we can easily talk face to face with friends and family from all around the world, see exactly what they’re doing, and keep up with trending news topics. Additionally, for many, social media allows for the promotion of themselves and their business. Companies and organizations can promote themselves at little to no cost on social media, and gain exposure worldwide. Now it is easier than ever to become a social media influencer, and even start earning an income from posts on Instagram, Facebook, and even Youtube.
While there are numerous reasons as to why social media has been such a success in today’s society, there are also a few ramifications that come along with the ease of the apps. A prime example includes the addictiveness that these social media apps have on its users. Social media aims to keep its users plugged into their networks for as long as possible, therefore creating push notifications to remind users to constantly check their sites. Julian Morgans, author of “The Secret Ways Social Media Is Built for Addiction”, compares push notifications to a “hit” (Panko, 2018). Morgans states “The vast majority of push notifications are just distractions that pull us out of the moment. They get us hooked on pulling our phones out and getting lost in a quick hit of information that could wait for later or doesn’t matter at all” (Panko, 2018). Not only do individuals become addicted to checking their social media, but they also form unhealthy habits of comparison, which for some users, can lead to depression and anxiety. Spending too much time on social media comparing oneself to other influencers and celebrities can often lead others to develop a negative body image and self-esteem issues. This is more common in the younger generations using these platforms to follow successful celebrities, rather than focusing on improving themselves. Similarly, social media has become a gateway for cyberbullying amongst the children and teens. While social media made making friends easier, it also made it easier for predators to find victims. The anonymity that social networks provide can be used by the perpetrators to gain people’s trust and then terrorize them in front of their peers. It is now easier than ever for individuals to become victims of cyberbullying, as predators can now create fake accounts, leave negative comments and even stalk others. However, while these ramifications seem extremely negative, with increased caution, security, and self-improvement habits, they can easily be resolved. To combat addiction and negative body image, individuals need to implement restrictions on themselves and how often they stay plugged into social networking sites. Parents and families also need to monitor their children’s social media accounts to ensure safety and reduce the likelihood of cyberbullying. Additionally, it is crucial for social media sites to increase their security to reduce the likelihood of hackers gaining access to accounts and personal information.
Furthermore, the future of social media remains uncertain, but it can be stated that it isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. With the increased popularity of apps such as Snapchat and Instagram, users will soon be able to pay for premium versions of apps, removing unnecessary advertisements, and allowing for a more personalized interface. Similarly, live video and streaming will be emphasized throughout all social media apps, as there has been an increasing demand for not only streaming services but videos in general. Rather than being able to post tweets and status updates on Twitter and Facebook, users will soon be able to share live video feeds, something we are starting to see now. There might even be options which allow for friends and family to be placed in live locations with friends, through holograms, or even virtual reality sets. Additionally, there will be a larger emphasis on privacy, as hackers and stolen data information has increased throughout the years. Similar to that of Apple’s facial recognition, social media apps will soon be able to only be accessed if it detects the users face, rather than remembering complicated passwords.
Works Cited
McFadden, Christopher. “A Chronological History of Social Media.” Interesting Engineering, 4 Dec. 2018, interestingengineering.com/a-chronological-history-of-social-media.
Paschal, Peter. “Why Friendster Died: Social Media Isn’t a Game.” PCMag UK, 28 Apr. 2011, uk.pcmag.com/web-sites/9128/why-friendster-died-social-media-isnt-a-game.
Panko, Riley. “What Makes Social Media Apps Successful.” The Manifest – Small Business News, Data, and How-To Guides, 27 Feb. 2018, themanifest.com/app-development/what-makes-social-media-apps-successful.
1 comments
Great work on this and good research into why Friendster failed. The news feed was very important in gaining traction among users and new signups.