1. Social Media

2. BBS Bulletin Board System
Allowed users to communicate with a central system where they could download files or games (many times including pirated software) and post messages to other users
Accessed over telephone lines via a modem
Often run by hobbyists who carefully nurtured the social aspects and interest-specific nature of their projects (usually technology related)
Usually locals-only affairs that in turn spurred local in-person gatherings

4. Compuserve
Began life in the 1970s as a business-oriented mainframe computer communication solution, but expanded into the public domain in the late 1980s.
Allowed members to share files and access news and events
send a message to your friend via a newfangled technology dubbed “ ”
Join any of the thousands of discussion forums to talk with thousands of other members on virtually any important subject of the day.

6. AOL
Member-created communities

7. Classmates.com
Early users could not create profiles, but they could locate long lost classmates
Today the service boasts some 57 million registered accounts

8. SixDegrees.com
1997
Based on the theory somehow associated with actor Kevin Bacon that no person is separated by more than six degrees from another
Allowed its users to create profiles, invite friends, organize groups, and surf other user profiles
Pushed members too hard to bring other friends into the site and membership declined

9. Friendster
2002
Promoted the idea that a rich online community can exist only between people who truly have common bonds
A dating site that isn’t a dating site
Within a year it boasted more than three million registered users and a ton of investment interest
Technical difficulties and questionable management practices led to its North American demise
Currently exists solely as online gaming

11. LinkedIn 2003 More serious, sober approach
A networking resource for business people who want to connect with other professionals
297 million members

12. MySpace 2003 Once the perennial favorite
Tempting the young adult demographic with music, music videos, and a funky, feature-filled environment
Today the site exists now as a social networking site targeted to bands and musicians

14. Facebook
2004
Founded by university students who initially peddled their product to other university students
Harvard-only exercise and remained a campus-oriented site for two full years
Finally opening to the general public in 2006
Currently boasts more than 1.3 billion active users

15. Facebook Promoted honesty and openness Easy to use
Multitude of easily accessible features

16. Facebook Success Facebook platform launched in 2007
Made it possible for third-party developers to create applications that work within Facebook itself
“Like” button popularity
Broke free from Facebook and went everywhere

17. Mobile Technology
Allows user to effortlessly utilize functionality once reserved for multiple devices wherever they go
The most popular social media platforms of the past several years hinge on the capabilities of smartphones
Photo and video-sharing applications such as Snapchat and Instagram exist almost entirely on mobile
Specialize in a specific kind of interaction service that involves
Sharing of public images (Instagram)
Private sharing of images sharing (Snapchat)
Augmented reality (Foursquare)
Location-based matchmaking (Tinder)

19. Mobile Technology
The registration process for hundreds of applications such as Snapchat, Instagram, Foursquare, and Tinder can be completed using already-existing Facebook, Gmail, or Twitter accounts
People now exist on multiple platforms, and instead of fighting against this trend, larger companies are tapping into this new environment

20. Virtual Reality
Provides the possibility of people sharing their name, interests, relationship status and mutual friends all within a digital sphere

21. Originality 2012: Social media forced to take note of the video format
Facebook and Twitter had become less personal and more viral videos, memes, GIFs and click-bait articles
2015: Meercat live-streaming
Twitter purchases rival, Periscope
Facebook launces Live Video streaming in late 2015
Live-Streams have viewers feeling “in the moment” and allows social media to lay claim to something original