The Evolution of Social Media - How Did It Begin and Where Could It Go Next

16.03.2021 The Evolution of Social Media: How Did It Begin and Where Could It Go Next?
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The Evolution of Social Media: How Did It Begin,

and Where Could It Go Next?
Articles | Bachelor’s in Marketing
Table of Contents
1. A Brief History of Social Media

The Launch of Social Sites
2. Social Media: End Users and Businesses
3. How Marketing Pros Utilize Social Media
4. What’s Next For Social Media
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 de ned 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%.
What follows is an examination of the origins of social media, its relatively rapid
growth as a sociological and commercial force, and the change it has brought to the
marketing world.
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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 a ected 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 rst electronic message from Baltimore to Washington, D.C., proved Samuel
Morse understood the historic rami cations of his scienti c achievement: “What hath
God wrought?” he wrote.
A recent article in The Washington Post, “Before Twitter and Facebook, There Was
Morse Code: Remembering Social Media’s True Inventor,” details the history and
relevance of Morse code, complete with early versions of today’s “OMG” and “LOL.”
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,
Download
allowed scientists at four interconnected Brochure
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 rst true social media platform was launched.
The Launch of Social Sites
In the 1980s and ’90s, according to “The History of Social Networking” on the
technology news site Digital Trends, 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.
This gave rise to the earliest social media networks, beginning with the short-lived Six
Degrees pro le uploading service in 1997.
This service was followed in 2001 by Friendster. 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 with the 1999 launch of the LiveJournal publishing site. This coincided with
the launch of the Blogger publishing platform by the tech company Pyra Labs, which
was purchased by Google in 2003.
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 as well as human resources managers searching
for quali ed candidates.
Two other major forays into social media collapsed after a burst of initial success. In
2003, Myspace launched. By 2006, it was the most visited website on the planet,
spurred by users’ ability to share new music directly on their pro le pages.
By 2008, it was eclipsed by Facebook. In 2011, Myspace was purchased by musician

Justin Timberlake for $35 million, but it has since become a social media afterthought.
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.
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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
Reddit
Launched in 2005 by Massachusetts 20-somethings Steve Hu man and Alexis

Ohanian as a news-sharing platform, its 300 million users have transformed Reddit
into a combination news aggregation/social commentary site. Its popularity is based
on the ability to “up-vote”
Learnand “down-vote”
more about ouruser posts.
online degree programs.
Social Media Examiner: How toDownload

Market onBrochure
Reddit: A Guide for Businesses
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
Pinterest
Founded in 2010 by iPhone app developer Ben Silbermann as a visual “pin board,”
Pinterest became a publicly traded company in 2019 and has more than 335 million
active monthly users.
Sprout Social: Your 5-Step Pinterest Marketing Guide
Snapchat
Founded in 2011 by a trio of Stanford students — Evan Spiegel, Reggie Brown, and
Bobby Murphy — this video-sharing service introduced the concept of “stories,” or
serialized short videos, and “ lters,” run for informative digital e ects, often based on
location.
Hootsuite: Snapchat for Business
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
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Social Media: End Users and Businesses

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
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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.
The End-User Experience
At rst, social media existed to help end users connect digitally with friends,
colleagues, family members, and like-minded individuals they might never have met
in person. Desktop access to bulletin board services such as CompuServe and
Prodigy made it easier to grow free online communities without ever leaving the
house.
The invention of the smartphone liberated social media from the desktop and laptop
computer. Apple’s rst 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 — speci cally, 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.
The Business Experience
As social media companies grew their user bases into the hundreds of millions, the
business applications of Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms began to take
shape. Social media companies had access to some of the richest trackable user data
ever conceived.
A recent article on IAS Insider, “The Evolution of Social Media Advertising,” sums it up:
“Users don’t just log in and browse, they tell the platforms their name, and where
they live, what they like and who they know, painting the most vivid picture currently
possible for marketers looking to target speci c consumers.”
Facebook began to place ads on its platform as early as 2006. Twitter enabled ads in
2010. LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and TikTok all have attempted to
monetize their services through
Learn morevarious
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our online advertising.
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In addition to placing ads on social media platforms, companies discovered the

potential utility of cultivating an active, engaged social media presence. Whereas
social media advertising must be paid for, the act of creating and sharing informative
or entertaining content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other platforms is an
attempt by brands to grow an audience organically, in other words, without paying
for it directly.
According to HubSpot’s “Social Media Marketing: The Ultimate Guide,” companies use
organic social media marketing to:
Increase brand awareness

Generate leads and increase conversions
Develop and nurture relationships with customers
Learn from competitors
The combination of advertising, or paid social media marketing, and organic social
media outreach evolved into the digital marketing specialty known as social media
marketing.
Sprout Social: How to Build Your Social Media Marketing Strategy for 2020
Forbes: How Social Media Can Move Your Business Forward
Social Media Examiner: The Guide for Social Media Marketing for Businesses
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How Marketing Pros Utilize Social Media

As the ability to reach consumers expanded thanks to social media, marketing
professionals quickly adapted. Social media’s evolution provided measurement tools
that gave marketing professionals unprecedented access to valuable, actionable data
about consumers’ demographics, buying habits, and more.
With marketers no longer limited to traditional forms of media — TV, radio, print,
mail, billboards, magazines, etc. — the social media marketing industry was born.
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Taking Advantage of Social Media’s Popularity
The most e cient way to take advantage of social media’s popularity is to leverage
existing audiences. To that end, digital marketers engage social media “in uencers” to
share messaging and product o ers with their followers.
According to an article on Sprout Social’s website, “What Is In uencer Marketing: How

to Develop Your Strategy,” in uencer marketing is de ned as “a type of social media
marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from in uencers —
individuals who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within
their niche.”
These social media in uencers spend time building trust with their audiences. With
more than 3.2 billion social
Learnmedia users worldwide,
more about nding programs.
our online degree in uencers whose
audiences fall into the company’s niche of consumers helps cut through the noise by
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targeting speci c potential buyers.
While in uencers provide companies a layer of built-in consumer trust, social media
platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn provide in-depth analytics that allow digital
marketers to target speci c demographic groups with ads. This can be useful for
building brand awareness among potential long-term customers, as well as for
generating leads for speci c products or services.
In uencer Marketing Hub: What is an In uencer?

Social Media Today: 4 In uencer Marketing Trends That Will Dominate in 2020
In uencer Marketing Hub: The State of In uencer Marketing 2020: Benchmark
Report
The Importance of Engagement and Integration
Social media engagement consists of the various ways users respond to a post. This
can include comments, follows, shares (retweets on Twitter), and clicks on a shared
link. All of these actions are measurable thanks to analytics provided by the social
media platforms (Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, LinkedIn Page Analytics, etc.).
Each of these engagements presents an opportunity for marketers to in uence a

customer or group of customers. For example, a company that monitors its Twitter
feed in real time — either through an automated service or in person — is positioned
to respond quickly to a customer’s request or comment.
In addition, data that reveals users’ habits over time can be integrated into a long-
term social media strategy. For example, Facebook Insights shows when users are
most active on the platform. This information can be used to determine when is the
best time to post new content, giving it a better chance to be seen.
Another way marketers use social media is to monitor cultural trends and, if
applicable, incorporate brand-speci c concepts that build on those trends to entice
customers to engage with the company’s content.
Personifying the Company
Another Sprout Social article, “5 Actionable Strategies for Social Media Branding,”
provides guidelines for how social media can be used to develop a company’s public
“voice.” The bottom line when it comes to social media branding is authenticity.
Today’s savvy digital consumers expect a robust and “real” personality from brands.
Sprout Social’s tactical advice includes:
Develop and use consistent visual branding across all social media platforms
Use a tone that re ects the brand’s public persona
Cater to marketing personas based on social media metrics
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Companies that fail to develop a consistent, engaging social media presence are not
taking full advantage of the marketing tools available in today’s competitive
marketplace.
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The Future of Social Media

What happens next in social media almost certainly will be shaped by the evolving
business model, as well as by advances in storytelling technology. How will mega
platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and others make money? How will end
users adapt? How will businesses spread their messages and use social media to
build audiences? The answers to these questions will determine the next stage of
social media’s evolution.
Premium Social Media Services
What does the future hold for social media? According to a recent article in
Entrepreneur, “11 Ways Social Media Will Evolve in the Future,” consumers will gravitate
toward services that allow them to:
Personalize content at a granular level

Reduce the amount of vitriol and con ict commonly found on public social
media feeds
Increase focus on protecting privacy
Take greater advantage of the utility of mobile devices
Focus more on community building
This could mean a movement toward paid subscription services on social media,
according to Entrepreneur. The challenge for marketing professionals will be to meet
the shifting demands of social media users while maintaining an authentic brand
voice.
Social Media Video
Another growing point of emphasis for social media in the future, according to
Entrepreneur, will be video content. Video marketing already has a substantial
presence in the U.S., where it is a $135 billion industry in 2020, according to Social
Media Today.
According to HubSpot’s “The Ultimate List of Marketing Statistics for 2020,” video
became the No. 1 form of media
Learn moreused in our
about content marketing
online in 2019, surpassing blogs
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and e-books for the rst time. Video’s prominence as a marketing tool is expected to
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continue to grow, based on the latest information in Wyzowl’s “The State of Video
Marketing in 2020 [New Data].”
This survey found that 88% of marketers received positive returns on investment
through video. Perhaps most signi cantly, 59% of marketers who said they had not
previously used video intended to do so in 2020 and beyond.
What’s Next for Social Media?
The future of social media is limited only by the imagination of its stakeholders. The
brief history of the industry has proven that the rapid change — advances in
technology, more-strident nancial demands, shifting cultural dynamics — will
transform the current social media landscape.
Will Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other major platforms go the way of Google+
and MySpace? Will the entrepreneurial heirs of Twitter creator Biz Stone and
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg build on the success of their predecessors? Can
social media maintain its relevance as technology evolves?
Human beings are social creatures. Commerce is driven by human interaction. These
two facts will continue to shape the evolution of social media into the next decade
and beyond.
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Recommended Reading
How to Become a Social Media Manager
What Can You Do with a Marketing Degree?
Why Should You Major in Marketing?
Sources
Digital Trends, “The History of Social Networking
Encyclopedia Britannica, Myspace
Entrepreneur, “11 Ways Social Media Will Evolve in the Future
Forbes, “How Social Media Can Move Your Business Forward
The Guardian, “Google Buys Blogger Web Service
HubSpot, “Social Media Marketing: The Ultimate Guide

HubSpot, “The State of Video Marketing in 2020 (New Data)
Download Brochure
IAS Insider, “The Evolution of Social Media Advertising
LiveJournal, About LiveJournal
Maryville University, “How to Become a Social Media Manager
National Science Foundation, “NSF and the Birth of the Internet
Pew Research Center, 10 Facts About Americans and Twitter
Pew Research Center, Smartphone Ownership Is Growing Rapidly Around the World,
but Not Always Equally
Pew Research Center, Social Media Fact Sheet
Social Media Today, The History of Social Media
Social Media Today, Video Marketing Statistics for 2020
Sprout Social, “5 Actionable Strategies for Social Media Branding
Sprout Social, “What Is In uencer Marketing: How to Develop Your Strategy
Statista, Percentage of U.S. Population with a Social Media Pro le from 2008 to 2019
Statista, Pinterest — Statistics & Facts
TheStreet, “History of Snapchat: Timeline and Facts
TechCrunch, “Looking Back at Google+
Infographic Sources
CNBC, “Digital Ad Revenue In The US Surpassed $100 Billion For The First Time In 2018
IAB / PricewaterhouseCoopers, “IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report: 2018 Full

Year Results
Pew Research Center, “10 Facts About Americans and Facebook
Pew Research Center, “Share of U.S. Adults Using Social Media, Including Facebook, Is
Mostly Unchanged Since 2018

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16.03.2021 The Evolution of Social Media: How Did It Begin and Where Could It Go Next?

The Evolution of Social Media: How Did It Begin,

1. A Brief History of Social Media

According to Merriam-Webster, social media is de ned as “forms of electronic

Learn more about our online degree programs.

A Brief History of Social Media

and other data.

The Launch of Social Sites

This service was followed in 2001 by Friendster. These rudimentary platforms

In 2002, LinkedIn was founded as a networking site for career-minded professionals.

By 2008, it was eclipsed by Facebook. In 2011, Myspace was purchased by musician

Modern Social Media Outlets

HubSpot: Facebook Marketing

Launched in 2005 by Massachusetts 20-somethings Steve Hu man and Alexis

Social Media Examiner: How toDownload

Hootsuite: Twitter Marketing: The Complete Guide for Business

Founded in 2010 by Stanford graduate Kevin Systrom as a photo-sharing site and

HubSpot: Instagram Marketing: The Ultimate Guide

Sprout Social: Your 5-Step Pinterest Marketing Guide

Hootsuite: Snapchat for Business

Founded in 2016 by Chinese tech company ByteDance, this short-form video-sharing

Business Insider: TikTok Marketing Trends & Predictions for 2020

Social Media: End Users and Businesses

The End-User Experience

Technological improvements — speci cally, powerful in-phone cameras — shifted the

The Business Experience

In addition to placing ads on social media platforms, companies discovered the

Increase brand awareness

How Marketing Pros Utilize Social Media

Learn more about our online degree programs.

Taking Advantage of Social Media’s Popularity

According to an article on Sprout Social’s website, “What Is In uencer Marketing: How

In uencer Marketing Hub: What is an In uencer?

The Importance of Engagement and Integration

Each of these engagements presents an opportunity for marketers to in uence a

Personifying the Company

The Future of Social Media

Premium Social Media Services

Personalize content at a granular level

Social Media Video

What’s Next for Social Media?

How to Become a Social Media Manager

What Can You Do with a Marketing Degree?

Why Should You Major in Marketing?

Digital Trends, “The History of Social Networking

Encyclopedia Britannica, Myspace

Entrepreneur, “11 Ways Social Media Will Evolve in the Future

Forbes, “How Social Media Can Move Your Business Forward

The Guardian, “Google Buys Blogger Web Service

HubSpot, “Social Media Marketing: The Ultimate Guide

IAS Insider, “The Evolution of Social Media Advertising

LiveJournal, About LiveJournal

Maryville University, “How to Become a Social Media Manager

National Science Foundation, “NSF and the Birth of the Internet

Pew Research Center, 10 Facts About Americans and Twitter

Pew Research Center, Social Media Fact Sheet

Social Media Today, The History of Social Media

Social Media Today, Video Marketing Statistics for 2020

Sprout Social, “5 Actionable Strategies for Social Media Branding