Background
Social media is a widely used platform worldwide due to its efficiency and convenience in terms of knowledge and information. The tool was developed in the 2000s, with the first site being MySpace, which reached a million users in 2004 (Macafee et al., 2019). MySpace is the epitome of a long journey regarding the evolution of social media networks.
There followed other powerful sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Reddit, but a significant milestone was seen in the introduction of WhatsApp and Instagram years later. TikTok came in 2016; by 2018, it had more than half a billion users globally (Macafee et al., 2019). As Figure 1 shows, rapid changes were experienced with the dominant platform paving the way for new applications to take charge of online usage when it comes to networking.
Social media has developed at a significant rate due to many existing tools. For instance, MySpace surpassed Google in 2006 as the most visited website (Macafee et al., 2019). The development of social media networks is seen in terms of change in what they offer to users. For example, Twitter did not let users upload files, but later enabled the same.
Facebook is the most widely used social media application, and Figure 2 shows that almost 2.3 billion people had registered by 2019 (Macafee et al., 2019). Young people have been phenomenal in the growth and development of social media since they have modern tastes and preferences that meet current trends in technology.
In the US, the number of people using social media has been increasing daily. Only 5% of the population used social media in 2005, unlike in 2019, where almost 80% of the general population used social media (Ortiz-Ospina & Roser, 2023). However, the US experienced the rise of social media in 1997 with the introduction of Bolt and Six Degrees. The tool simultaneously used voice mail, email, chat, and messaging.
By the start of the 21st century, the US saw a rapid evolution of social media from a direct exchange of information electronically to virtual spaces connecting people and marketing retail platforms powered by social media. For example, with YouTube, people can advertise their businesses, making it a more connected tool for information and business sharing (Ortiz-Ospina & Roser, 2023). Therefore, the US experienced the adoption and customization of networking tools that later emerged as social media.
Challenges and Milestones Faced in the Development of Social Media
Every networking tool has a challenge in full acceptance due to the dynamism of conceptualization. The first challenge was adoption, where many people did not see the essence of networking using social media since many cited a lack of anonymity and confidentiality (Ortiz-Ospina & Roser, 2023).
Another challenge social media faces while developing is the demand for digital devices supporting social media applications. For example, Facebook had a different experience before introducing smartphones, which had more defined features that allowed social networking. Additionally, social media development faced ridicule due to alleged moral decay undertaken by people in virtual spaces, such as nudity, bullying, and addiction (Ortiz-Ospina & Roser, 2023). That affects human beings’ performance in other responsibilities in society.
Social media has experienced various milestones in the contemporary world. The first milestone was the capability to link people worldwide through handles, pages, and spaces that allow people to follow one another through requests. Through social media, a celebrity is followed by many, which means the influence is high in terms of living standards.
The other milestone is the ability to access real-time information after it has happened, such as trends and live coverage of an event (Macafee et al., 2019). Social media became part of the contemporary world due to increased adoption from the influence of digital companies such as Google, Meta, and others, which increased the efficacy, triggering many people to join. The use of social media has become widely adopted due to the need for a globalized world where world affairs can be seen from all walks of life.
Description of the Events
Facebook was started as a way to keep college students in touch during school. Since 2004, the tool has provided a platform for other aspects, such as US culture, politics, cybercrime, and globalized elements that drive the world to a definite location (Russo, 2021). Facebook connects people and businesses, hence marking a key milestone. In 2008, Barack Obama successfully used social media to campaign, beating John McCain by getting more than 70% of the vote of American citizens below the age of 25 (Russo, 2021). He used a grassroots style in the campaign by using Facebook, YouTube, and blogs that mobilized many youths, which was later adopted by many Americans.
User-generated Twitter trends played a key role in spreading news of the Haiti Earthquake that hit many people in 2010. Due to the lack of reliable data on the affected areas, many users used the application to get more information about the same, hence, high trust and development of social media in the US. Additional events marked the evolution of social media not only in the US but globally. In 2014, a viral challenge involved people pouring freezing water over their heads (Russo, 2021). More than $100 million was donated to the campaign for the ALS Ice Bucket, which aimed to reduce neurodegenerative disease (Russo, 2021). That success saw many US citizens adopt social media for fun and mobilization, a significant milestone.
Following the death of Trayvon Martin, a black boy, in 2013, the #BlackLivesMatter movement started as a new way of championing respect for human rights worldwide (Russo, 2021). As seen in Figure 3 above, a similar trend was seen in 2020 in the incident involving George Floyd and Minneapolis Police officers, where the entire world saw a spark of social media debate.
These key events saw the development of social media networks in the world. The 2020 coronavirus pandemic saw a rise in the adoption of social media since many people saw real pictures of affected people, and the data showed prevalence (Russo, 2021). Since then, US citizens have used social media to campaign for preventive lifestyles to reduce the risks of mortality. The development of social media networks has changed the world due to globalization effects, such as rapid communication and interconnection.
References
Macafee, T., McLaughlin, B., & Rodriguez, N. S. (2019). Winning on social media: Candidate social-mediated communication and voting during the 2016 US presidential election. Social Media + Society, 5(1), 20–23. Web.
Ortiz-Ospina, E., & Roser, M. (2023). The rise of Social Media. Our World in Data. Web.
Russo, L. (2021). Top 10 social media fails of 2020.Social Media Perth. Web.