One of the most common and popular terms that is being used today in the field of communication is "social media". In very simple words, "social media" can be described as a Web-based application used to exchange thoughts and ideas between different people, which in turn leads to better and more creative ways of doing business.
Social media sites can be categorized depending on their content and information they share. YouTube and Flickr are examples of video- and photo-sharing sites; Facebook, SixDegrees and Twitter are sites meant for social networking; and sites such as Friendster, Hi5 and MySpace are more specialized.
The roots of modern social media can be traced back to 1979 when the Usenet was used to post messages and news to "newsgroups". The Usenet networks do not have any dedicated administrator or server, but served the purpose of increasing the number of people getting information from online sources.
Another type of network, distantly similar to the ones we currently use, came into operation with the advent of bulletin board systems, or BBS. BBS's were the first platforms where one person could actually interact with another on a one-to-one basis.
The first real models of online communication on a mass scale started with CompuServe and Prodigy. CompuServe was one of the first companies to incorporate a chat program in its range of services. While CompuServe introduced social media to the masses, Prodige it more affordable. With the introduction of AOL, the Internet was revolutionized on a big scale, spreading all over America in a big way.
In the history of social media, ICQ is regarded as the first online instant-messaging client. As more people came online, different types of online forums began to spring up, increasing the level of interaction among different groups of people.
SixDegrees and Friendster were the pioneers in this field. These forums gradually became more specific and service-oriented. For example, LinkedIn is one forum used by people for professional networking. Napster is used by music lovers to share music files, and Foursquare is location-based networking site designed for mobile phone users.
Social media has definitely come a long way since its Usenet and IRC days. Today, it is a one of the biggest commercial services on the World Wide Web. However, with growing popularity, it has raised some serious privacy and security questions in the minds of many users. Social media is a wonderful platform, and if they are used properly and the right "netiquette" is followed, then it can be of real assistance to people from all walks of life.
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