Once upon a time, social exchanges involved conversation around the kitchen table, on the front porch,

over the back fence, and on the telephone’s party line. Western Union was the original Twitter. Mail was
sent by letter that went through the postal system, and news was published in print media.

The advent of radio and television accelerated things. Later, the Internet, connecting people on the
World Wide Web, changed everything again.

What is social media?

Social media now refers to web-based applications that promote the creation and exchange of user-
generated content. Social media’s range is global, with its scope of topics and user types virtually
unlimited. Social media includes internet sites such as Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Twitter,
YouTube, and countless blogs.

Social media has become a vast, information network of online venues – public and private, paid
subscription and free, large and small. It can be used for a variety of purposes, such as:

 Family celebrations
 Political campaigns
 Charitable promotions
 Health support groups
 Sport clubs
 Prayer circles
 Hobbies and occupations
 Fundraisers
 Information sources

Social media wields cultural influence on fashion and food trends, family and adolescent health issues,
world news, local events, political and community action events. Social media has spawned a new type
of marketing through the use of a unique, virtual public personality: the social influencer.

Social media has become a complex phenomenon because it is much more than individuals exchanging
words. Social media sites – the venues where communications happen – are controlled by their platform
owners.

Conglomerates like Meta have come under fire with allegations of exerting censorship on the one hand
and insufficient control of content on the other. In the U.S., these problems are considered under the
First Amendment. Other countries’ laws might differ.

According to a 2023 Surfshark article, people in China, Iran, and Turkmenistan have been denied access
to Facebook, YouTube, and X for 14 years, and most major social media sites have been barred in North
Korea for up to 8 years.

As Surfshark notes, that means multiple generations of 1.6 billion people are cut off from social media;
those people are confined to a cloistered, narrow world, where they have limited access to each other,
as well as to other nations’ people and events. These nations’ blocking of social media access to their
populations is tacit testimony to the power of social media at the grassroots level of society.

Social media has clarified one aspect of human behavior that is above dispute. People enjoy:
  Talking with like-minded people
 Tailing each other
 Sharing life’s joys, interests, and grief
 Spending time with each other
 Watching each other

Technology has enabled the social media revolution. But from the beginning, its success has been driven
by this human need to communicate.

The History of Social Media

Humanity is a social species by nature. When the internet entered daily life around 1953, worldwide
connections became an instant possibility.

Talking to the next-door neighbor, anyone on the planet, and the backyard fence was traded for a
computer monitor. Whether for private purposes or business, communication is what humans do – not
always gracefully or truthfully, but certainly continuously.

Social media had its first seeds in email. The pleasure of receiving a letter from a friend in a physical
mailbox expanded to the computer.

“You’ve Got Mail!” became a daily electronic notice in business and personal correspondence. Then,
technology proliferated from clunky desktop computers to sleek compact laptops and mobile phones.

With email came groups organized on internet sites – electronic discussion groups for people with
similar interests. A leading example was Yahoo Groups (which closed in 2020).

The internet enabled online bulletin boards and chat room forums for information exchange and group
talk. In the 1990s, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and ICQ allowed real-time text messages.

In 1994, the wiki was born. Wiki is a user-collaborative information site that can be edited by any user
through a browser. According to Katie Terrell Hanna of Teck Tech target, “wiki wiki” means “fast” in
Hawaiian, which is how the name originated.

According to WikiWiki, computer programmer Ward Cunningham created WikiWikiWeb in 1994. Today,
there are reportedly hundreds of thousands of wiki sites.

The inherent catch of wiki sites is the ability of nameless users to post and edit information that is not
vetted for accuracy, so other users must evaluate and correct it. This accuracy problem gives rise to a
concern about “fake news”. However, academic and evidence sources can also post data in wikis.

The worldwide collaborative, interactive, free access to information on virtually any topic makes wiki
social media sites an important component of other research sources.

In 1999, Pyra Labs launched Blogger®, a publishing platform acquired by Google in 2003. Mat Honan of
Wired explains that Blogger “was a revolutionary web product” that gave push-button publishing to the
people.”

Today, information is available digitally to anyone with access to a computer or mobile phone. As a
result, this widespread change in communication has enabled a dramatic shift in information sharing
and acquisition of knowledge, which in turn has affected lifestyles and social mores.
 The ‘Invention’ of Social Media

The recognition of social media as a distinct entity was in 1997 with Andrew Weinreich’s launch of Six
Degrees. Called the “father of social networking”, Weinreich forecast the social media phenomenon
seven years ahead of Facebook.

Six Degrees’ base was a site for email connection links. In simple terms, Weinreich’s vision was
networking.

Social media’s networking capacity is exponential for connecting social media users who share interests,
have questions, and want to connect with others. But in 1997, the technology to facilitate such capacity
had not yet caught up with Weinrien’s full vision.

Weinreich sold Six Degrees for $125 million in 1999 and moved on in the industry. Social media
technology, however, took off in the new millennium.

Social Media’s explosion in the 21st Century

The timeline of social media innovations in the 2000s highlights just how quickly the social media
revolution advanced in that era. While wikis and other online sites were focused on general information,
easier personal connections for social media use came into their own in slick online sites.

The launch of Friendster® in 2002 expanded the concept of networking occupied by email groups and
virtual bulletin boards. Also in 2002, LinkedIn® established a social media site for professional and
business networking.

MySpace® launched in 2003, followed quickly by Facebook in 2004. Originally created for college
students, Facebook grew into the global colossus that is Meta today, eclipsing Friendster and MySpace.

In 2005, YouTube appeared. YouTube has since expanded from a collection of user-uploaded videos to
include live streaming, music, advertisements, and marketing channels.

The year 2006 introduced Twitter – a real-time dialogue, news, and opinion posting system called
“micro-blogging,” that limits messages to short posts. Twitter quickly wielded a powerful influence,
connecting social media users in real time worldwide, a popularity somewhat narrowed since Elon Musk
changed the site to X in 2023.

Digital image sites like Pinterest® added a visual dimension to social exchanges in 2010. By 2016,
amateur entertainment and personal influencer reels became a hit on TikTok, rivaled by Snapchat®,
Facebook’s Reels, and Instagram. That same year, live-streaming took off on Facebook and Periscope
(with the latter ending its activities in 2021).

According to Pew Research Center, Facebook and YouTube are the most widely used platforms as of
2024. But as of March 2024, Slashdot lists 101 social media platforms. These sites lure users and
advertisers to participate in a marketplace of social chat, to see and be seen, to buy and sell, and to be
heard.

if one platform does not last in popularity, another will take its place. Emerging sites cater to niche
interests and facilitate family and friend connections. They also offer emotional support and promote
boutique products, health aids, charities, business brands, education, political activism, and so much
more.

Whether – and how – to control all this activity is an ongoing debate. The U.S. government has recently
moved to either limit or ban TikTok® in the U.S. due to Chinese ownership interests. Sparking further
controversy, the U.S Supreme Court is considering a case about federal government involvement in
social media.

Social media usage is widespread and continues to grow with a variety of options. People have
exchanged the backyard fence and kitchen table for a carnival’s midway of fluid conversation groups and
virtual booths of barker’s wares.

It is still early days for understanding all the implications of people’s online habits and the inevitable
changes being wrought by social media sites. Nevertheless, surveys, studies, and experts have ventured
some observations and predictions about the effects of these online platforms.

The Positive Effects of Social Media

Social media wields a powerful influence. Some of the positive effects include:

 Improving users’ mental health

Improvements to Mental Health

Social media’s impact has created many positive effects for society. Mesfin Awoke Bekalu and Rachel F.
McCloud concluded in a 2020 Harvard study that routine daily use of social media positively correlated
with “three health-related outcomes: social well-being, positive mental health, and self-rated health.”

While this national study of adult use of social media did not discount the potential negative aspects of
addiction to or overuse of social media, Dr. Bekalu reported,” Our findings suggest that the ways in
which people are using social media may have more of an impact on their mental health and well-being
than just the frequency and feelings of loveliness, social solation, and low self-esteem.

Social media has created complex human interaction at several levels that happen simultaneously in a
single venue, ranging from the most personal to general entertainment and views events in ways
formerly segmented in separate communication channels telephone, print media, one-way radio/TV
shows, and telegraph messages.

Social media sites provide opportunities for individuals to connect with friends, family, and like-minded
individuals, even across geographical distances. These connections help maintain relationships and
interests, fostering a sense of belonging, self-esteem, and support in users.

Personal Expression and Creativity

Whether through online forums, sharing documents, group chats, or how-to videos, individuals can
work together with others to achieve common goals, create meaningful content, and solve problems
collectively. They can learn how to do something they want to achieve for themselves, practice a new
hobby, or pursue a sport. Outlets and tutorials foster a sense of camaraderie, community, and social
well- being.

Opportunities for Professional Networking

Social media platforms offer opportunities for people to expand their social networks and forge new
connections with other individuals around the world that they might not have otherwise encountered.
By broadening their professional circles, people can access diverse perspectives, experiences, and
resources, which can enrich their lives and enhance their social capital.

This opportunity for professional development was the idea behind LinkedIn early on. The LinkedIn
platform expanded exponentially in 22 years, a testimony to the value of professional connections for
both individuals and businesses in a global marketplace.

Research supports the value of social networks in building and maintaining professional relationships. As
Makena Shultz at Michigan State University noted, “A great thing about social media is that it allows
you access to both your strong and weak connections. Increasing the spectrum of possible connections
can help individuals and organizations identify specific parties with shared interests or goals, experience
solving similar challenges, or even developed tools or methods for completing a mutual task.”

The instant reach of digital technology and the variety of ways online companies have devised to
maintain connections allows professionals to collaborate and share knowledge, opportunities, and
innovative ideas.

Educational Opportunities and Social Awareness

Internet sites offer educational resources such as online courses and tutorials, making learning
accessible to a global audience, often for free and regardless of a user’s location or socioeconomic
status. Many of these educational opportunities account for overcoming language barriers.

Hand-in-hand with educational opportunities are social awareness initiatives and advocacy efforts for
humanitarian and social causes on both a local and a worldwide scale. Social media use enables
advocates to more easily reach a global audience and discuss solutions to social issues that can better
lives, such as increasing physical activity for better health and getting more fun out of life.

New Business Opportunities and Marketing Channels

Businesses can leverage social media platforms with broad audiences for brand promotion, marketing
campaigns, and customer engagement. With the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms,
users’ search activity on a commercial or search site is directed to brands on social media pages.

For example, a user who searches for “types of mattresses” on Google, where mattresses are not sold,
may later be served mattress ads on Facebook as a result of that search activity. A tracker on the search
tags the user and links the user to pinpoint mattress ads on social media, which is known as remarketing
or retargeting.

Sean Craig of Elite Digital Marketing explains that “User tracking is not just one platform or website.
Ad retargeting is a common practice where advertisements are placed on multiple websites based on a
user’s web browsing history. This technique allows companies to reach their target audience across
multiple platforms.”
For example, the user’s search activity suggests an intention to buy a mattress. Since the user appears to
be in the market for a mattress, the Facebook ads help that user ger to a decision and buy an advertiser’s
mattress, but this type of advertising makes it possible to fine one more easily.
Social media provides these types of marketing opportunities for businesses, individuals, and nonprofit
groups, online platforms nay be used to raise awareness of a fundraising campaigns.
Social platform host community trade groups, barter pages, garage sale days, and nonprofit events, these
sites do on a large scale what local community bulletin boards traditionally have done.
The Negative Aspects of Social Media
Social media’s power can sometimes be used in the wrong way to hurt others. Some of the negative
effects of social media use include:
 Cyberbullying
 Doxing
 Child exploitation
 Addiction

Cyberbullying
Social media use is fertile ground for cyberbullying. The Cyberbullying Research Center (CRC)
defines cyberbullying as “when someone repeatedly and intentionally harasses, mistreats, or makes fun of
another person online or while using cell phones or other electronic devices.”

While cyberbullying can happen to people of any age, it is of particular concern for students ages 14 to
17. In a CRC 2023 national study of this age group, researches found that 55% of them had experienced
cyberbullying to the detriment of their self-worth.

cyberbullying can take many creative forms, such as:

 Embarrassing comments
 Negative posts or photos
 Compromising sexual images (which might be fake)
 Using social media to spread rumors
 Threats to the person, the person’s family, or pet
 Offensive videos or webpages

Doxxing
A type of privacy invasion enabled by social media use is called “doxxing”. Identity theft Max Sheridan
explains doxxing as “the unauthorized collection and public distribution of personally identifying
information or private material for malicious purpose.”

An example is posting a person’s name, home address, email and telephone number without that person’s
permission on a public social media platform. The post might a hate group.

The private information is often obtained through social media. Doxxing is intended to cause harm and is
typically motivated by revenge, hate, bullying, terrorism, or bad faith tactics:
 Releasing the personal information of the agent and lawyer of a 2016 presential candidate
(reported by Ranker)
 Publicizing the physical addresses of certain U.S Supreme Court Justices after the decision
overturning Roe vs. wade (according to Cybersixgill)
 Parking a “Doxxing truck” on a college campus – the truck displayed certain faculty names and
images with the accusation they ate “ antisemites” ( reported by The Denver Post)
According the Sheridan, privacy has become an “increasingly rare commodity. Internet tools allow
anyone with a connection to become an investigator and publisher. This expansive access to info and
social media explains how so many have fallen prey to doxxing.”
Child Exploitation
A dark side of the internet and social media is child exploitation. The global reach and of digital
communication have enabled child pornographers and predators to flourish behind digital masks and in
shadowy groups.
The ease of using social media apps and platforms on mobile device enables predatory adults to groom
children by text and live streaming, share and consume child pornography, and extort children for sex.
Minors also make this exploitation easier, intended or not, by “sexting.” Sexting involves sharing explicit
photos though a child’s social media account or texting.
Further complicating this exploitation is rise of “kidfluencers.” kidfluencers are children with their own
channels and followers on YouTube, TikTok, or similar platforms.
Children with large groups of followers can often earn money with ad sponsors. But these kids are not
considered actors or “workers.”
According to Vanessa Cerzarita Cordeiro of Humanium, “Though child actors are able to again access to
numerous protection mechanisms, ‘kidfluencers’ are treated differently because their activity takes place
in a private home setting on a platform in which parents consensually participate.” They are not workers
due to “the absence of an employer- employee relationship and the fact that children are deemed to be
undertaking normal family activities on camera rather than putting on a ‘performance.”
For this reason, the money they are earning from their “kidfluence” has not had much protection under
the traditional child labor laws and regulations. But several states and Congress are working on
improving this protection, as well as privacy laws, for these minors.
For example, Illinois passed a law to provide some measure of protection for kidfluencers.