Internet History

The internet. An expanse of data and color and options a lot of us have become taken with, be it via mobiles or computers. Social networking especially, has become part of our daily lives; Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.  But to better understand the present, you must understand the past.

            In my English 211 class, we are leaning about the history of social media.  So far, we have learned about BBSs, MySpace, and Live Journal. Of those, I find the most interesting to be Live Journal.

            In Live Journal, I’ve seen that it’s not as customizable as sites like Facebook, and there are no larger multi-media groups like Buzzfeed, YouTubers, etc. Some of the steps take longer, and searching is much different.

            We thought about why it might not be as well-used, or popular. I found that slower processes, lack of multi-media groups, and lack of customization to be major hindrances. No one wants things to take longer, and why would they? Lots also enjoy following their favorite celebrities, YouTubers, and what they do in their lives. Live Journal does not have that feature. It does have communities that are nice, poetry and such.

            With MySpace, we learned about the dramatic uptake and downfall. It started through e-mail spam for recruitment of members, but once outlawed, lost its marketing technique. It also had a tight block on other apps and made users very unhappy. It is incredibly customizable, and has available anonymity from the usernames.

            However, we have started using some of the modern sites as well. Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, etc. I personally have only ever used Facebook, never getting connected to the rest of social media. I started using Facebook only as a way to keep contact with family after moving away, and it became a part of my daily life. Because of the class, I started a Twitter and Blogger. However, I’ve come to enjoy Blogger already, I am likening writing everything down, documenting what I do and learn.