EME5404 Media Ecologies Summer 25

  What will history say about social media? Since the advent of the internet, social media has taken shape in ways that many people never thought it would. Different platforms offer different experiences and interactions with peers online regarding a plethora of topics. What started out as chat rooms and message boards turned into separate applications that allowed for photo albums, sharing one's "status," and bigger social groups that only existed in the web space. But as social as the initial take off was, a separate web also morphed into a sort of citizen reporting space. Instead of waiting for news, individuals could now report on what was happening around them in real time. Weather, political, and social events were now able to be shared and collected through various avenues such as hashtags; no longer did you need to sign in and join specific groups to see information on a topic. Social media made access to information and the ability to share it faster and potentia...

The Evolution of Social Media One of my favorite forms of media to watch shape and evolve has been social media. The question of where it began is debated by a lot, but I think it depends on the individual's definition of social media and their age. For me, social media began in the early days of Instant Messaging which belonged to AOL, then was followed by other browsers such as MSN.  I have always considered social media to be a form of personal branding, which is apparent in the AIM days with usernames that could be customized, profile icons that reflected a variety of interests, and away messages that could reflect anything from simple information ("BRB!") to feelings (*insert moody song lyrics here*). This branding expanded into the more mainstream sites like MySpace, LiveJournal, and Tumblr, but it had humble beginnings and simple goals such as connection. https://www.future-marketing.co.uk/the-history-of-social-media/ Fast forward to today and social media has crea...