Social media as we know it today doesn’t have a single inventor, but rather a series of developments and platforms that have emerged over time. One of the earliest forms of social media began in the late 1970s with the introduction of computer bulletin board systems (BBS). However, the term ‘social media’ began to gain traction in the early 2000s.
One major milestone was the launch of Six Degrees in 1997, which is often credited as the first true social media site. It allowed users to create profiles and make friends with others on the network. Soon after, platforms like Friendster in 2002 and MySpace in 2003 further popularized the concept.
It was Facebook, launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates, that revolutionized social media and paved the way for the expansive platforms we see today. Its success demonstrated the power and reach of social networking, fundamentally changing the way people connect online.
In summary, while no single person can be identified as the ‘inventor’ of social media, figures like Mark Zuckerberg, along with the creators of earlier platforms like Six Degrees and MySpace, played crucial roles in its development and popularization.