Sam Davis

11191519
Introduction
This will be a review of the implementation of social media and how they affect businesses. I
will explain the history, growth and its success. I will also parallel how social media has affected the
growth of businesses.
The Beginning of Social Media
From the time the internet launched, people began innovating more ways to connect and
network with one another. Only a few years after the World Wide Web was up and running, the
beginning steps to social media networks was created. It was a site called eocities, a website designed
by !everly "ills Internet that allowed users to create their own websites that pertained to the area they
lived in. This program, now owned by #ahoo search engine allowed people to connect with others
close in distance to them. This was a prominent moment in social medias$ history because it was the
first program that allowed web users to connect with essentially anyone they could find online. With
the increase of users and the break through eocities found, bu%% about how far the internet could go
was everywhere. &'urtis, ()*+, !y *--., the internet had one million sites. This also was the year that
blogs and instant messaging were created. &/etron%io, ()*(, These programs created the opportunity to
interact with other users immediately. 0O1 Instant 2essaging &0I2, was popular among the younger
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crowd. The user could connect with friends, create a profile, leave away messages, and engage in chat
room conversations. From this new program, others emerged. &/etron%io, ()*(, For example, a popular
site called 3tudy!uddy where users could use the features of instant messaging for school work. !logs
also led to more new programs. !logs initially became popular through politics. This was a way users
could openly post their opinions about the political situation and debate with others who read it.
&'urtis, ()*+, In the following few years, the development of social medias had ma4or break5throughs.
oogle, the most famous search engine, Friends 6eunited and 0pple i/ods were all developed. 0ll of
these new developments created numerous opportunities for social media networks. Friends 6eunited
was a site created in reat !ritain that allowed you to find and connect with old classmates. 7sers were
able to connect and share posts with everyone on their network. This led to the first real social
networking site, 3ixdegrees.com in *--8. This site was based off the idea that everyone is 9six
degrees: of separation. It allowed users to list family, friends, and ac;uaintances on the site. 0nother
site, 2yspace.com, launched a year after Friendster and used many of the same features. This site had
immediate success. !y ())8 it was the number one most visited site on the internet trumping over
oogle and #ahoo search engines. This site let people over the age of *+ connect with anyone, post
photos and videos, share statuses, comment on others pages, and instant message. 7sers had the ability
to create uni;ue profiles where they can describe themselves, share information and news, share music,
and post blogs on their page. This site was created by Tom 0nderson, <osh !erman, 'hris =eWolfe,
and !rad reenspan. <ust a few years after they launched the website, they sold the company who
started the site, Intermix 2edia, for >?@) million. &3tenovec, ()**, 2yspace served as the leading
social media network for years. &3tenovec, ()**, Its popularity declined when other sites emerged. The
biggest threat to 2yspace was a new social media network site called Facebook. This site was created
by 2ark Auckerberg, a student at "arvard 7niversity with the help from Bduardo 3averin and =ustin
2oskovit%. "e had been known for a couple smaller social media sites he created 4ust for students at
his university. "e then created 9The Facebook,: later known as 4ust 9Facebook.: 3tudents at the
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university caught on immediately and the number of users was drastically growing the night
Auckerberg put it up. The site eventually spread to other surrounding Ivy 1eague universities. In the
next couple years, Facebook took over and soon became the top social media network in the world.
&/hillips, ()).,
In ())8, Twitter was released by <ack =orsey along with many other co5founders. This social
media site allowed users to post *C) characters of less on a timeline viewable to their followers. The
limit of *C) characters was set because the site was created to be used on a mobile device. &1ugano,
())@, <ust one year later, 0pple released the i/hone. This smart phone opened doors for social media
sites to create mobile applications of their sites. 2obile devices already had applications such as texting
and group messaging, however smartphones allowed social media sites to be more accessible.
&0nthony, ()*+,
In following years, several social media were created with different niches. 3ome popular sites
include 1inkedIn, a professional connection siteD Instagram, a picture blog site, and /interest, a site
where users can share things they like with other users. 6ecently there is a large emphasis on using
mobile applications for social media sites.
Social Media Now
0s years went on and social media sites advanced, businesses did not hesitate to use this to
implement this as an innovative advertisement ploy. This was a great way to get a brand out there and
to create bu%%. The advancements gave businesses endless opportunities. !usinesses used all different
types of social media. One of the main types is search optimi%ation systems. !usinesses took advantage
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of sites, like oogle, to move up their websites on the search list. 0lso, they used more informal sites
such as Facebook and Twitter to create bu%% about their brand. They make Facebook pages where
potentialEexisting customers can 9like: it and keep up with their latest advancements. On Twitter, many
companies will create a 9hashtag: relating to their company. If a user clicks on the hashtag it brings
them to relating tweets from and about the company. 0nother essential social media site businesses use
is 1inkedIn. This is a site that acts like a professional version of Facebook. 7sers can connect with co5
workers, employees and business gurus to advance them in their careers.
0s I will discuss further in the paper, new advancements of social media networks have
changed the way society lives their life. We are now a society surrounded by these sites. Our economy
would not be where it is today without the revenue social media brings. 3ocial media is one of the
leading reasons why businesses have the ability to grow as rapidly as they do now.
6eferences
0nthony , '. &()*+,. The brief history of social media. 6etrieved from
httpFEEwww(.uncp.eduEhomeEacurtisEGew2ediaE3ocial2ediaE3ocial2edia"istory.html
1ugano, . &())@, 2obile social networking in theory and practice. First2onday, Hol.*+, G.**
&Govember ())@,
2att, /. &()*(,. A brief history of instant messaging. 6etrieved from
httpFEEmashable.comE()*(E*)E(?Einstant5messaging5historyE
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Tim, 3. &()**,. 2yspace historyF 0 time line of the social networkIs biggest moments. 6etrieved from
httpFEEwww.huffingtonpost.comE()**E)8E(-Emyspace5history5timelineJnJ@@.)?-.html
3arah, /. &()).,. 0 brief history of facebook. 6etrieved from
httpFEEwww.theguardian.comEtechnologyE()).E4ulE(?Emedia.newmedia
Recent Developments
0lthough social media sites have not been around for long, they have progressed at a fast rate. It
has become a staple thing in many peoplesI lives. Got only does it connect people from across the
world, it essentially runs several markets of goods and services and promotes things we use in our
everyday lives. 0ccording to the Gielsen 3ocial 2edia report from ()*(, social media sites are
connected by @) percent of 0mericans who regularly use the internet, and these sites are what the
people of this statistic are spending most of their internet browsing time on. &3tate of the, ()**, These
numbers are continuing to rise each and every day.
3ocial media sites continue to grow at a rapid pace. Hisual content sites are becoming
more relevant in the social media world. 0n example of this are recently created sites such as
3napchat and Instagram. 3napchat is a mobile application that allows users to add friends and
send pictures and videos to them. The user can choose the amount of time their picture is shown,
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then it is deleted. This site become popular fast. In ()*+, 3napchat revealed users of the
application were sending out 8) million messages per day. &allenger, ()*(, Instagram is a site
where users can post pictures and videos on a timeline. This is the only feature this site has.
7sers can connect with others and 9favorite: or comment on photos. It is basically sharing a
photo album online for your friends and family. 0nother visual site is Hine. 1ike 3napchat, this
site was created for mobile devices only. This site allows users to create snippets of videos and
post them on a timeline for other users to see. 3oon after it was created in ()*(, it was bought by
Twitter for +) million dollars. &Fried, ()*(,
0mong the vast amount of social media users, there are distinct prolific groups of people
using sites the most. In recent years, research has shown that women are using these sites slightly
more than men. &3tate of the, ()**, These women are generally *@5+C years old in middle class
living situations. These women are visiting social sites more as well as checking their sites more
times a day than all other demographics. Women are also using these sites to connect with their
favorite brands and discover new brands and products. 3ince social media is an effective outlet
for advertising, brands often use this to promote their products. Women can see a product they
like in an advertisement on the side of the site they are on shop for it by simply clicking the ad.
They can even share where they are shopping with people they are connected with on their sites.
&'rook, ()*C,
0lthough women dominate social media use, men are not far behind. 2en are using social
media sites for different reasons. 2en are more likely to use these sites for sports and comedy related
items. Women are proven to dominate all ma4or sites such as Face book and Twitter. "owever, men
dominate 1inkdIn, a site where you can connect no a more professional level with co 5workers or
employers. &2orrison, ()*C,
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3ince social media continues to grow every year, the field has gotten to be more
competitive for each site. Facebook has been standing as the number one most visited site since
()**, yet others are close behind. Facebook also is now recogni%ed as a web wide site rather than
4ust a social media site. &The 3tate of, ()**, This site continues to add features to advance the
site and to integrate more opportunities for brands to advertise. One feature they recently
developed was giving users the ability to change a personal profile to a business profile. This
allows businesses to create pages promoting their products. They can also add the 9like: feature
for Facebook users to 9like: their page to view the page on their news feed. 0nother recent
development Facebook has is advancing their mobile accessibility. They are now one of the
online mobile applications available for any type of smart phone. This also will help promote
businesses even further. 6esearch has shown that * in + mobile device users are using their phone
to search for businesses. 3ince an estimated (?) million people are now using Facebook on their
phones, the site could help promote businesses nearby the user. &6amesh, ()*(, 0nother
development in Facebook is the advancement of what information users can input. Facebook is
now asking more specific ;uestions for users to answer when updating their profile. In turn, this
feature is helping out businesses and brands. They can gather the information and attitudes of
users to steer their advertising in a way that will attract these users to their brand. &6amesh, ()*(,
0nother form of social media that is rapidly advancing is mobile networking sites. These
are social network sites that can be accessed from a smart phone on the go. 6esearch has shown
that ( out of ? social network site users are accessing their profiles via their mobile phones. &The
3tate of, ()**, These numbers have climbed greatly in recent years. 0lso, the same studies
show a large increase in the amount of users ages ?? and up. This number more than doubled
over a span of one year due to the advancement of mobile social media sites. /reviously, mobile
devices have primarily been used to download and play music. "owever, since ()**, accessing
social media sites has increased to C. percent of mobile device use. This is 4ust trailing music by
7
( percent. In fact, research shows that mobile social network use raised an entire +) percent in
4ust one year.&The 3tate of, ()**, These began as allowing users to access their profiles through
their phones making social networking a lot more convenient. Bventually, brands began creating
applications and social media sites to use primarily on a mobile device. 0n example of this is
Instagram which was discussed earlier on. This led to a trend in other sites similar to this. Bven
mobile applications for games have started to become interactive. One example of this is
amecenter. This is a site where you can create a profile and add in your gaming applications.
Through a partnership with sites such as Facebook and Twitter, amecenter allows you to use
these sites to connect with friends. Then, you can compete against your friends and share your
scores. #ou can even chat with those you are connected to over the gaming sites. &1ai, ()).,
3ince social networking has been becoming more and more interactive and advanced,
studies have shown that this is effecting social media users in the world outside of the internet. It
has been proven that these people are becoming more social overall than those who do not use
these sites. 3ome examples of this are found in the Gielsen report &The 3tate of, ()**, This
shows that social media users are C? percent more likely to go on a date, *@ percent more likely
to work out at a gym, and *- percent more likely to attend a sporting event. 0ll of these activities
listed are very social and gives users a chance to interact with others in person as well as online.
These users are also boosting the economy. 3tudies show that these users are .? percent more
likely to buy and download music online, and C. percent more likely to spend a lot of money on
clothing items and shoes. This could be because of the brand awareness social media sites are
providing for businesses and showing these users products they offer. These users are also
speaking up and leading more. 3tudies show that people on social media sites are (8 percent more
likely to engage in political debates and conversations and ++ percent more likely to give their
opinions about what is going on in the media. &The 3tate of, ()**,
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urrent Status
0s discussed above, social media has rapidly developed in recent years. This has brought
the current status of social media sites to new levels. 0side from new sites being created, recently
already active sites have seen a large increase of popularity. 0n example of one of the ;uickest
growing sites is Twitter. In ()*(, Twitter was names the fastest growing site of the year.
&!ennett, ()*(, Twitter has also been one of the main outlets brands and businesses want to use
for advertising. With the hash5tag feature, Twitter has allowed businesses to create an entire
campaign directed toward twitter. 0n example of this is Gike. The brand used a campaign
directed around the hash5tag, 9Kmakeitcount.: This campaign asked consumers to share personal
stories related to GikeIs brand and use the hash tag at the end. This allowed other users to click on
the hash tag and read other people stories about their experience with Gike products. &93uccessful
"ashtag 'ampaigns:, ()*+,
0lthough Twitter has recently been the fastest developing site, all other social media sites
are still currently advancing. 7sers are also looking at these sites for information on brands more
in the recent past. 0ccording to studies from the last 8 months, social media has created about
double the amount of bu%% about brands than any other form of promotions including trade shows
and direct mail advertisements. &3oskey, ()*+, 'ompanies are also saying that social media has
become (* percent more important than any other form of promotions in the most recent months,
and a whopping .C percent of businesses think Facebook specifically is what they need to base
their future promotional strategies off of. 0long with that statistic, Facebook has already proven
to customers through their site alone for ?+ percent of businesses using Facebook for promotions.
These statistics show that social media sides are the future for advertising businesses and brands.
&3oskey, ()*+,
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0nother aspect of these sites that has progressed recently is communication between
consumers and businesses. With recent updates, it is easier for businesses to receive immediate
feedback from consumers after viewing their ad. The businesses can also view when and what the
consumer is viewing and how often they view their products and website. Through search
optimi%ation programs, businesses are beginning to have virtually no boundaries when it comes
to internet activity of consumers. This helps increase their awareness of the attitudes and buying
patterns in consumers. Through this information they can ad4ust their strategies and promotions to
match the interests of their future consumers. & 3tafford, ()*+,
3ocial media sites have been around for a while, however recently have been progressing
and becoming a staple part of peopleIs lives and businesses success. 0s stated previously,
Facebook great popularity has already advanced many businesses and continues to develop more
tools to help businesses continue to create bu%% and promote their products. 0lso, numbers of
users on social media sites continue to rise every day. This in turn gives more businesses an
incentive to want to interact with these sites. With the way these site have been developing, social
media sites are beginning to seem like they will soon become the main source for many aspects of
peoples$ lives.
L3tatistical information is based off of ()**. This is the most current 3tate of 3ocial 2edia
report Gielsen has released.
References
10
State of the media: The social media report. &()**,. 2anuscript submitted for publication,
0vailable from Gielsen. 6etrieved from httpFEEcn.nielsen.comEdocumentsEGielsen53ocial52edia5
6eportJFIG01J)-)-**.pdf
'rook, <. &()*C, 2arch 8,. MWeb log messageN. 6etrieved from httpFEEtechcrunch.comE()*CE)+E)8Ewho5
runs5the5social5media5world5girlsE
Fried, Ina &October -, ()*(,. OTwitter !uys Hine, a Hideo 'lip 'ompany That Gever 1aunched P
/eter Qafka and 2ike Isaac P 2obileO. 0llThings=.
allagher, !illy &October (-, ()*(,. O#ou Qnow WhatIs 'oolR 0 !illion 3napchatsF 0pp 3ees Over ()
2illion /hotos 3hared /er =ay, 6eleases On 0ndroidO.TechCrunch
2orrison, Q. &()*C,. "ow men and women use socila media and mobile devices. SocialTimes,
6etrieved from httpFEEsocialtimes.comEmen5and5women5use5social5media5mobileJb*C8)??
6amesh, /. &()*(,. Three new facebook developments to keep in mind. BuzzIn, 6etrieved from
httpFEEwww.bu%%binpadillacrt.comEthree5key5developments5at5facebookE
1ai, '. ". &()).,. 7nderstanding the design of mobile social networking. M/C Journal, !, 6etrieved
from httpFEE4ournal.media5culture.org.auE).)+E)@5lai.php
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MWeb log messageN. &()*+,. 6etrieved from httpFEEmwpartners.comEhashtagcampaigns
3oskey, . &()*+, 0rpil,. MWeb log messageN. 6etrieved from httpFEEblog.hubspot.comEmarketingE*@5
fresh5stats5about5social5media5marketing
3tafford, <. &()*+,. Current state and use of social media. Informally published manuscript,
'ommunication, 6etrieved from httpsFEEsites.ewu.eduEcmstC-85staffordE()*+E)@E*-Ecurrent5state5and5
use5of5social5media5+E
!actors to "atch
Bxpect to see investing in social media a necessity for brands to stay relevant against their
competitors. Though many companies are already aware and active on social media, brands will begin
to reali%e they must utili%e these sites to spread brand awareness and to take advantage of the search
engine optimi%ation. In the near future most brands will use social network sites as a staple part of their
campaign.
Bxpect to see more social media sites integrating high tech products. 0n example of this is
Facebook buying the Oculus H6 for ( billion dollars. &Welch, ()*C, Facebook, the most popular
website worldwide has made the most progress and displayed the most innovation. One ma4or
breakthrough that has happened recently and will continue to progress the website is the purchase of
the Oculus H6. This is a hardware that allows users to wear goggles that display the screen in front of
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their eyes. This was the first virtual reality hardware Facebook has ever purchased. &Welch, ()*C, This
is opening up a world of opportunities for the website. Auckerberg, the creator of Facebook, has
announced that the purchase was to allow people to feel as they are in the same place while they are
connecting over Facebook. &Welch, ()*C, The headset is a full interactive screen that can adapt to
wherever you are. 0lthough this breakthrough is ama%ing, it also creates a sense of fear for many.
/eople are hesitant with the new progressions because social media is truly becoming a main part of
people$s lives and how they connect with each other. It seems to be making relationships less personal.
0long with Facebook$s purchase of the Oculus, expect to see the site purchasing more social
media sites. Facebook created bu%% when they purchased Instagram in ()*(. This opened new doors
for both sites. Facebook also recently tried to purchase 3napchat for around a billion dollars, but
3napchat owners declined. &2clane, ()*C, 3ince Facebook is showing interest in photo and video sites,
the future may hold more visual content for the site. 0ds could appear on users profiles much like the
advertisement seen on #ouTube before you can view a video.
3peaking of adding visuals, Twitter is also trying to enhance visuals throughout their site. In
order to do this, Twitter will make their content more interactive. 'ontent will begin popping up more
fre;uently on its own. &2clane, ()*C,
/interest will also be focusing on integrating more visuals and advertising onto their site. The
site is for users to literally 9pin: things they are interested in. /interest can take advantage of this and
display ads on user$s page pertaining to what they like and recent online activity. Founder of /interest,
!en 3ilbermann, has been ;uite secretive about what is in store for /interest. "owever, at a recent
conference some hints were dropped. "e mentioned that /interest will soon be allowing brands to
include updated information in their content. This will allow the users to be able to find more
information about the product and brand through their pin. &2ike, ()*C,
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#ou can also expect to see a rise in popularity in sites not as prevalent. 0n example of this is oogleS.
This site has been the underdog since it was founded in ()**. 0lthough it offers much of the same
features as websites like Facebook, oogleS has deemed the reputation of a more 9mature: social
network. This has turned many people off. The site has trying to stand out from its competitors by
adding more uni;ue aspects to this site. This includes 9"angout: which a group messaging feature that
allows you to chat, share photosEvideos, and even video chat a selected group of friends. I predict
1inkedIn will also be changing in upcoming years. &2clane, ()*C, 0lthough this site has been gaining
popularity recently, it must take drastic measures to stand out from its competitors. 1inkedIn could
focus on one niche in the professional world that will help drive users to use their site specifically.
2obile applications will also continue to progress at high rates. 3mart phones and tablets have
become a norm in society, everyone has one. !eing able to access social media sites on the go is
important to people. 2ore and more sites are beginning to implement applications to their sites. These
apps will focus more on making applications more interactive. &=ewey, ()*+, These apps will also
need to be more precautious about privacy as they progress. 3oon ma4ority of websites will be offered
through a mobile device. 3ome of these sites could contain very personal information about the user. In
order to ease the mind of users, a stricter privacy policy will be implemented. &=ewey, ()*+,
In closing, social media sites are still progressing at a fast rate. One of the main factors to watch
from all media is the advancement of visuals and more interactive content. Implementing these features
will make social media sites even more accessible. This will drive more consumers to use these sites
because they are so easy to use.
References
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=ewey, '. 3ocial media pros predict the future. "#BJ. 6etrieved, from
httpFEEwww.grb4.comEarticlesE.?-(85social5media5pros5predict5the5future
2ike, 3. /interest /lays 'oy on 0ds, but Bxpect 'ommerce to 1ead 'BO 3ilbermann preaches a
native, user5friendly commercial approach. Ad$ee%. 6etrieved , from
httpFEEwww.adweek.comEnewsEtechnologyEpinterest5plays5coy5ads5expect5commerce5lead5*C-.)@
2clane, '. &()*C, <anuary *,. . . 6etrieved , from httpFEEwww.smedio.comEfuture5of5social5mediaE
Welch, '. &()*C, <anuary *,. Facebook buying Oculus H6 for >( billion. . 6etrieved , from
httpFEEwww.theverge.comE()*CE+E(?E??C.C?8Efacebook5buying5oculus5for5(5billion
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