My First Experience with Social Media

As someone born in 2000, my very first exposure to social media was with Facebook. From a quick Google search, I learned that Facebook launched in 2004 and was originally called "The Facebook." I remember my parents having accounts, but at the time, I did not really understand it.  I just thought it was a place where people posted photos for others to see. From additional research, I learned that was pretty close to its original purpose. Facebook was first launched at Harvard University as a way for classmates to connect names with faces (History.com Editors, 2010). 

I remember my parents constantly taking photos and uploading them into albums on Facebook. I was pretty young, around 9 years old, when my parents finally allowed me to have my own account. Around the same time, I also got my very first email address specifically so I could create the account. My dad made my profile and became my first friend on Facebook.

I did not really start using it to connect with friends until middle school. During that time, it felt like almost everyone my age had a Facebook account, which honestly sounds crazy, looking back now. One of the main reasons we used Facebook as middle schoolers was to have as many friends as possible, because it somehow gave us more social status at school. People also used it to constantly post status updates about what they were doing, like “Going to the mall, meet me at Forever 21!”

Unfortunately, social media also became a way for people to judge each other. Looking back, it sounds awful, but it was normal at the time. People would “like” someone’s post just so they would post a public “truth is...” about them for everyone to see. Then you had to go to school the next day, knowing everyone had read it. At times, it could feel like a pretty harsh environment.

Even though I was definitely too young to have my own social media account, it is still nostalgic to think back on the trends from that period of my life and compare them to how I use social media now. As kids, we used to judge our parents for how they used Facebook, and now we have basically become our parents.

Below is an interesting video about the evolution of Facebook that is worth checking out. It is fascinating to see what the platform has evolved into since 2004. Even though the video was made five years ago, it is still helpful for understanding how much Facebook has changed over time. Since then, it has evolved even more with artificial intelligence, reels, and short-form content becoming popular. 

Sources: 

History.com Editors. (2010). Facebook launches Mark Zuckerberg. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/february-4/facebook-launches-mark-zuckerberg

Thesow. (2020, September 18). Evolution of Facebook [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7pw7mm4-Ss