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That was when the United States Department of Defense started using the ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network).Īt that time, ARPANET allowed scientists from four interconnected universities to share software alongside data and resources via its digital network.Īlmost two decades later, the National Science Foundation unveiled a nationwide digital network, NSFNET, which is said to be the direct predecessor to today’s internet infrastructure.īetween the late 80s and 90s, the number of internet users started to increase substantially, thus leading to a wave of online communication services. But the inception of the modern internet and social media was way back in 1969. The origins of digital communication goes back to the 1840s. Now, with Web3 – the decentralized internet – around the horizon, social media platforms get an upgrade that would obliterate the shortcomings of the Web2 ecosystem (the current version of the internet), and the platforms built atop it. This paved the way for social media influencers and new verticals for marketing companies and ad agencies.īecoming the hottest marketing spots, social media platforms have adapted to position themselves as integral parts of our lives. Likewise, there has been an increase in social media platforms for communication between content creators and their fans. This leads to increased online activism, which has positive and negative effects on society. These days, social media platforms are being increasingly used to express individual opinions and ideas to a broader audience. The internet was only becoming popular when social media emerged, and these two platforms have profoundly affected one another.
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It has also changed the way we think about ourselves. Social media has changed the way we interact with others.
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