It's amazing to think we are already talking about the "history" of social media, but I've been collecting a few articles that demonstrate how in fact today's tools which might seem revolutionary are just evolutionary:
Back in June 2009, Social Media Rockster ran a posting: A brief history of social media, which began
"Social media isn’t really “new.” While it has only recently become part of mainstream culture and the business world, people have been using digital media for networking, socializing and information gathering – almost exactly like now – for over 30 years:"
Sean Carton in hisJuly 2009 blog posting: Defining social media, in ClickZ, writes
"Using the definition, "technologies that facilitate conversations," it's pretty easy to see that these technologies have been with us for a long time .. Throughout much of human history, we've developed technologies that make it easier for us to communicate with each other."
Sean has also produced a timeline of social media, here's the enlarged image,
Yesterday, WebDesigner Dept ran an article The History and Evolution of Social Media, which started
"Social media has become an integral part of modern society.There are general social networks with user bases larger than the population of most countries.
"There are niche sites for virtually every special interest out there. There are sites to share photos, videos, status updates, sites for meeting new people and sites to connect with old friends. It seems there are social solutions to just about every need. In this article, we’ll review the history and evolution of social media from its humble beginnings to the present day."
Do you know of any other timelines or articles on the history of social media?
For other general reading on social media, here's a short reading list - part of our Library of selected links on e-learning and social learning topics.
