How long has social media been around?

As with most forms of media, it's hard to pin a definitive start date for social media. However, it has been around for decades, and definitely has a long history. The first social networking platforms were created in the early 1960s as an extension of this new medium.

In its earliest years, social media was primarily text-based and consisted of chat rooms where one person could chat with another. In 1984 came the invention of America Online (AOL), which was the first graphical platform that enabled users to create profiles and share content online – essentially creating a “social network” – which ushered in a new era of interaction online.