Essential Guidance for Navigating Digital Interactions: Foundational Principles
In the world of technology, social computing has been a significant player since the inception of computers themselves. This article takes a look at the historical milestones and evolution of social computing, tracing its roots from the 1960s to the present day.
1960s: ARPANET and early electronic communication
The story of social computing begins with ARPANET, a decentralized packet-switching network developed by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) in the 1960s. ARPANET is considered the precursor to the internet and the foundation for future social networks [1][2][3].
1978: Bulletin Board Systems (BBS)
Fast forward to 1978, and Ward Christensen and Randy Suess created the first computerized bulletin board system (CBBS), enabling users to share information electronically. BBSs became some of the earliest non-military computer-based communities, simulating a public bulletin board environment online [1][3].
1990s: Emergence of personal computing and early social platforms
As personal computers became widespread, blogging and bulletin boards led to online social networking. The mid-1990s saw the appearance of social networking features like profiles and friends lists, evidenced by Randy Conrads’ Classmates.com in 1995, which allowed re-connecting with school peers [1][3].
Late 1990s: First True Social Networking Sites
- 1997: SixDegrees launched as the first social network where users created profiles and friend lists, enabling exploration of friend-of-friend networks.
- 1997: Bolt targeted teens with features such as chat rooms, message boards, and photo albums but folded after a year [2].
Early 2000s: Social media mainstream emergence with MySpace and Facebook
- 2003: MySpace launched and became the largest social media site quickly, offering extensive page customization and attracting celebrities and musicians. By 2008, MySpace and Facebook amassed over 100 million monthly visitors each. MySpace was acquired in 2005 and dominated until its decline around 2009.
- Facebook, opening broadly in the mid-2000s, revolutionized social networking with scalable features and broader appeal, becoming the dominant platform in subsequent years [2].
2010s to present: Platform diversification and mobile/social app evolution
Following Facebook’s rise, social computing expanded to include Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and others, emphasizing mobile access, multimedia content, real-time interaction, and algorithmic feeds, drastically increasing social computing scale and influence [1][2].
Summary Table of Key Milestones
| Period | Milestone | Description | |---------------|----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 1960s | ARPANET | First packet-switching network enabling early computer communication | | 1978 | Bulletin Board System (CBBS) | First online community for info sharing | | 1995 | Classmates.com | Early social network reconnecting school peers | | 1997 | SixDegrees, Bolt | First social networking sites with profiles and friends lists| | 2003-2008 | MySpace and Facebook | Social media mass adoption, customization, and celebrity use | | 2010s-2020s | Twitter, Instagram, TikTok | Mobile-first platforms and multimedia content platforms |
In conclusion, social computing has evolved from military/academic communication networks to mass-market social media platforms facilitating complex, interactive online communities and social interaction worldwide [1][2][3]. The full-text of Social Computing by Thomas Erikson is available in the design library for further reading.
The progression of social computing saw the emergence of UI design elements with SixDegrees, launched in 1997, marking the first social network to feature user profiles and friend lists, elements that are now fundamental aspects of many social media platforms. As technology advanced, artificial-intelligence (AI) began playing a significant role, with social media sites like Facebook using algorithms to curate feeds and suggest content. This AI integration has significantly influenced the scale and function of social computing, making it easier for users to connect and interact in real-time.
