The Evolution of Social Media

The findings of Sir Isaac Newton, the British scientist who discovered gravity and the three laws of motion, were absolutely revolutionary. Humbly, he once wrote "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." This is just as true now as it was for Newton then. Newton leaned on the work of men that came before to lead him to his findings, as did the revolutionaries of today.

Often, I have found myself giving ample amounts of credit to Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Silicon Valley for inventing Facebook, Twitter, iPhones, and other elements of digital media that define the way we socialize. However, it is undeniable that they were standing on the shoulders of giants from generations past. Concepts for these social media outlets were not invented by these men; they were built on the foundations of ideas dreamed up long before their time.

As I read Hernandez's article from Wired.com "Facebook?! Twitter?! Instagram?! We Did That 40 Years Ago," I was struck by the similarity of these concepts from decades past that so closely resembled what we have today. One program in particular, Plato, reminded me of one of my favorite scenes from the 80's movie Pretty In Pink...

This version of instant messaging and digital media looks completely archaic to me and my generation, but at the time it was futuristic. Part of me can't help but wonder if Mark Zuckerberg saw this movie when he was a kid and was inspired by the idea of social digital communication, and remembered this scene when he went to create Facebook messaging. While I am unsure of whether or not Zuckerberg is a fan of Molly Ringwald movies, the question still stands--where are these innovators of social media getting there inspiration? Undeniably, they have been building off the ideas generations past.

That being said, they have undeniably done wonders with these dated ideas and brought them up to the 21st century...

Comparing Molly's clandestine internet messaging in the library to the modern wonders of Facebook, Twitter, and the Social Media Revolution, it becomes evident that although they were standing on the shoulders of giants, modern innovators have done wonders with the web, and should be given the ample amounts of credit they are due.