EOTC Timeline Reax

 

Evolution of Communication Timeline 

On Thursday, November 7, I was given the privilege to listen to my peers present information on the growth of different forms of technology. Examples ranged from telephones, SMS messaging, and the first smartphone. One of the huge things I noticed is how interconnected  the timeline is, and without one discovery, you cannot truly have the next. 

Although I learned quite a bit from various peers, I found myself appreciating the history behind FaceBook and Instagram to be the most interesting as I knew the least about it. Oddly enough, I use them the most (aside from my smartphone).

So, here are the top five interesting facts that I learned about Facebook and Instagram (with some personal commentary sprinkled in):

(1) Facebook was created 20 years ago, in 2005, and originally named FaceSmash. I find it quite interesting that the social media platform underwent a name change in such a short span into its career. It reminds me of Twitter's recent change to X. I wonder if Facebook's name change had more success because of how similar the names were, or if it's because the name changed occurred when it was fairly young. Oddly enough, Instagram also underwent a name change from Burbn -which was honestly probably for the best. 

(2) Facebook was originally created for university students. I actually find this quite interesting and believe that university students now would benefit from a platform that is only for them. The argument could be made that TikTok is for university students, but it does not allow for connections in the way that apps such as ZeeMee do. 

(3) Misinformation especially in election year. Misinformation has been a growing concern across all social media platforms and arguably, one of the biggest issues with social media. Younger individuals tend to gravitate towards Instagram and repost 'facts' that are so outlandish that they don't even pass the giggle test. This has been especially true within the days after the election.  

(4) The Picture Perfect Life/Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). Exaggerated picture perfect lives have caused increased anxiety with teenagers as well as FOMO, when an individual sees a post, and feels excluded that they themselves were not invited to the event. To me, this is a valid that is more of a reflection of how an individual feels about their own life as opposed to the poster. I don't truly foresee this changing in the near future or a huge issue with social media.  

(5) Connectivity. One of the huge things that every piece of technology did on the timeline was promote communication and connectivity. Facebook and Instagram are no different and allow for connections with family, friends, and with individuals from other countries. 

Aside from what was presented, I would argue a huge downside to social media platforms are the increased amount of scams, hacking, and predators. Overall, I felt as though it was a great presentation and I definitely walked away with more knowledge than I went in with.