Evolution of Social Media Institutions (Wk 10)

I tell people that I am not a person who spends most of their time on social media. To an extent that is accurate, I don’t have my phone out every minute checking Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, yet I do have an account on all three. As of writing this blog post, the last time I posted on Facebook was ten days ago, yet when there is a lull in my life (fancy way of saying ‘when I am bored’) I will pull out my phone and check social media. They are a way to fill the time of a train ride, or a quiet period at work yet I do not feel the need to know what is happening on them at all times.

This is just to explain that even though I don’t spend a lot of time on social media, (compared to some of my more addicted peers) it has permeated my life. As a society, we know the history of Facebook and where and when Twitter and Instagram came to be. Yet Facebook did not become a industry defining institution through sheer luck, adaption is key to its success. I have been on Facebook for a few years now (I was considered a late adopted by my friends) and I have seen it change a few times. These changes have often been met with an uproar, demanding the new facade be taken down with the one everyone is more comfortable with. Yet, within weeks, everyone has become used to the changes and are using them as if they are second nature. Facebook has modernised to a sleek new look for show of course, but also to keep up with the constant evolution of social media audiences and that it why it is still thriving has a institution.

Just in case you are feeling nostalgic in terms of Facebook, here are some of the major changes to Facebook’s facade over the last 11 years.