The History Of Social Media: From Morse Code to TikTok With Social Media Strategist & Educator, Natasha Samuel

If you're like the 5 billion human beings on social media, you can't go more than a few hours without checking your accounts. We use social media to stay in touch with friends, family, and current events (that includes exes) But have you ever thought about the evolution of social media?

This week on the podcast, That Wasn't In My Textbook, we put down the stuffy textbook and got into the real history of social. I also had a special guest, Natasha Samuel, of Shine With Natasha, to discuss social media's "heck yes!" and the "WTH" impacts on society.    

In this blog post, we'll take a brief look at the highlights from the episode, starting with the origin of social media --Telegraph communications and finishing with the platforms we use today.

The Early Days of Social Media: 

Let's go back... way back to the 1800s. The Telegraph and Morse Code paved the way for today's technology. In 1837, Samuel Morse invented the telegraph, transmitting electrical signals over wires. This invention paved the way for new forms of communication, including the now-famous Morse code. In Morse code, different letters and numbers are represented by different sequences of dots and dashes. This system was used extensively during World War II to communicate secret messages between Allied forces.

The Modern Era of Social Media:

How many social media platforms do you use? Statistics say, on average, we use eight platforms each day! From Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, we are constantly jumping back and forth between each. 

In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook while studying at Harvard University. Facebook was initially designed as a way for college students to connect online. However, it quickly rose in popularity and became one of the most popular websites in the world.

In 2006, Jack Dorsey created Twitter, which allows users to send short messages (or "tweets") of up to 280 characters. Twitter became popular due to its concise format and ability to be easily used on mobile devices. In 2010, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger launched Instagram, a photo-sharing app that allows users to apply filters to their photos. Like Facebook and Twitter, Instagram has become hugely popular, with over one billion monthly active users as of 2018. 

Social media can connect us in ways we never dreamed of, but we all know it hasn't been all good. Social media has come under scrutiny, questioning its impact on self-esteem to how we view the world in general (hello, politics and misinformation).  

Another major drawback is that social media can be addictive, taking us away from other essential tasks. 

Social Media Strategists and influencer Natasha Samuel joined me in exploring the pitfalls, opportunities, and healthy and productive ways we can use this media. 

We discuss how social media has also given rise to a new generation of internet celebrities and influencers. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat have enabled everyday people to build large followings and make a living from their creative content. 

Media has come a long way since Morse Code. Today, social media is an integral part of our lives; it's hard to imagine living without it!
Join me on this week's episode of That Wasn't In My Textbook to get your dose of history with a twist of realness.