9781422274149

them, it is helpful to examine the rich history of the web and the resources created over this medium in the last few decades. THE HISTORY OF SOCIAL MEDIA Many people think social media got its start in the early 2000s with the rise of sites like Myspace. The truth is that forms of social media have a rich history, with roots extending earlier than the advent of the computer. Understanding social media’s history can help to better predict its future. The telegraph, invented in the 1840s, was a precursor to social media. The invention established one of the first ways to connect people throughout the country electronically, without the need to mail a letter. The telegraph worked by transmitting electrical signals over wires connecting stations to each other. The device’s inventor, Samuel Morse, created a code that assigned meaning to the electronic signals. His invention was improved upon in the 1870s, with the invention of the telephone. These developments showed that technology would lead to other forms of long-distance communication in the future. A major step toward the development of social media occurred in the late 1960s, with the creation of ARPANET. Computers had been invented during the 1940s, to help in the American effort during World War II. They were improved upon during the 1950s and 1960s, but at the

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Contemporary Issues: Privacy and Social Media