An avid TikToker? Addicted to Twitter? When you think of social media, you might find yourself jumping to the usual mainstream platforms like this one. It really feels like it’s been around forever, but if you dig deep enough into that memory, you’re sure to remember some of those addicting, now retro-looking platforms that we all once used and loved! Social media itself is relatively new, an invention of the 21st century. But no matter what generation you belong to, everyone uses some form of social media these days. Be it Facebook (now for the older generations) or Snapchat for the younger ones; Social media plays a big role in our life. Proceed to the article to rediscover some social media platforms that you may have loved once.
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Tendril
In 2012, Vine was very popular from the start. Taking advantage of people’s attention spans (or lack of it) with videos no longer than 7 seconds, the popularity has been immense. The application has been used by pop stars, celebrities, and the average joe and has become a platform for great comedy videos. Since they were so addicted, people would scroll endlessly as they could never get completely bored. As of December 2015, Vine had over 200 million users. Despite its initial success, Vine failed due to many factors: its inability to compete with its competitors, failure to support content creators, problems with advertising, and actually making profitable money. It’s a shame because vine was home to some of the funniest videos of all time, and you can still see vine compilations on YouTube and Twitter. Oh we miss you, Vine.
MSN Messenger
MSN still exists and possibly also the messenger aspect. However, there was nothing like MSN in the 00s. A chat site where you could instantly message friends, create group chats, and send emojis was innovation at its best. This has evolved into its next generation, Windows Live Messenger. Live Messenger included upgrades on all ends, including the ability to chat with a webcam. This was one of the first usable instant video chat sites that was easily accessible to everyone. There was nothing like nudging a friend when they weren’t responding enough, updating their status, and having fairly humorous group chats. MSN was fantastic, and we think with all the options available today; like FaceTime, Whatsapp, and iMessage, the need for MSN and other similar platforms just doesn’t exist anymore. A real shame.
My place
Every now and then we see clippings of people’s old Myspace profiles. However, this is usually meant to show off something embarrassing that a celebrity might have posted 15-20 years ago. Did you know it was the world’s largest social networking site in 2005-2008? These days, we bet if you ask a kid what Myspace is, they’ll likely bob their head in confusion. My place? Sounds very old. In fiscal 2008, the network even generated sales of 800 million US dollars. Justin Timberlake bought the company (along with Social Media Group) in 2011 for $ 35 million – which only increased the platform’s popularity and success. Unfortunately, due to the rise of Facebook in the social media race, Myspace failed. As a simply better site on all fronts, Myspace couldn’t keep up, even though it still exists; In 2019, the monthly visitors had dropped to 7 million. Falling pretty much.
YikYak
YikYak! So exclusive that you may not even have heard of it. YikYak was really a lot of fun back then. A phone-based social media platform that allowed people within a close range to chat anonymously and post whatever they wanted for either upvotes, downvotes, or a thread of comments. Often used to provide advice or share concerns, humor, or frankly nonsense; The app was pretty fun. I even remember a time in college when it was used to anonymously accuse people of certain things, like making noise in the library or leaving the second floor toilet in one state. Good times. However, the app was hit by cyber bullying as it was unable to take action against it. As a result, the platform’s growth stagnated. Due to the annual decline in popularity, the application eventually came to an end. However, on August 15, 2021, it was announced that it is making a comeback. So keep your eyes peeled for the new and possibly improved YikYak for iOS. Maybe it will be as fun as it was in its prime.
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