Social Media

The Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, 2011, Vol. 16, No.3

The History of Social Media and its Impact on Business

Simeon Edosomwan, Minot State University

Sitalaskshmi Kalangot Prakasan, Minot State University

Doriane Kouame, Minot State University

Jonelle Watson, Minot State University

Tom Seymour, Minot State University

Executive Summary

Social media is a phenomenon that has transformed the interaction and communication of

individuals throughout the world. However, social media is not a new concept - it has been

evolving since the dawn of human interaction. In recent times, social media has impacted many

aspects of human communication, thereby impacting business. Social networking has become

daily practice in some users‟ lives. In this article, the authors describe features and the evolution

of social media, including major social networking sites that came into existence during the 21st

century. Some of the sites discussed include Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, MySpace, CyWorld,

and LunarStorm.

Introduction

This paper examines the history of social media. The plan was to approach this work

from it historical development to its modern day perspective. The authors also looked at the

definition of social media, its concept and application in the 21st century. In the decade of

information systems, social media has played a vital role in transforming business and

communications. We believe that the fastest way to grow a business entity is through social

media and networking. In 2000, many social networking sites emerged to ease interaction with

people that share common interest in music, education, movies and so on. This also affected how

businesses conducted their transactions and advertisements, and also their products.

It is difficult to study social media without encountering the phrase social networking.

Therefore, both concepts are discussed in this article. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines

social media as...