We have already talked briefly about the emergence of the Internet as a project of the U.S. Department of Defense, to gradually become a virtual space similar to William Gibson's Matrix. This then led to not only large organizations but also individuals being able to publish their own content.
The Internet and youth
A level playing field for all connections was a necessary step for social networks to become what they are today. As with many consumer technologies, early adopters are enthusiastic about technological progress, but another step is necessary for it to become attractive to everyone.
Another group that is easy to appeal to with novelty is youth: in general during childhood and adolescence humans are still defining ourselves and more willing to embrace change.
Adults, on the other hand, find comforts and ways of seeing and acting in the world, which together with the decrease in neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to adapt) make it difficult to adopt new technologies quickly, because in general it is more difficult for them to learn something new.
Young people, for the most part, lack economic independence. As a result, they are not usually a sector that adopts technology as quickly as they would like. But in the case of the Internet, which was (and still is) constantly changing and offered the possibility of publishing personal opinions for free, it was obvious that they would take advantage of it.
With computers in every middle and upper class home, children and young adults quickly flooded chat rooms and took advantage of instant messaging services ("With the security of not talking to strangers!"). It wasn't new, but it was accessible, attractive and offered to be "owned." It was a desirable space previously reserved for companies and "important and famous" people.
About Myspace and personal sites
Again, Myspace was not the first modern digital social network, but it was the one that became popular. It allowed you to customize your personal profile with audio and images to your liking. Posting photos with a few clicks was easy and enjoyable, as was commenting on the profiles of acquaintances and strangers.
Gradually, several very popular social networks emerged and their audiences and uses were increasingly segmented. Just as in chat rooms, there were networks focused on enthusiasts of certain topics and even those created to find a partner.
In addition to this, Microsoft Office included Front Page: a web site editor that, although it allowed using HTML to design a personal page, it also had tools to make somewhat basic sites, without the need to know any line of code.
Free hosting sites also appeared with charging alternatives for those who wanted to offer something professional and with more resources. Hand in hand came the first search engines and the promise that if your website was attractive enough, it would appear among the results of Yahoo! or Altavista.
The Facebook era
But the upturn came with FacebookFacebook: today's most recognized and ever-changing social network. The excess of personalization proved something: not all of us are good at visual design.
One of the key aspects of Facebook was to keep us aware of what acquaintances, friends and family were doing. Another key aspect was uniformity. While personalizing your own space is nice, the rest of the world tends to care and like very little about what you do with your site.
The uniform browsing experience where no matter whose profile it was, you knew where to find what you were looking for was essential to Facebook's success.
Today's social networks
Today's social networks take advantage of design conventions along with the immediacy of chat rooms and instant messaging. They also appeal to the personal taste for sharing what one wants, does and thinks with the world in one's own space. They are a necessity for businesses and governments.
But all networks, regardless of their primary audience and focus, stand on the same foundation: people see the Internet as a place, and one where they want to spend their time.
