THE SOCIAL NETWORKS
STARTING ALL
Long before it
became the commercialized mass information and entertainment juggernaut it is today,
long before it was accessible to the general public, and certainly many years
before Al Gore claimed he “took the initiative in creating” it, the Internet –
and its predecessors – were a focal point for social interactivity. Granted,
computer networking was initially envisioned in the heyday of The Beatles as a
military-centric command and control scheme. But as it expanded beyond just a
privileged few hubs and nodes, so too did the idea that connected computers
might also make a great forum for discussing mutual topics of interest, and
perhaps even meeting or renewing acquaintances with other humans. In the 1970s,
that process began in earnest.
Mullets may
have reigned supreme in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, but – as many will surely
recall – computers were a far rarer commodity. The machines’ language was
bewildering, and their potential seemingly limited. Put all this together and
you have a medium where only the most ardent enthusiasts and techno-babbling
hobbyists dared tread. It was, in effect, a breeding ground for
pocket-protector-wearing societal rejects, or nerds. And boring, reclusive
nerds at that. Yet it also was during this time, and with a parade of
purportedly antisocial geeks at the helm, that the very gregarious notion of
social networking would take its first steps towards becoming the omnipresent
cultural phenomenon we know and love in 2014.
The social media revolution
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