Social Media Day in U.S. 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

Social Media Day: A Salute to Revolutionary Communication

Social Media Day, celebrated every year on June 30, pays homage to the transformative power of social media in our lives. From the telephone to the fax machine, and now to social media, the way we communicate has evolved dramatically. Social media has enabled us to connect with each other like never before, with people spending an average of 144 minutes per day on various platforms.

The Genesis of Social Media Day

World Social Media Day was launched by Mashable on June 30, 2010, as a way to acknowledge the impact of social media on global communication and to celebrate its role in connecting people worldwide. Given Mashable’s reputation for leveraging social media to bridge diverse cultures and movements, they felt it was fitting to dedicate a day to this powerful medium. Every year, people use the hashtag #SMDay to mark this occasion.

The Evolution of Social Media Platforms

The first social media platform, Sixdegrees, was introduced in 1997 by Andrew Weinreich. It allowed users to list friends and family members and featured bulletin boards, profiles, and school affiliations. Despite amassing over a million users at its peak, Sixdegrees was shut down in 2001.

In 2002, Friendster emerged as the first modern social media platform, providing a safe environment for users to make new friends. LinkedIn, the first business-oriented social media platform, was launched in 2003. MySpace debuted in 2004, the same year as Facebook, and quickly became the largest social media platform in the world by 2006.

YouTube launched its video-centric website in 2005, and Twitter introduced its platform for limited characters in 2006. As these platforms grew, so did Facebook, dominating the social media landscape for the next five years.

Instagram, introduced in 2010, gained over a million users within its first few months. In response to Instagram’s challenge, Facebook acquired the platform for $1 billion in 2012. Facebook also purchased the encrypted messaging platform WhatsApp for $16 billion in 2014. Snapchat, introduced in 2011, reportedly turned down a $3 billion offer from Facebook in 2013. The most recent addition to the social media giants is TikTok, launched in 2016, which has gained immense popularity due to its advanced audio and video editing capabilities.

As social media platforms have grown and evolved, they have also faced increased scrutiny over issues such as data usage, hate speech, mental health impacts, election outcomes, and fake news.

Celebrating Social Media Day

Social Media Day is a time to appreciate the benefits that these platforms have brought to our lives. It’s a day to post, share, and engage with the online community.

Activities for Social Media Day

1. Post, post, post! Social media thrives on posts, so join the conversation!
2. Explore new platforms. There are numerous social media sites waiting to be discovered.
3. Meet online friends in person. Social Media Day is a great opportunity to meet up with friends you usually only interact with online.

Five Fascinating Facts about Social Media

1. Every minute, over 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube.
2. 81% of small and medium-sized businesses use at least one social platform.
3. The most Instagrammed food is pizza, followed by sushi and steak.
4. The most liked photo on Instagram is a picture of an egg.
5. Every day, 500 million tweets are sent, which equates to 6,000 tweets per second.

Dates for Social Media Day