Do you know which was the first social media platform in this world? Long before Facebook, Instagram and TikTok came into existence we had this one platform which indeed was a mother of all others.
Back in 1997, social media was invented for the first time on a platform named Six Degrees. In this post, we are going to see the comparison part of it which is how Tinder worked, what made it unique and how it changes the way people connect.
What Was Six Degrees?
While all of the aforementioned websites have come and gone since then, Six Degrees carried some recognizable features (profiles, friends lists) to later social networks.
So named because everyone in the world is just six steps away from knowing another person. Now this might be what is a little hard to comprehend, but way back in the primitive days of 2004, such was something novel called messages that people could share and send invites (o dear!)and they even allowed you to see friends of your friend.
Think of an interface wherein you could create a clean, personal-looking profile with your name, your face and some basic information about yourself.
Then, you could find friends and at the same time create new ones by looking at who is common with your respective friends. This is what Six Degrees was, it was like a big digital party where you could invite anyone at any time.
How Six Degrees Worked
Six Degrees was a rudimentary version of today’s social media. You would make a profile sort of like your mini-website within it. They could post pictures, and conversations and be in contact with others. In others, there were no videos or fancy graphics just basic profiles and lists of friends.
You would receive a friend request from someone who wanted to be friends with you. And if you did, they were your network. This was when people were able to connect online throughout the world for one of the first times and it was an exciting time for those who wanted to stay in touch with friends from far away places.
Why Six Degrees Was Special
Six Degrees was the first time users could connect with their friends on the internet from one spot and that made it special. Before Six Degrees people talked to each other over email or instant messaging.
This interface is where Tabs chat passed and it was easy to see who your friends were connected with as if we all had a thousand immediate connections, in the same room.
It also made others realize how interconnected the world had become. Originally named SixDegrees due to the explanation that your friend’s friend leads us all down paths of connection until we are related in under six connections. In other words, you are probably only a few degrees of separation from meeting the likes of Beyonce or people halfway across the world.
How It Inspired Other Platforms
Six Degrees became popular for a few years but went out of business in 2001 because it could not scale to handle the number of users accessing the social network.
This, though was proof to the entire world that people liked being online together. But then came other platforms too, there was Friendster and MySpace which launched in 2003 right around the time I began learning Ethnography as a Postgraduate at Manchester Metropolitan University (oddly an MA in Tetanus Vaccination led me into all of this). One by one, they got more features: photos, videos and games; chat.
After all, Six Degrees was one of the first sites that introduced everyone else to social media and how it could change this world creating fresh opportunities for communication.
It was akin to growing a seed that evolved into the social media platforms we have today. It means we might not have all of the cool apps and websites where you chat with friends post pictures, and maybe even watch funny videos!
This is How Social Media is Right Now
Today social media is far more sophisticated. Like on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat where you get to share photos…watch videos, play games and even use stickers or emojis. Have quick conversation with friends alive on the other side of the globe.
After all, social media is not only for chatting, it could also be a means of learning new information or keeping up to date with news stories- and in today’s society we would unhappily substitute perceived abridged school assignment hours spent on PCs.
When you look back, it is incredible how after all this originated with a simple platform like Six Degrees. Every new platform is built on lessons of its predecessor, each providing added functionality and a more enjoyable experience for users to join in the fun.
Cross version: Cross history: Why the first social network matters to you
Looking at Six Degrees helps us appreciate how much technology has changed since. It just shows how a single idea can make an impact on the world. Tinder was the beginning of a revolution in social media, but Six Degrees got it started. This proves that even a simple idea can get very far.
As we enjoy connecting with friends today, Six Degrees got ahead of the curve and gave people their first online network experience. It is pioneering, the “New World,” finding new ways to communicate with others.
While Six Degrees may be gone, the chain of connections it initiated can still be well into every social media platform in use today. A good reminder that things start small and there is always a new way to connect.
