Mental Floss

7 Misconceptions About Social Media

There are plenty of misconceptions surrounding social media.
There are plenty of misconceptions surrounding social media. | David Malan/Stone/Getty Images

Think that the history of social media started with Myspace, Friendster, or LiveJournal? Think again: According to many experts, one of the first notable social media sites went live in 1997. 

SixDegrees.com allowed users to create personal profiles, connect with other users, and list their friends. The platform had millions of members at its peak, but its success was short-lived. Less than half of American adults were online in 1998, which made it difficult to recreate real-life social circles on the internet. SixDegrees.com founder Andrew Weinreich sold the site to YouthStream Media Networks in 1999, and it shut down in 2000. The subsequent success of sites like Myspace and Facebook, which also offered friend lists and profile pages, suggests the service was ahead of its time.

In the latest episode of Misconceptions, host Justin Dodd debunks some commonly held beliefs about social media, from who owns what you post to what happens to your data. 

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