Season 3 - Episode 13 - The History of Social Media:According to Us!
From And The Year Was 1985 The Podcast by Ryan - Sam
February 25, 2026 · 42 min · Season 3 · Episode 13
About this episode
This episode explores the evolution of social media and its impact on culture and identity.
Before algorithms ran the world, the internet felt different. This episode is a deep dive into the evolution of social media — from IRC chat rooms and message boards to MySpace profiles, Facebook walls, Twitter timelines, and today’s short-form content machine. We break down how it started, how it shifted, and how it quietly reshaped culture, identity, relationships, politics, and attention spans. Topics include: • IRC & forum culture • AIM, MSN & early digital identity • MySpace vs Facebook • The rise of influencers • The algorithm era • Cancel culture • The loss of anonymity • Is social media better now — or worse? If you remember customizing your Top 8 or hearing the dial-up tone, this episode is for you. Follow the show for new episodes every week. Connect with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theyearwas1985 X: https://twitter.com/theyearwas1985 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theyearwas1985 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AndTheYearWas1985 All links: https://linktr.ee/theyearwas1985
People in this episode
Hosts: Ryan, Sam
Topics covered
- history of social media
- digital identity
- influencers
- cancel culture
- algorithm era
- cultural impact
Keywords
- social media
- IRC
- MySpace
- influencers
- cancel culture
- digital identity
- attention spans
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, AIM, MSN, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube
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