5 Social Media Sites You May Have Forgotten About

Instagram users have been experiencing many changes to their feeds in the last few weeks. Instead of photos and videos from accounts they’re following, users are now seeing suggested videos and reels. The app is also testing a full-screen feed instead of its beloved square post feed. Through full-screen mode, users can no longer see the stories of people they’re following at the top. Now, users will need to scroll all the way up from their feed to view stories if they want to. 

For many, Instagram is starting to resemble another social media platform entirely. One user was so unhappy that they started a Change.org petition urging the company to return to its roots. The petition gained so much popularity that even celebrities like The Kardashians have signed it. 

Over the years, Instagram has gone through many changes. Depending on your age, you might even remember the days when the app’s logo was a Polaroid camera instead of its current minimalistic purplish yellow one. 

The social media scene is constantly changing, and it can be challenging to catch up. However, before TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram even existed, platforms like MySpace, Vine, and Friendster paved the way for them. 

We take a look at some of the most famous social media platforms that were once famous but may have now been forgotten:

1. Vine 

Like Snapchat and TikTok, Vine was a video-based social networking site that allowed users to share short looping videos. Most of the videos were satirical in nature and aimed to be shareable. In its heyday, Vine was the most used video-sharing app and was the most downloaded app within the Apple App Store in 2013.  

In 2012, Vine was acquired by Twitter. However, in 2016, Twitter announced that they were shutting Vine down and would leave the video-sharing platform in an archived state.

2. MySpace

Similar to Facebook, MySpace was a social networking app that allowed users to be virtual friends with people they knew in real life. Users could write on each other’s “walls,” send messages, and share interesting posts. 

Aspiring musicians and artists would also use the platform to share their work and get discovered by producers. Many artists we know today, including Calvin Harris, Adele, and Arctic Monkeys, were found on MySpace.

3. FourSquare

FourSquare allowed users to tag themselves in places like restaurants, cafes, and landmarks and leave reviews about where they’ve been to. In some ways, the app served as an advertising tool for businesses. 

Unlike other apps on the list, FourSquare continues to exist but in a different way. Now, FourSquare makes different types of services, including a location-based platform called Places with an API used by companies like Twitter, Apple, and Snapchat.

4. AIM 

AIM or AOL Instant Messenger was an instant messaging platform created by American Online. Millennials will remember using the platform to speak to their friends or family members elsewhere after school. Like Skype, AIM allowed users to send messages and call each other online.

In 2017, AIM was shut down following stiff competition from Facebook, Snapchat, and Skype.

5. Google Plus

Google Plus was the big tech company’s attempt at creating a social media network. Unfortunately, the platform completely flopped and quickly joined Google’s ever-extending graveyard of apps. Like Facebook, Google Plus allowed users to post photos, videos, and status updates. It also allowed users to be friends with other users and join interest-based groups. 

Due to several design flaws and restrictions, Google Plus was discontinued in 2019. 

While it’s not confirmed what the future of Instagram will look like, it’s clear that it will not remain the same for long. Instagram will likely head in a new direction, given its CEO’s latest belief about the future of content becoming more video-focused.