Why Social Media Won’t Fail (Like People Thought The Internet Would)

Zee writes a piece for The Next Web Shareables entitled Newsweek in 1995: Why The Internet Will Fail.

Back in 1995, Newsweek released an article The Internet? Bah!–thanks Zee. First let me explain how I stumbled upon this article. No it wasn’t the stumble button, but a Twitter chain characterized by RTs and @mentions. There are many values implicit in these statements that we’ve discussed before, which can be found here.

However, this article in 1995 reveals an even greater point: the continuous and exponential growth the Net has experienced since its early years. Zee writes, “No Google” – could we even imagine a world without Google now??! Pff, doubt it. Cliff, the original writer to the 1995 Newsweek article, had some very bold predictions and ultimately fell a bit short. This reasoning has even better projections for social media.

Let’s take a closer look:

1. Data storage – the Internet, in this instance, was Cliff’s downfall; The Net has longevity and permanence.
2. The Internet’s enormous growth and business potential. The Internet now does more business than Cliff’s local mall.
3. Change in the cultural zeitgeist. i.e. a newspaper being replaced as an information source by an online database.
4. Social media is thriving–due to the Internet–and it shows no signs of slowing. It’s only continuing to form deeper roots in our lives.

People thought the Internet would fail because it was like the first of its kind. There were many uncertainties. This isn’t the case for social media–with the Internet as its platform, social media will not only survive but grow in demand.

I wonder if Cliff has ever purchased a pair of shoes at one of those cyberbusinesses. Hm.