The history of social media has run parallel to the history of the internet, evolving in various forms. In the 90s, communication with users occurred through text-based chat and bulletin boards (BBS) on PC communications. Later, services like Korea’s Cyworld and America’s MySpace emerged, initiating a culture of sharing daily life and photos. Portal services like Naver and Yahoo formed a ‘portal culture’ by aggregating vast amounts of information, generating massive profits and influence through business models like paid ads and banner ads. Particularly during election seasons or when political issues arise, people naturally seek places to discuss opinions after consuming news, leading to the activation of portal bulletin boards and blogs. Whereas in the past PC communication environment, posts were managed and shared by administrators (site admins) or those with privileges, in the social media era, Twitter’s ‘blue check’ users or YouTubers wield powerful influence proportional to their follower counts.

YouTube and Instagram have evolved into platform businesses that build a ‘creator economy,’ enabling influential individuals to generate revenue. It’s now common for children to aspire to become YouTubers, and famous YouTubers generate advertising revenue on a corporate scale. Companies also recognize social media as an essential marketing channel, dedicating specialized departments and investing heavily. Social media has become so integral to our lives that taking ‘Instagram-worthy photos’ can be the purpose of a trip, establishing itself as a core platform for information acquisition and communication among acquaintances. The fact that promotional fees for popular mukbang or gaming creators reach tens to hundreds of millions of won indicates the creator industry has grown to an undeniable scale. Consequently, agencies (MCNs) specializing in creator management and startups monetizing content have proliferated.

According to 《Trend Korea 2023》, there is now a noticeable trend of using Instagram DMs as a more private communication channel than KakaoTalk. This demonstrates how social media is constantly evolving. TikTok, which transformed from an early messaging service into a short-form video sharing platform, is a prime example of successfully capturing the zeitgeist. Twitter (X), a communication outlet for celebrities; Facebook, based on personal connections; Tumblr, a mini-blog; and KakaoStory and Band each differ in function and service approach according to their purpose. I primarily use WordPress because it’s accessible to anyone in webpage form and offers various templates, allowing me to focus on content without separate design work.

I’ve explored various social media platforms over the years. In the past, I used Facebook, and during periods with lots of commute time, I primarily used Instagram. Recently, however, I deleted Instagram, a consumption-oriented platform, and now use ‘One Diary’ to focus on personal records. I’ve developed my own ‘step-by-step social media strategy’: sharing brief thoughts on Tumblr, then compiling them into longer posts on WordPress. I’m currently editing blog posts I’ve written over the past three years to prepare for book publication. It’s amazing and incredibly rewarding to see these small, droplet-like moments of life accumulate and build into a single book.