They were once popular social media sites — what happened?

(NEXSTAR) — With the stroke of a pen, President Joe Biden appeared to be on the move. Countdown to the end of TikTok. While the app may not actually be banned in the U.S., the potential termination of the platform has caused some social media users to reflect on those they’ve lost.

Here are social media sites hidden in the history of the Internet Archive.

my space

What better place to start than with MySpace, perhaps the first major social networking site?

If you were a young internet user in the 2000s, there’s a good chance you had a MySpace account. Users can stylize their digital spaces with (you guessed it) media, music, and messages with just a little bit of coding.

From 2005 to 2008, Myspace was primarily Most popular destinations online. Then, it became a battle with a formidable enemy, Facebook. In 2008, both companies had about 115 million monthly visitors, but over the next few years Facebook’s growth would prove to be no match for Myspace, Lifewire says. talk.

still accessible my space The site says it’s now part of the People/Entertainment Weekly Network, but it’s not what it used to be. His 2022 article is posted on the homepage, but many images and links appear to be broken. your “first friend” tom is still accessible, but he hasn’t posted on the platform since 2013.

friend star

However, before Myspace became a success, some people were using Friendster. Launched in 2002, the site was similar to its immediate competitors; place more emphasis on dating. However, it was short-lived and was thought to have all but disappeared by 2006, reported USA Today. reportciting information from 2013 study On Friendster.

platform was on sale It was acquired by MOL Global, one of Asia’s largest internet companies, in 2009, and users (or at least those who stayed there) viewed its data. purged That same year, Friendster was relaunched as a gaming site. After seven years, the site was finally shut down.

The site appears to be preparing for a comeback, but cybersecurity experts have warned that the lack of promotion and additional information makes them suspicious.

vine

Gen X and Millennials had Myspace, but Gen Z (and younger Millennials) found themselves scrolling through Vine. Released in 2013, this video-based app was an instant success, providing users with seemingly endless short looping clips. Twitter acquired the startup a few months before its launch. $30 million.

Three years after its release, Vine announced: Production discontinued. The app at the time was Losing many creators to competitors YouTube, Instagram, etc. What Twitter originally offered Archive all videos on Vinebut that It has disappeared since then.

A week after completing his $44 billion acquisition of what was then Twitter, Elon Musk surveyed users: Possible revival of Vine.almost in spite of 70% of over 4.9 million voters I expressed support, but the app never came back. But with a potential TikTok ban looming, users may find themselves using TikTok for Vine again.

Google+

Google can do a lot of things like answer vague questions and direct you to the nearest coffee shop, but it doesn’t seem to support social media platforms.

The company launched Google+ in 2011. Similar to Facebook, users can share messages and photos with their followers. Unlike Facebook, Google+ allowed users to group their friends into circles that function like group chats.

In 2018, Google announced that it would be shutting down its platform due to the following reasons: security concerns among data breach. This site is no longer accessible. URL Instead, direct users to update Google Workspace.

Of course, there are other Internet icons we’ve lost in recent decades. Early users may remember AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), which provided online messaging for 20 years.that signed 2017 is the “last” year.some programmers tried to take it backin a sense, Them effort It seems to have fallen flat.

If you’re an avid fan of the Relic social site, you may have noticed that one name that’s often listed isn’t on this list: Yik Yak. The app was released in 2013 and allows users (mainly high school and college students) to post anonymously. It quickly became a success, but look carefully It was treated as a place for bullying, harassment, and intimidation, and several schools have decided to ban it. As reported by USA Today, Yik Yak started losing popularity in 2016 and was shut down a year later.

Last year, Sidechat, another platform dedicated to anonymous posting, obtained Yaku Yaku Revived Under new ownership in 2021. Yaku Yaku According to TechCrunch, the company underwent a complete overhaul after its recent acquisition, but it wasn’t well-received. The app also not available For Android users.

It’s too early to tell whether TikTok will follow the path of Vine, Myspace, or Yik Yak. Parent company ByteDance is based in China. expected to fight the ban The bill was signed into law by Biden. The bill would force ByteDance to either sell TikTok or face a U.S. ban on the app starting early next year.

ByteDance has characterized the law as a violation of the free speech rights of its users, most of whom use the app for entertainment.

“We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side and ultimately we will prevail,” the company said on social platform X.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.