KnowSoda
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Social Media: fun facts and quiz
The essentials in 7 ideas, with fun facts, an illustrated story and a quiz to see how much you know.
The essentials
How It Started
Early social sites like Friendster and MySpace arrived in the early 2000s. Facebook launched in 2004, YouTube in 2005, Instagram in 2010, and TikTok went global in 2017.
Key fact
Facebook began as a site for Harvard students.
How Feeds Work
Social feeds are ranked by algorithms that predict what will keep you watching, using what you like, share and linger on.
Key fact
How long you pause on a post is a strong signal.
Billions of Users
Over 5 billion people use social media. Facebook alone has around 3 billion monthly users.
Key fact
People spend over 2 hours a day on social media, on average.
Influencers
Influencers build audiences and earn money from ads, sponsorships and their own products. Many countries require paid posts to be clearly labelled as ads.
Key fact
A sponsored post should be marked, for example with #ad.
Misinformation
False stories can spread fast online. A 2018 study of Twitter found false news spread further and faster than true news.
Key fact
Checking the source before sharing slows misinformation down.
Social Media & Wellbeing
Social media can connect people, but some studies link heavy use to poorer sleep and mood. Comparing yourself with other people’s highlights can feel bad.
Key fact
Posts usually show people’s best moments, not everyday life.
The Short-Video Boom
Short vertical videos took over feeds in the late 2010s. TikTok’s success pushed YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels to copy the format.
Key fact
Vine, an early short-video app, allowed clips of just 6 seconds.
Fun facts
The first YouTube video, “Me at the zoo”, was uploaded in 2005 and is just 19 seconds long.
Facebook’s News Feed only arrived in 2006. Before that, you had to visit each friend’s profile.
WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Facebook are all owned by the same company, Meta.
In a 2019 survey, US and UK children were about three times as likely to want to be YouTubers as astronauts.
“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes” is itself usually misattributed to Mark Twain.
In 2019, Instagram began testing hiding like counts, to take some of the pressure off posting.
KnowSoda’s swipeable cards borrow the same format, for learning.
Story: The Panic That Wasn’t
The Panic That Wasn’t
30 October 1938. A radio play by Orson Welles tells The War of the Worlds as breaking news: Martians are landing in New Jersey.
Next morning, newspapers report mass panic across America: people fleeing their homes and jamming the phone lines.
Researchers later found few people were listening, and fewer panicked. Newspapers, losing readers to radio, had blown the story up.
True or false?
Tap your answer to see if you got it, and why.
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Question 1 of 10
Facebook launched in 2004.
Show the answer
True. At first only for Harvard students.
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Question 2 of 10
Feeds are often ranked by algorithms.
Show the answer
True. To show what you’re most likely to engage with.
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Question 3 of 10
Facebook has around 3 billion monthly users.
Show the answer
True. The most of any platform.
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Question 4 of 10
Paid posts must be labelled as ads in many countries.
Show the answer
True. So followers know it’s advertising.
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Question 5 of 10
False news can spread faster than true news online.
Show the answer
True. Surprising stories get shared more.
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Question 6 of 10
Social media posts often show people’s best moments.
Show the answer
True. Highlight reels, not real life.
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Question 7 of 10
Vine clips were limited to 6 seconds.
Show the answer
True. Short and looping.
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Question 8 of 10
Instagram launched before YouTube.
Show the answer
False. YouTube came in 2005, Instagram in 2010.
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Question 9 of 10
Social media feeds always show posts in time order.
Show the answer
False. Most are ranked by algorithms.
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Question 10 of 10
People spend about 5 minutes a day on social media, on average.
Show the answer
False. It’s over 2 hours a day.
Keep going in the app
KnowSoda learns what you know and brings back what you’re about to forget. Social Media has 6 more ideas at the Advanced and Expert levels.
Sources
- DataReportal — Digital 2024 global overview
- Vosoughi, Roy & Aral (2018), “The spread of true and false news online”, Science 359
- UK Advertising Standards Authority — Influencers’ guide to making clear that ads are ads
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Vine
- Berger & Milkman (2012), what makes online content viral, Journal of Marketing Research 49
- Electronic Frontier Foundation — Section 230
