Year by Year
Reviews of specific years in internet history.
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What the Internet Was Like in 2010
2010 was the year of mobile apps — Instagram's launch, the rise of Foursquare, the release of the iPad, and the rapid growth of Facebook and Twitter via apps. The internet also impacted political uprisings.
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What the Internet Was Like in 2009
The social web went mainstream in 2009, with everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Ashton Kutcher on Twitter — including via iPhone or Android apps. But Web 2.0 capitalism was also ramping up.
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What the Internet Was Like in 2008
The launch of app stores by Apple and Google shook up the web ecosystem in 2008. Now there were potential gatekeepers. Although Google also launched its Chrome browser, so it covered all bases.
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What the Internet Was Like in 2007
The iPhone and Android both launched in 2007. But it was still a desktop web, with social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr keeping people glued to their computer screens.
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What the Internet Was Like in 2006
In 2006, social networks like Facebook and YouTube ramped up, Twitter was born, Amazon invented cloud computing, web geeks obsessed over RSS, and User Generated Content was king.
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What the Internet Was Like in 2004
A look back at web technology in 2004 — when Flickr and Gmail launched, blogging plus RSS was the new social software, Google IPOed, and the first Web 2.0 Conference happened.
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What the Internet Was Like in 2005
A look back at internet technology in 2005 — a world before social media, smartphones and the cloud.
