As of July 2015, 76 ###### of American adults who use ###### Internet were using social networking ###### such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, ###### and Pinterest. This is up ###### just 26 percent in 2008. ###### social media, people can communicate ###### friends and strangers, do research, ###### share thoughts, photos, links, music ###### information about themselves.

Supporters of ###### networking sites say that these ###### communities help increase communication with ###### and family. They say that ###### sites offer access to educational ###### and allow useful information to ###### rapidly.]]>
The Early Days Of Social Media

SixDegrees.com ###### considered the first social networking ######. It existed from 1997-2001. It ###### users to create personal spaces ######. Other social networking sites soon ######.]]>
Facebook rapidly ###### the most popular social networking ###### in the world. By October ###### 2012, it had one billion ###### users worldwide. That's about 1 ###### every 7 people on the ######. Today, Facebook reports more than @.@ billion monthly users around the ######.

According to Pew Research Center, ###### percent of U.S.]]>
Who Uses Social Media And How?

As the sites have ###### more popular, the user base ###### expanded.]]>
Facebook began as ###### site for college students. After ###### years it opened up to ######. As of 2014, the largest ###### of Facebook users were between ###### and 34 years old, but ###### 16 percent of Facebook users ###### 55 and older.]]>
Social media's largest ###### of revenue is advertising. The ###### from social media ad sales ###### expected to reach $32.9 billion ###### the end of 2016. It ###### reach about $41 billion by ######.

Social Media And Politics

Social networking sites play a ###### role in shaping the political ######.]]>
On June 12, 2009, the ###### House announced it was joining ######, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Flickr. ###### Obama said joining the social ###### sites would help "reform our ###### so that it is more ######, more transparent and more creative."]]>
###### 2010, widespread anti-government protests began ###### Tunisia, a country in Africa. ###### sparked the Arab Spring, a ###### of revolutionary demonstrations across the ###### East and North Africa. Social ###### was an important and useful ###### tool for protesters as the ###### Spring spread through many countries. ###### governments of those countries even ###### to shut down the social ###### sites.]]>
Concerns About Safety, Health

Companies ###### struggle to manage employees' social ###### use at work. Some businesses ###### benefit from having employees on ###### media, but others worry that ###### are just wasting time. In ######, more than half of employees ###### reported visiting non-work related websites ###### work. Many businesses also fear ###### social media puts the safety ###### security of their business at ######.]]>
###### January 2015 study published in ###### Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology ###### that college freshmen averaged more ###### two hours a day on ######. It also showed that the ###### harmed their grades. Sophomores and ###### only experienced a negative impact ###### their grade point averages when ###### used Facebook while studying. By ###### year, the time spent on ###### media was not affecting their ######.]]>
Proponents ###### social media cheer on the ###### and possible advances to society ###### these networks may bring. Meanwhile, ###### worry that the dangers and ###### time far outweigh any benefit.]]>