Social media refers to any Internet website, smartphone application, or other modern technology that allows people to connect with one another and build online communities. The scope of this definition is vast, including groups of friends in the same city who create an online community or message board to coordinate activities better and groups of people who have never met face-to-face and are simply united due to common interests or common causes. Social media is incredibly flexible this way. In general, it allows its users to decide what the uses of its product should be. This is a huge part of why it has become so successful so quickly. Platforms are things like Instagram, FB, Twitter, and an example of a search engine is Google. We tracked a bit about the history of the internet and how its use began in the late 20th century. Social media is valuable for businesses, especially start-ups and newer businesses hoping to attract a wider and younger clientele. Marketing campaigns & social media-based contests are important events that can reach users and make them aware of a company. Most tech-savvy companies now hire employees - at times even entire departments - to manage their company's social media outreach accounts. Even governments now do this. The world has changed rapidly in a very short period of time.