Is Usenet the Original Social Network?

Before the time of Facebook posts, Reddit upvotes, and Instagram stories, there was a platform that championed online community and discussions – Usenet. Introduced to the world in the 1970s, Usenet existed long before the Internet as we know it today. In many ways, the early years of the Usenet platform helped to shape the modern Internet and how it is used to share information. This has led many people to wonder: Is Usenet the original social network?

The Introduction of Usenet

Created by Jim Ellis and Tom Truscott, students of Duke University, Usenet was initially introduced as a way to aid communication and information-sharing between universities. The platform quickly grew to include a variety of topics and, eventually, users who wanted in on the expanding network.

Compared to the modern social media networks that we know and use today, Usenet never relied on centralized servers. In fact, one of the main draws of the Usenet platform is that it operates on a decentralized network of servers with individual users sharing messages and discussion posts across different devices. These discussions are categorized into groups known as “newsgroups,” which cover topics that range from pop culture to technology and science.

How Does Usenet Work?

Usenet is organized into different clusters of newsgroups that are each dedicated to discussing specific interests, much like an online bulletin board. If you’re familiar with the concept of early internet forums that specialized in conversations around one topic, like sports or politics, you already have a good idea of how Usenet is laid out.

Users identify which newsgroups they want to take part in and subscribe to them. From here, they can post messages to their newsgroup of choice. However, in order to interact with these newsgroups and Usenet as a whole, users are required to use a newsreader. This program works in conjunction with their Usenet service provider of choice and lets users access text and binary information while also keeping up with other members of the community.

Usenet’s Decentralized Network

So much of modern social media is based on the prevailing standards of those who run the platform. This is often seen in the way that certain topics are not allowed to take place on apps like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Users frequently find that moderators have stepped in to remove their posts if the conversation does not adhere to their standards. This is one of the main failings of a centralized network for social media platforms.

Unlike many other social networking websites, Usenet functions off of a decentralized network. This means that there is no one, central entity that controls the flow of information. With this fixture in place, Usenet users can have more freedom over their discussions. Decentralized networks provide users with more control, rather than feeling like they are being controlled.

With this level of flexibility over the topics that can be discussed, the flow of information and conversation changes shape. Less moderation encourages a broader range of knowledge that can be shared, which benefits users by allowing them to speak freely without fear of being banned from a service they love.

Is Usenet the Original Social Network?

One of the most significant aspects of Usenet is the community. Usenet has been around for decades and, in that time, has garnered a huge fanbase of dedicated users. These enthusiasts rely on Usenet to share information, spread knowledge, and engage in meaningful conversations that they wouldn’t be able to have anywhere else. With so many users committed to keeping the platform alive, it’s no wonder that Usenet’s legacy has paved the way for other social networking sites to grow and thrive.

Usenet molded early internet communication by creating a dedicated space for online communities to gather and participate in discussions. So, is Usenet the original social network? The answer is that Usenet has undoubtedly shaped the landscape of online networking as a whole, creating a thriving platform that paved the way for the social media apps that we know today.