Facebook was not the first social networking site. Social networking, or the concept of using the Internet to form relationships and keep in touch with friends, may have begun as early as the mid 90s when sites such as Classmates.com and Geocities.com first gained prominence.

Facebook, the successful social networking site, was launched in 2004. Many of us already know the story of Facebook and its founder. Facebook originally began as a social networking site exclusive to Harvard students and alumni, but later expanded; first to all universities, and then to the general public. Today, Facebook has evolved into a complex and effective site which allows people to connect with one another in the online space. Members are no longer necessarily required to find and create their own friends network; Facebook has algorithms and automated processes which attempt to find friends for its members. In addition to the basic degrees method first pioneered by Friendster, Facebook also attempts to connect people based on criteria such as hobbies and geographical location.

The method by which Facebook collects this sort of information has even begun to expand beyond the details explicitly provided by members in their profiles. For example, Facebook has developed methods for monitoring external sites that its members visit. One that many may be aware of is the Facebook icon that adorns many websites. If a user clicks on one of these buttons, this provides Facebook with a method of linking a member's interests to their profile. What's more, this is done even if a Facebook member did not intend to provide such information to the site.

In 2006, Twitter launched with the concept that social networking may be best enjoyed in a smaller and more digestible format. Twitter's approach to social networking created a multi-layered network, whereby a visitor would easily be able to read both a particular member's post as well as the posts of that member's followed accounts. Of all of the social networking sites, Twitter may have been the most successful in the migration to the mobile space. The reason for this should be understandable; the screens on smartphones are smaller than laptop or desktop screens, and smartphones are often used in far more limited durations than computers.

Companies have always been interested in the demographics of their customers. Before the rise of the Internet, one of the more common methods of assessing customer demographics was through polling. A company spokesman might contact a customer after they have purchased a product or service and ask the customer about their experience. The company spokesman would then use this polling information to create a profile which might represent hundreds or even thousands of potential customers; demographic information, such as race, gender, income level, geographic locale, and personal hobbies or interests might all be incorporated into such a profile.

Today, companies still create exactly these sorts of profiles, but their methods for collecting our demographic information might be surprising; they do so by tracking our computer and smartphone activities. Do you shop on Amazon or at the online stores for Target or Walmart? Do you download music through iTunes? How about social networking sites? Do you use Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you have provided some or all of these companies with demographic and personal information about yourself. Just like the polls mentioned previously, many company websites use monitoring algorithms to collect information on their visitors in an effort to understand their demographics. So, you might be wondering; how do they get this information? You may think that because you didn't purchase anything from Amazon or because you provided incomplete or inaccurate information on your Facebook account, that the company does not have your personal information. However, you would be surprised at exactly how much information a company is able to collect regardless of what you choose to provide. For example, you may have only browsed the products on Amazon.com, but not actually purchased anything. What you may not know is that sites, such as Amazon often have monitoring algorithms that trace their visitors back to their geographic point of origin. What's more, by browsing for certain items, Amazon can infer what age group you're likely to be in, what your gender is likely to be, and even whether you're married or have children. This may not worry you, but consider this; if you have an account on Amazon, they can use this information on your browsing habits to target you for particular sales. Some companies, though not necessarily Amazon, even sell these profiles to other companies.