Intellectual Quest ISSN 2349-1949 Vol-II, 2014 191 Development of Social Media Ugyal T. Lama (Yolmo)* To begin with let us define what Social Media is and according to Kaplan and Haenlein social media is: “A group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content”. - (Kaplan & Haenlein 2010: 61) “Social media employ mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms via which individuals and communities share, co- create, discuss, and modify user-generated content. Given the tremendous exposure of social media in the popular press today, it would seem that we are in the midst of an altogether new communication landscape.” - (Kietzmann, et al, 2011: 241) The above statement rationalises the ecology of social media. Also it provides the definition to the term “Social Media”. But most are not aware of how it all began; this research paper tends to look into the development of the social media from its birth to what we know of it as of now. The different eras of Social Media: