A lot has happened since we first met platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, Airbnb, Uber or Spotify. all now giantsbut logically they were not born that way.
In fact, most of you will agree with me: What we thought about these platforms in the beginning when they started is quite different from what we think today.
Reddit has been a unique witness to the birth of these platforms and services, and Olivia Moore, partner of Andreseen Horowitz, recently shared a unique post. thread on twitter grouped what was said on reddit of these platforms while they are barely known.
instagram
Her Instagram appearance on October 6, 2010 was quickly commented on on Reddit. A user there asked what apps he could use on his brand new iPod Touch 4G, and one user replied, “Instagram is a new social photo app that was released just a day ago. It has some nice filters and the social aspect might be good.” They talked about it the day after it was posted on Applesfera and also on Genbeta.
uber
Uber launched in March 2009, but it took much longer to start collecting audio on networks like Reddit. One of the first places to be there is in October 2010 when someone asked for tips for visiting San Francisco and someone suggested a taxi to get around because Uver was “a bit more expensive”.
Whats up
It’s also interesting to see how some users came to know WhatsApp using it as an alternative to BlackBerry Messenger, one of the dominant mobile messaging services of the time.
A user who wanted to replace his BlackBerry (“I hate this”) said he was considering the change and saw an alternative app that could hypothetically perform this function – they were speaking at the time at Xataka Móvil. iPhone reserved for purchase. WhatsApp turned out to be that alternative for many more people.
spotify
Something similar happened with Spotify, the platform that revolutionized the way we listen to music. Someone was searching for a classical song in the /r/Music subreddit, and a user there suggested they try a new service called Spotify “It’s probably telling you it’s not available in your country.” Why: Spotify took years to launch in the United States, and this message comes from October 18, 2008, just 10 days after it was released in some European countries.
For example, they mentioned him on Genbeta in January 2009.
twitch
Now a very fashionable service, Twitch is probably older than some think. It was released in June 2011 as a “spin-off” of Justin.tv. This was exactly the comment one user on Reddit made, and when asked if it was any better, he replied, “Not better, not worse, a bit half the EMO :)”. Eventually, this service “ate” Justin.tv and was later bought by Amazon.
There are more examples and of course keep track of these services and what we thought of them when we discovered them. this is great. Survivors have inevitably changed to keep up with the times, but a glance at these early comments and insights is singular.
Picture: Priscilla DuPreez