All these social medias sites have grown substantially since the start of the "social media era," which started in 2004. From 2004 to 2014, social media network users have increased from 8% to 72%. In the same time frame, the usage of these sites from the age of 18-29 has increased from 9% to 90%. Twitter's registered users number has grown 42% and Facebook's registered users have increased 23% over the years. The growth of these social media websites was partially due to the increase in technology. The increase in the number of Smartphone, tablets, laptops, and other mobile devices has made these website more accessible. However, there were side effects to these growths. Over the years, as social media grew, there was an increase in cyber bullying, increase in false sense of connection, and even a decrease in productivity. .
Since 2004, the number of people who have reported for being cyber bullied has increased in a significant amount. Since 2004 or the "social media era," cyber bullying has increased from 7% to 33%. This is not a coincidence. Experts claim that since there was an increase in technology and interaction over the Internet, it is not a surprise that cyber bullying would increase. Since 2004, cyber bullying has become a more prominent way of bullying than physically bullying someone. Over 80% of teens have responded to a survey and said that they have experienced cyber bullying themselves or seen it happen. However, only 33% say that they try to stop this behavior. The other 67% were ask, "why didn't you try to stop them?" and they responded, "because it just happens so often." These numbers have increased since the 2000s and will only continue to increase.
Social Media, since its growth in 2004, have also caused more people to feel a false sense of connection to people. For example, someone that one might know from Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram may not be as sociable.