MySpace and LinkedInMySpace becomes the hangout of the mid-2000s; LinkedIn launches for professional networking.
Bing Social Media Quiz: 25 Questions About the Apps That Changed the Internet
From "TheFacebook" in a Harvard dorm to six-second Vines and the switch from Twitter to X, test what you really know about the platforms on your phone. The quiz plays out as a group chat, so get ready to reply.
25 questions4 choices eachNo timerEvery answer explained
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What Is the Bing Social Media Quiz?
Most of us open a social app dozens of times a day, but few people know how these platforms began, who owns them, or where words like "hashtag" came from.
The Bing Social Media Quiz on Bing Quizzes is an independent, 25-question trivia round about the history and culture of social media. It covers founding dates, famous firsts, billion-dollar acquisitions, features that spread from one app to another, and the habits that help us use social media well. Every answer comes with a short explanation, and facts are checked against company announcements, reputable news reports and dictionaries.
Please note: Bing Quizzes is not affiliated with Microsoft, Bing or any social media company mentioned on this page, and this quiz does not earn Microsoft Rewards points. Want a new topic every day? Try our Bing Homepage Quiz.
A Quick Timeline of Social Media
Social media moved astonishingly fast. Most of today's biggest platforms launched within about a decade of each other.
2003
2004
"TheFacebook"Launches for Harvard students in February, then spreads to other campuses.
2005
YouTube and RedditYouTube's first video, "Me at the zoo," goes up in April; Reddit launches that June.
2006
TwitterThe first tweet is posted in March, and Facebook opens to anyone 13 or older with an email address.
2010
Instagram and PinterestPhoto sharing and visual "pinning" go mainstream on smartphones.
2011
SnapchatDisappearing photos arrive; Snapchat later introduces Stories in 2013.
2017
TikTok goes globalByteDance launches TikTok outside China, then merges it with Musical.ly in 2018.
2023
X and ThreadsTwitter is rebranded as X in July, the same month Meta launches Threads.
The Biggest Social Media Deals
Several of today's giants were bought rather than built. These acquisitions shaped which companies control the apps we use:
| Year | Buyer | Platform | Price (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | YouTube | $1.65 billion | |
| 2012 | $1 billion | ||
| 2014 | $19 billion | ||
| 2016 | Microsoft | $26.2 billion | |
| 2022 | Elon Musk | Twitter (now X) | $44 billion |
Instagram is the classic example of a bargain in hindsight: it had only around 13 employees when Facebook paid about $1 billion for it. In 2021, Facebook's parent company renamed itself Meta to reflect its growing family of apps and its plans for virtual reality.
Social Media Words Decoded
Hashtag
A word or phrase after the # symbol that groups posts on one topic. Chris Messina suggested it for Twitter in 2007.
Algorithm
The system that decides which posts appear in your feed, usually based on what you watch, like and share.
Engagement
Likes, comments, shares and saves: the signals platforms use to measure how people react to a post.
Going viral
When a post spreads rapidly as people share it far beyond the original audience.
Stories
Posts that disappear after 24 hours, popularized by Snapchat and later adopted by Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.
Doomscrolling
Endlessly scrolling through bad or upsetting news, a term that became widely used in 2020.
Social Media in the Philippines
The Philippines has long ranked at or near the top of the world for time spent on social media. According to DataReportal's Digital 2026 Philippines report, as covered by GMA News, Filipino Android users spent almost exactly as long on TikTok as on Facebook each day:
1h 31mAverage daily time on Facebook per active Android user (August 2025 data)
1h 30mAverage daily time on TikTok, just one minute behind
Facebook and its Messenger app still reach the largest share of Filipino internet users, but TikTok's rapid rise shows how quickly habits can shift. For many families, these apps are also the main way to stay in touch with relatives working overseas.
How to Spot Misinformation
Knowing social media trivia is fun; knowing how to judge what you see in your feed is essential. Digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield's four-step "SIFT" method is a quick, practical checklist:
SStop
Pause before you react or share, especially if a post makes you angry or excited.
IInvestigate the source
Who posted it? Check the account, website or outlet behind the claim.
FFind better coverage
Search to see whether trusted news organizations or fact-checkers report the same thing.
TTrace to the original
Find the original photo, quote or study. Context is often lost in screenshots.
For current events you have read about, the Bing News Quiz is a good way to check what you remember from reliable reporting rather than from your feed.
Healthier Scrolling Habits
- ⏱️Use the built-in timers. Most phones and apps let you set daily limits and see how much time you spend on each platform.
- 🌙Make the bedroom a scroll-free zone. Putting the phone away before sleep helps you rest and avoid late-night doomscrolling.
- 🔒Check your privacy settings. Review who can see your posts, turn on two-factor authentication and never share one-time passwords.
- 🧹Curate your feed. Mute or unfollow accounts that leave you feeling worse, and follow ones that teach or inspire you.
Tips for a Higher Score
- Anchor on 2004. Facebook's launch year helps you place many other apps before or after it.
- Remember who bought whom. Google bought YouTube, Facebook bought Instagram and WhatsApp, and Microsoft bought LinkedIn.
- Watch for renamings. Facebook's parent became Meta in 2021, and Twitter became X in 2023.
- Think about formats. Six-second loops point to Vine, 24-hour posts to Stories, and boards to Pinterest.
- Read the bot's replies. Each explanation adds context that helps with later questions.
- Start a new chat later. The answer order shuffles each time, so you have to know the facts, not the positions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Bing Social Media Quiz from Microsoft?
No. This is an independent quiz written for BingQuizzes.com. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by Microsoft, Bing or any social media company, and it does not earn Microsoft Rewards points.
How many questions are in the Bing Social Media Quiz?
There are 25 multiple-choice questions, each with four answer choices, delivered one at a time as messages in a chat.
Is there a time limit?
No. There is no timer, so you can read each explanation at your own pace.
When was Twitter renamed X?
Twitter was rebranded as X in July 2023, about nine months after Elon Musk bought the company for about $44 billion.
Which social media platform is the oldest on the list?
Of the platforms in this quiz, MySpace and LinkedIn both launched in 2003, a year before Facebook.
Can I replay the quiz?
Yes. After the last question, choose "Start a new chat" to play again with the answer choices in a new order.
Where do the facts come from?
Answers are checked against company announcements, reputable news coverage, Oxford Languages and DataReportal, listed in the Sources section below.
More Quizzes to Play
Sources and Further Reading
- Meta Newsroom, "The Facebook Company Is Now Meta" (2021). about.fb.com
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Facebook." britannica.com
- Fortune, "Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year is an emoji" (2015). fortune.com
- GMA News, "Filipinos spend almost as much time on TikTok as on Facebook" (DataReportal Digital 2026 Philippines report). gmanetwork.com
- YouTube, "Me at the zoo" (the first video uploaded to YouTube, 2005). youtube.com
Bing Quizzes is an independent website and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Microsoft or any company named on this page. Bing is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation; other product names are trademarks of their owners. Spotted an error? Tell us and we'll correct it.