It’s the year 2004. Social media has not yet come to fruition: Facebook is launched by Mark Zuckerberg for students at Harvard, MySpace surpasses Friendster in page views and podcasting begins for the first time on the internet. Meanwhile, Tina Fey writes the screenplay for box office sensation Mean Girls, in which she also co-starred. But little does she know that she’ll predict the future of social media. 
Now fast forward to 2013. The ever-expanding social universe is more competitive than ever, with consumers being constantly barraged by content from different channels competing for their attention.
Social frenemies
There was a time when Facebook and Twitter hung in the same circles, but no longer. In 2012, Instagram was purchased by Facebook for $1 billion in an offer that beat out Twitter’s $250 million. But the Facebook v. Twitter feud goes back farther than that – Facebook has long had status updates and recently added hashtags while Twitter has embraced photo sharing capabilities, meaning they’ve both been competing the same market for quite some time.
Since failing to acquire Instagram, Twitter purchased Vine to add video sharing to their arsenal. Facebook counter-attacked by adding 15-second videos to Instagram’s repertoire. Now, social media channels that were once business partners on friendly terms have become sworn enemies. Meanwhile, Google+ waits patiently on the sidelines for their chance to become relevant in the social world.
Amidst it all, drama is enduring, relationships are straining and revenge plots are unfolding. It all seems like it would make for a great movie, right?
Well, this movie has already been made. Mean Girls perfectly predicted the major players and plots that we see today in social media. Let’s take a deeper look!
Unveiling the characters
Cady Heron (Instagram): Cady is artsy and smart. In her move from home school to public school she catches the attention of everyone right away. Cady is quickly befriended by Janis Ian (see Facebook), who is secretly plotting revenge against Regina George (see Twitter). In accordance with the revenge plan, Cady adapts to become more like Gretchen and Karen (see Vine).
Janis Ian (Facebook): Powerful and manipulative, Janis quickly becomes Cady’s first public school friend. She’s a rebellious non-conformist who hides a dark and mysterious history with her ex- best friend, Regina. Concerned with the future of her social prominence and obsessed with revenge, she takes in Cady with the intent to use her to destroy Regina.
Regina George (Twitter): Regina is a gossip queen who has to be the center of attention. She rules the social roost at school and reigns over her puppet minions Gretchen and Karen, who she strategically uses to boost her own social status. She also sought to take Cady in for her own social benefit, but Janis earned her loyalty first. Both fascinated and intimidated by Cady, Regina attempts to play nice despite the fact that she is truly jealous. However, when Cady’s newfound prominence threatens her social celebrity status, Regina fights back.
Gretchen and Karen (Vine): Gretchen and Karen are pretty, but startlingly simple and easy to manipulate. They do their best to climb the social ladder at school by clinging to Regina’s coattails, but they also fear her because they would not be popular without her. However, since Gretchen and Karen know the formula for getting close with Regina, Cady strives to become more like them to gain the same popularity in school.
Kevin Gnapoor (Google+): Kevin is a genius and true nerd. He is the leader of the Mathletes and a prominent figure in his own little world. However, he has yet to gain the social recognition of the rest of the school, despite how hard he tries. He is socially awkward, but his intelligence and determination are sure to bring him success in the future. But for now, his primary purpose is comic relief.
The plot in Mean Girls is full of ups and downs, just like the social media wave we are all riding on. You will see in both cases that drama builds, relationships burn, and revenge is begotten. And so far, Tina Fey has done a spectacular job with her unintentional predictions of the outcomes. But how does it all end? Who will come out on top?
You can follow the social media saga in real time, or just go watch the movie again.
Image credits: IMDB, tumblr