Does the rapid increase and popularity of new social media platforms depend on Apple (AAPL) to continue their growth and usage?

Whether you’re a Microsoft groupie, a Samsung Galaxy guru, or an Android addict, there is no question that Apple is the most valuable company in the world. According to Forbes, this year Apple not only had the last largest market cap, but also the largest sales, profits, and assets among the world’s largest technology company.

January 2007 was the announcement that changed the tech industry forever. The arrival of the iPhone revolutionized the smartphone and paved the way for apps, digital media, and social media to become the future.

The first iPhone introduced mobile touch screen, digital playback, and web access. It was not until the 2008 release of the second generation iPhone that third-party apps were supported through the newly launched App Store.

2008 became the beginning of the iPhone era changing consumer demands from online media and social networks to mobile apps and social media platforms. Barack Obama was elected in 2008 as the first “Social Media” president, the first to use an advanced social media campaign running for office and Facebook surpassed Myspace in monthly unique visitors for the first time ever.

A year later the iPhone upgrades to the 3GS with a new video recording feature, faster performance, and voice control. Now, not only was information available on the go and at users finger tips, but it could be shared via video user to user. For the first time breaking news was reported by users on Twitter and Facebook created the “like” button to create the value of marketable content.

The 2010 release of the iPhone 4 became the year of emerging social media platforms. The iPhone’s new design with Retina display, HD video recording, and internal performance improvements made it possible for new social platforms to gain traction on the mobile device. Instagram and Pinterest both launched that year and Facebook became the most viewed website, surpassing Google.

In 2008 Facebook had 130 million active users, MySpace had 115 million, Linkedin had 30 million, and Twitter had 1 million. Five years later, Facebook hit 1.2 billion active users, Linkedin had 260 million, Twitter had 225 million, and new platforms such as Google Plus, Instagram, and Pinterest became the new competition. MySpace became the only platform to plummet to 36 million because of its inability to adapt to the mobile app world. According to HootSuite, now one-fourth of the world’s population uses social media.

How else has Apple changed our world? Does social media depend on Apple or has Apple now become dependent on social media? Let us know what you think!