Social media listening has evolved significantly over time from the early days of bulletin board systems and Usenet in the 1980s. In the 2000s, blogs and social networks grew in popularity, creating more content for companies to listen to. From 2007 onward, major social networks advertised extensively and the social media listening industry matured to provide services like influencer identification, reputation monitoring, and campaign impact analysis. Today, most major brands regularly use social media listening for purposes like brand monitoring, consumer research, and social customer relationship management.