Flickr began as a multiplayer online game that was transformed into a photo-sharing chat system, dropping the game aspect. While initially focused on chat, consumers instead wanted to share photos without messaging. An artist's exhibit visualized the huge amount of photos shared on Flickr daily, showing its growing popularity. More recently, Flickr revamped its interface to resemble Pinterest and focus more on photo sharing than chat.

1. Flickr
Past, Present and Future

2. The Past

3. The Beginning
 Created to be a multiplayer online game
 Turned into a chat system with live photo-sharing options
Coding system for the game was dropped leaving what is currently
viewed as the beginning of Flickr
Flickr Live, the chat system ,which was the basis of the earlier
versions of the site, was erased
Consumers ultimately didn’t want to chat – they wanted to share their
experiences in pictures – not in instant messages

5. Influenced by Flickr: Dutch visual artist, Erik Kessel
Exhibit was created as a “[My] goal was to make-real the
visualization of the amount of mountains of personal
photos added or shared on information and data that people
Flickr within a single 24-hour share every single day” –Creative
period! Review, 2012

6. Future
Mashable Tech
“Flickr Gets a Makeover, Looks Like
Pinterest” (Fox, 2012)