Final answer:
Initially, brands utilized social media platforms like Myspace and early to engage with audiences cost-effectively by building personalized online presences and leveraging social networking to foster brand loyalty.
Step-by-step explanation:
When social media first began, brands paid very little for their presence because they spent time and effort in crafting personalized profiles and engaging with a targeted, tech-savvy audience. On platforms like Myspace and early iterations which was originally a free social network for college students, corporations could connect with niche audiences and encourage brand loyalty through less structured and personalized online interactions.
With the advent of social media, commercial entities had an opportunity to promote products, expand their reach, and develop brand loyalties more subtly and inexpensively compared to previous mass media advertising strategies.
Platforms evolved to offer different functions suited to their user demographics, such as professional networking on LinkedIn or location-based connections on Foursquare. Over time, social media marketing became an integral part of social networking, allowing for not just communication but also the promotion of consumerism through games, fandom, and advertisements subtly integrated into user interfaces. This has led to new spending habits and brand loyalties among users of all ages.