Today's instances of creating are core to mankind. For example:

NEW CREATIONS
Now: Self-made YouTube video submission
Before: Home-made jewelry (Crafts Faire), grafitti
Past: Home inventors

MASHUPS
Now: Google Maps + Craigslist = Housingmaps.com,
Before: Scrapbooking
Past: Hacking Harley Davidson motorcycles (Choppers)

The creation of artifacts and services got us to where we are today. Once institutions took over the means of production, individuals migrated their efforts to hacking the products available in the marketplace.

Today's instances of broadcasting have a colorful past. For example:

Now: Blogging or podcasting
Before: Publishing zines or newsletters
Past: Ham radio/CB Radio

People have always broadcasted their opinions or personality. Even fashion is a potential example of broadcasting, only without words.

Today's instances of opining link to a long history of people voicing their opinions in public. For example:

Now: Ratings and reviews of products; commenting on a blog
Before: Word-of-mouth product advocacy or detracting; letter to the editor of a newspaper; customer service call
Past: Standing on a soapbox; revolutionary words (Thomas Paine's Common Sense, Declaration of Independence); Parlour sessions

While people always have an opinion, the reach of that opinion today is far greater than it could be in the past.

Today's instances of connecting using social media tools simply facilitate behaviors since the dawn of man. For example:

CONNECTING ON SOCIAL NETWORK SITES
Now: Create a profile on Facebook/LinkedIn/MySpace, link to friends, share updates and thoughts by posting on friends' profile pages.
Before: Joining a club (Rotary, Moose Lodge, hobby-oriented, etc); Who's Who Among American High School Students (Did anyone ever get any value from this?).
Past: Associations of guilds of like-minded or like-skilled individuals (Free Masons).
Earlier: Tribes gather to share stories and traditions; hunter-gatherer groups ban together to hunt and pass down hunting knowledge.

People have always (and will always) connect with one another. Today's technologies make it easier and broader reaching than the past.

Today's instances of sharing with social media have a long history. For example:

MUSIC SHARING
Now: Publishing a music playlist (e.g., iMix on iTunes)
Before: Creating a mix tape for a friend or blasting your boom box in the park (popping and break dancing, of course)
Past: Music (record) party at your home (1950s)

VIDEO/PHOTO SHARING
Now: YouTube/Flickr
Before: Home movies/Photo Albums
Past: Slide shows or vacation presentations

As I said before, all media is social. These sharing behaviors we see today are not new. It's reach, accessibility, usability, transparency, and recency that have changed.