SAN FRANCISCO: Founded 20 years ago as a bare hangout space for young people, Facebook has now evolved into a battle-hardened juggernaut that, despite impressions of being for boomers and parents, continues to grow.
On February 4, 2004, Mark Zuckerberg and three buddies launched thefacebook.com, which was initially only available to Harvard College students. It was first known to students at other US colleges before becoming public in 2006.
Facebook became a platform for communicating with almost anyone, anywhere, and by 2023, it was reported to be used by more than 3 billion people monthly, a 3% increase over the previous year. “When Facebook began, it was revolutionary,” Enberg remarked.
She mentioned Facebook’s well-known “feed,” which displayed photographs, comments, or other “posts” that its algorithm determined would pique users’ interest. The more users interact with the social network, the more money-making adverts it can display based on the massive quantity of information they post on Facebook. It is credited with paving the way for material to “go viral” and fueling the growth of online-only news services.