Facebook is one of the world’s largest and most influential social media platforms. It was founded on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes while they were students at Harvard University. Originally created as a networking site for Harvard students, Facebook quickly expanded to other universities and eventually became available to anyone over the age of 13 with an email address.
Main Features
• Profiles: Users create personal profiles with photos, interests, and contact information.
• News Feed: Displays posts, updates, and activities from friends and pages that users follow.
• Friends: Allows users to connect and communicate with people around the world.
• Groups & Pages: Users can join communities or follow organizations, celebrities, and businesses.
• Messenger: A built-in chat system for instant messaging, voice calls, and video calls.
• Marketplace: A feature that lets users buy and sell products locally.
Company Growth
Facebook became extremely popular in the late 2000s and 2010s, attracting billions of users. It went public in 2012, raising billions of dollars in one of the biggest tech IPOs in history. Over time, Facebook acquired several other companies, including Instagram (2012), WhatsApp (2014), and Oculus VR (2014).
In 2021, the parent company changed its name to Meta Platforms, Inc., reflecting its focus on building the metaverse — a virtual reality-based digital world — while Facebook remained one of Meta’s core products.
Impact and Criticism
Facebook has had a major impact on global communication, business, and politics. It has been praised for connecting people and giving a platform for expression. However, it has also faced criticism for issues such as privacy concerns, misinformation, data misuse, and mental health effects.
Conclusion
Today, Facebook remains a central part of the social media landscape, with over 3 billion monthly active users worldwide. Despite competition from newer platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), Facebook continues to evolve — shaping how people share information, build communities, and interact online.