Facebook: At a Glance
social network
Written byTara RamanathanTara RamanathanTara Ramanathan was the Assistant Technology Editor at Encyclopedia Britannica.
Fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThe Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
Mark Zuckerberg, one of four Harvard students to found Facebook.
Justin SullivanâGetty Images News
Facebook is a social media platform owned by Meta Platforms. It was founded in 2004 by Harvard University students Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovits, and Chris Hughes. The precursor to Facebook was designed to judge fellow Harvard students on the basis of their attractiveness, but the service was forced to shut down after just two days. Zuckerberg observed its popularity and created a new social network, which became Facebook.
Harvard students who signed up for the new service were able to post photographs and statuses publicly, and by 2004 more than 250,000 students from 34 schools had created an account. That same year, Facebook added a âWallâ feature to membersâ profiles, which allowed usersâ friends to post information directly to their page.
In 2006 Facebook expanded its user base to anyone over age 13. Many companies joined the platform and used it for marketing and consumer engagement. Privacy became an issue that same year, when Facebook introduced the âNews Feedâ feature, which allowed users to track other usersâ changes in real time. Many felt that this encroached on their privacy, and Facebook updated its privacy features in response. In 2008 Facebook became the most visited social media site on the Internet.
Over time, users began to use Facebook to organize politically, and many groups were formed to support various political affiliations. The platform has been criticized for facilitating the spread of misinformation, especially in relation to the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
In 2021 Facebook changed the name of its parent company to Meta Platforms. The new name was indicative of the companyâs emphasis on virtual reality ventures.
Tara Ramanathan
