Facebook

Facebook is an American social networking service owned by the technology conglomerate Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard College roommates and fellow students Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, the platform began as a Harvard-only directory called "TheFacebook" before expanding to other universities and eventually to the general public. The name derives from the face book directories often given to American university students. Facebook allows users to create profiles, share text, photos, and multimedia, join common-interest groups, and communicate via Messenger. Since 2006, registration has been open to individuals aged 13 and older (with some exceptions). As of December 2023, Facebook reported approximately 3.07 billion monthly active users worldwide, and as of July 2025 it was ranked the third-most-visited website globally. It was the most downloaded mobile application of the 2010s. Facebook generates revenue primarily through targeted advertising based on user data. The company went public in 2012 in one of the largest tech IPOs in history and has made significant acquisitions, including Instagram (2012), WhatsApp, and Oculus VR (2014). In 2021, Facebook rebranded as Meta, reflecting a strategic shift toward the metaverse and virtual/augmented reality technologies. The service has faced criticism over privacy, political manipulation, and content moderation issues, including the 2018 Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

Facebook's history traces its growth from a college networking site to a global social networking service. While attending Phillips Exeter in the early 2000s, Mark Zuckerberg met Kris Tillery, who created a school-based social networking project called Photo Address Book—a digital face book built from student records. In 2003, Zuckerberg built "Facemash" at Harvard, a site comparable to Hot or Not that used photos from online face books. He was reported and faced expulsion, but charges were dropped. In January 2004, Zuckerberg coded a new site called "TheFacebook," stating that the technology needed to create a centralized website was readily available. He met with Harvard student Eduardo Saverin, and each agreed to invest $1,000. On February 4, 2004, Zuckerberg launched "TheFacebook." Membership was initially restricted to Harvard College students. Dustin Moskovitz, Andrew McCollum, and Chris Hughes joined to help manage growth, and the site became available successively to most universities in the US and Canada. In 2004, Napster co-founder Sean Parker became company president and the company moved to Palo Alto, California. PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel gave Facebook its first investment. In 2005, the company dropped "the" from its name after purchasing the domain name Facebook.com. In 2006, Facebook opened to everyone at least 13 years old with a valid email address. It introduced key features like the News Feed, which became central to user engagement. By late 2007, Facebook had 100,000 pages on which companies promoted themselves. Facebook surpassed MySpace in global traffic and became the world's most popular social media platform. Microsoft announced it had purchased a 1.6% share of Facebook for $240 million, giving Facebook an implied value of around $15 billion. Facebook focused on generating revenue through targeted advertising based on user data, driving rapid financial growth. In 2012, Facebook went public with one of the largest IPOs in tech history. Acquisitions played a significant role in Facebook's dominance: it purchased Instagram in 2012, followed by WhatsApp and Oculus VR in 2014, extending its influence beyond social networking into messaging and virtual reality. The Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal in 2018 revealed misuse of user data to influence elections, sparking global outcry and leading to regulatory fines and hearings. Facebook's role in global events, including its use in organizing movements like the Arab Spring and its impact on events like the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, highlighted its dual nature as a tool for both empowerment and harm. In 2021, Facebook rebranded as Meta, reflecting its shift toward building the "metaverse" and focusing on virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.

• 2021

  Facebook rebrands as Meta, reflecting a shift toward the metaverse.

• 2018

  Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal breaks, leading to regulatory fines and hearings.

• 2014

  Facebook acquires WhatsApp and Oculus VR.

• 2012

  Facebook goes public in one of the largest tech IPOs in history.

• 2012

  Facebook acquires Instagram.

• 2007

  Microsoft purchases a 1.6% share for $240 million, implying a valuation of around $15 billion.

• 2006

  Facebook opens registration to everyone aged 13 and older with a valid email address.

• 2005

  Company drops "the" from its name after purchasing Facebook.com.

• 2004

  Mark Zuckerberg launches "TheFacebook" on February 4, initially for Harvard students.

• 2004

  Sean Parker becomes company president; company moves to Palo Alto, California.

Mass-market global social network connecting people and advertisers.

• Facebook social network

  Core social networking service with profiles, posts, and sharing.

• Messenger

  Direct messaging service integrated with Facebook.

• News Feed

  Algorithmic feed of content from friends and pages.

• Groups

  Spaces for common-interest communities.

• Pages

  Profiles for businesses and public figures to promote themselves.

• Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal

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• 2019.09.25

  Reported2019.09.25

  Cake short film showcase debuts on FXX[2]短片展映系列《Cake》在 FXX 首播awn.com

  The new short film showcase series Cake debuted on FXX, with the weekly showcase and individual programs also available to FX subscribers through FXNOW.

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1. 1Facebook - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2短片展映系列《Cake》在 FXX 首播awn.com