Facebook: Rise & Fall

Facebook : Rise & Fall

Introduction:

Facebook is a social media platform that allows users to connect with friends and family, share content, and discover new information.

It was launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg while he was a student at Harvard University.

Users can create a personal profile, add other users as "friends," and exchange messages, including automatic notifications when they update their profile.

Additionally, Facebook has apps for mobile devices and desktop computers, as well as a website.

History:

Facebook has a little controversial history. Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, while he was a student at Harvard University created Facemesh an online portal to compare the attractiveness of students in the university .

The site was initially only available to Harvard students, but it quickly expanded to other colleges and universities before being made available to anyone with an email address.

Zuckerberg, violated university policy in acquiring resources for the service, it was shut down after two days. Despite its mayflylike existence, 450 people (who voted 22,000 times) flocked to Facemash.

That success prompted Zuckerberg to register the URL www.thefacebook.com in January 2004. He then created a new social network at that address with fellow students Saverin, Moskovitz, and Hughes.

It quickly gained popularity, with one million users by the end of the year.

In 2005, the company moved to Palo Alto, California and received its first investment from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. The following year, the site was opened to high school students, and Facebook launched its first international version, in Spanish.

In 2007, Facebook introduced the News Feed, which allowed users to see updates from their friends and family in a single location. The company also launched its first advertising program, allowing businesses to create ads that would appear on the site.

How Facebook Works & Earns Money

Facebook is a social media platform that connects users by allowing them to create personal profiles, add friends, and share information such as photos, videos, and links. Users can also send messages and join groups of people with similar interests.

To use Facebook, a user must create an account by providing their name, email address, and date of birth. They then create a personal profile, which includes information such as their education, work history, and interests. They can also upload a profile picture and cover photo.

Once a user has created their account, they can start adding friends by searching for other users by name or email address, or by accepting friend requests from other users. They can also join groups and pages, which are groups of users with similar interests.

Facebook's news feed is a feature that displays updates from friends and pages that a user is following. This includes posts, photos, videos, and links. Users can interact with these updates by liking, commenting, or sharing them.

Facebook also has a feature called Marketplace, where users can buy and sell items in their local area. Additionally, it has a feature called Stories, where users can share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours.

Facebook uses algorithms to personalise the content that appears in a user's news feed, taking into account factors such as the user's interests, the types of posts they engage with, and the people and pages they follow. It also uses targeted advertising, which allows businesses to create ads that are shown to specific groups of users based on their interests and demographics.

Facebook also has a policy on the type of content that is allowed on the platform, which prohibits hate speech, violence, pornography, and other types of content that violate the company's community standards. It also has a team of moderators to review reported content and enforce the company's policies.

Facebook's Involvement in Politics

Facebook has played a significant role in politics, both in the United States and around the world. The platform has been used by politicians, political campaigns, and political organizations to connect with voters, share information, and mobilize support.

One of the most notable examples of Facebook's impact on politics is the 2016 US Presidential election, where Russian operatives used the platform to interfere in the election through the creation of fake accounts, pages, and groups that spread disinformation and divisive content. The company has since taken steps to prevent foreign interference and improve transparency on the platform.

On the other hand, Facebook has also been used by political movements and grassroots campaigns to mobilize supporters and organize rallies and protests. In several countries, including Egypt, Tunisia and India, Facebook has been used to organize and promote political protests and mobilize citizens to take part in them.

In recent years, Facebook has faced criticism over its role in spreading misinformation and fake news, which can have a significant impact on public opinion and political decisions. The platform has implemented various measures to counter the spread of false information, including third-party fact-checking and labeling of false content.

Additionally, Facebook has also faced criticism over the handling of political ads on the platform, including concerns over transparency and the ability of political campaigns to target specific groups of users with misleading or false information. The company has since implemented new policies to increase transparency and accountability for political ads on the platform.

Overall, Facebook has become an important tool for political communication and organization, and it continues to play a significant role in shaping public opinion and political decision-making. However, the platform's impact on politics has also raised important questions about accountability, transparency, and the spread of misinformation.

Facebook -> Meta -> Metaverse

Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would be re-branding to Meta in 2021, but what exactly is Meta, and why does it matter to you?

The renaming of Facebook to Meta came as a big surprise to most regular users of the app/service, but since it happened we’ve been hearing a lot more about Meta and its plans for the future.

Meta describes itself as a company that builds technologies that help people connect and find communities, as well as grow businesses.

Meta has been marketing itself as a social technology company, offering services like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and Smart Glasses, the latter is the latest endeavour it’s waded into.

The Metaverse is a place that users can visit, either through VR/AR or through a device like a phone or a laptop, a virtual space that people can browse within Meta.

The aim of the Metaverse is to connect people when they can’t be physically in the same location, with the company calling it the successor to mobile internet. If you’re looking for a comparison, games like Minecraft and Roblox offer similar experiences, giving users the chance to communicate online and create spaces that are personalised and immersive.

'Meta' means 'after' or 'beyond' in Greek. Meta will now be the name of the entire Facebook firm. On the other hand, the Facebook app will keep its name, and other apps will not be affected.

According to Facebook's proposal, two persons in separate cities in the world may attend a performance together, or perhaps a party with other virtual or holographic avatars. Work from home would have a new connotation in the metaverse. Logging in would allow you to experience the office virtually as if you were there physically, without actually being there.

Facebook's DownFall

Facebook has faced a significant amount of criticism over a range of issues & its share fell more than 25% in 2022. Some of the most notable downsides of the platform include:

Spread of misinformation: Facebook has been criticized for allowing the spread of misinformation and fake news on its platform. This can have a significant impact on public opinion and political decisions.

Polarization: Facebook's algorithms have been criticized for creating filter bubbles, where users are only exposed to information and perspectives that align with their own views. This can lead to increased polarization and a lack of exposure to diverse perspectives.

Mental Health: The extended use of Facebook and other social media platforms has been linked to a number of negative impacts on mental health, including depression, anxiety, and a decrease in overall well-being.

Cyberbullying: Facebook has been criticized for not doing enough to prevent cyberbullying on its platform. This can be especially harmful for young users who may be more vulnerable to bullying and harassment.

Election Interference: Facebook has faced significant criticism for not doing enough to prevent foreign interference in elections through the platform. It has also faced criticism for allowing political campaigns to target specific groups of users with misleading or false information.

Addiction: Facebook and other social media platforms have been designed to be highly addictive, with features like notifications and infinite scrolling that keep users engaged for longer periods of time. This can be harmful to users who spend excessive amounts of time on the platform.

Metaverse: The migration from Facebook to Meta world didn't go well with the audience as the metaverse is still a immature environment and has a very long way to go may be more than a decade.

Facebook has taken steps to address many of these issues, but they continue to be a major concern for many users and researchers.

Happy Social Networking !!!!