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What is Facebook?
Social media platform Facebook allows people to connect with friends and families, to keep them updated on what they are doing, and to keep the things that are happening on your profile. The aim is to let users create their profiles and join groups, pages as well as events based on their interests. Businesses too use facebook for advertising and e commerce.
History of Facebook:
With over two billion active users world over, Facebook is a popular social networking site. The site facilitates interaction between people with friends and family members, media from businesses, celebrities, and other public figures, and sharing of photos and videos. So how did Facebook even EXIST? Read on, in this article, to learn a little about the history of Facebook: how the company grew from a college dorm room project to a global technology giant.
In 2004 Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard University, founded Facebook. The site was called "Thefacebook" when it was first created as a social network only for Harvard students. Within Thefacebook’s first weeks, the site rapidly penetrated the half of the undergraduate population at Harvard who were using it.
Thefacebook soon expanded to the other universities and by the end of 2004, Thefacebook was at more than 30 universities in the United States. By the end of 2005, the company dropped the ‘The’ from its name and was simply ‘Facebook’, and by the end of that year, that had five million users.
There is little that is less controversial in Facebook's early history than the company's own legal battle with the Winklevoss brothers, who sued Zuckerberg for stealing their idea for a social network. Where the Winklevosses were all students at Harvard, they had hired Zuckerberg to work on a social networking project called 'ConnectU', and sued the latter for breach of contract and fraud.
It was into legal battle between Facebook and the Winklevosses that the 2010 movie based on a book tells the story of Zuckerberg as a ruthless and ambitious young entrepreneur. The Winklevosses eventually did reach some kind of mutually agreeable decision with Facebook $65 million in cash and stock but not amicably.
Other early Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin became involved in a legal tussle with Zuckerberg. Saverin was originally owed a 34 percent share of Facebook but he was squeezed out of the company in a dispute over his stake. But Saverin sued Facebook later and ultimately settled with an undisclosed sum.
Ironically, Facebook responded to fraud lawsuits with rapid growth from 2007 to 2010. The company hired Sheryl Sandberg to serve as Chief Operating Officer in 2008, her leadership was part of what made Facebook continue to grow and succeed. Facebook's advertising business was one of the things Sandberg helped develop, and the platform has spread to mobile devices.
But Facebook's popularity and influence have been nothing if not controversial. In 2018, Facebook was at the center of a massive scandal over political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica to improperly get data from millions of users. Such scandal prompted more look into Facebook’s data privacy practices and demands as to how tech companies should be monitored or regulated.
It was all the more difficult for these challenges, but still one of the most powerfull companies in the world, with an incredible amount users and a huge impact on how we communicate, connect and even consume information online. The company is always developing and improving, with new features and services constant additions. As the future of Facebook remains unsure, it’s impossible to dispute that Facebook was a huge part of the world of technology and social media.
The Impact of Facebook on Modern Communication and Social Interaction :
From Facebook to Twitter, mobile phones, and even blogs, Facebook has had such an impact on communication and interaction that it’s hard to keep up. Communication, according to it, has expanded without physical boundaries, people can communicate with others anywhere in the world. The platform has cemented new ways of expression in people sharing what they feel and experience using novel text modes. Furthermore, Facebook has enabled social connectivity through keeping us in contact with friends and loved ones, increasing community and the sense of community and belonging. As a platform, it has also changed out norms of communication; many users now are heavily dependent on Facebook to stay in touch socialize, or just to get information. But the impact presented by Facebook is not all positive and the platform has also been criticized for its role in decreasing face to face communication, promoting online harassment and cyberbullying, and increasing the spread of fake news and misinformation. But Facebook is still a weapons grade communication and social interaction tool that many will continue to use, and transfer its impact onto the modern society, likely for many years to come.
How Facebook Affects Our Thoughts and Behaviors?
Facebook has been shown to affect our thoughts and behaviors in a number of ways, both positive and negative. Here are some of the ways in which Facebook can impact our thoughts and behaviors:
1.Social Comparison: Facebook encourages social comparison, which can affect our self-esteem and mental health. Users tend to present idealized versions of themselves on Facebook, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy or envy among others. This can impact self-esteem and mental health, particularly for vulnerable individuals.
2.Information Overload: Facebook can also result in information overload, which can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. The constant stream of updates, notifications, and messages can be overwhelming, leading to cognitive overload and reduced productivity.
3.Confirmation Bias: Facebook can reinforce confirmation bias, which is the tendency to seek out information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs and attitudes. This can lead to a narrowing of perspective and an inability to consider alternative viewpoints.
4.Polarization: Facebook can also contribute to political and social polarization, with users tending to engage with content that aligns with their existing beliefs and opinions. This can contribute to the spread of misinformation and echo chambers.
5.Social Support: On the positive side, Facebook can provide social support, particularly for those who are isolated or have limited access to social networks. It can also provide a sense of connection and belonging, particularly for marginalized groups.
Facebook can have both positive and negative effects on our thoughts and behaviors, and the impact is likely to vary depending on individual characteristics and circumstances. It is important to be aware of these potential effects and to use Facebook in a mindful and intentional way, particularly when it comes to mental health and well-being.