20 years of Facebook: from Harvard to the top of the digital world, amid criticism of its performance

During 2003, Mark Zuckerberg created Facemash at Harvard, a website that matched photos of students and allowed users to vote for the most attractive person. However, Harvard forced Zuckerberg to shut down the site after discovering that the photos were obtained from a protected area of ​​the university's computer network.

In November 2003, other Harvard students Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, along with Divya Narendra, engaged Zuckerberg to work on their own website, called ConnectU.

Finally, on February 4, 2004, Zuckerberg and his colleagues officially launched Facebook, extending its reach beyond Harvard. From there, in March of the same year, the platform expanded to other prominent universities such as Stanford, Columbia and Yale.

In May 2004, ConnectU was launched with features that shared similarities with those of Facebook. In September 2004, the Winklevosses and Narendra filed a lawsuit against Zuckerberg, accusing him of stealing the idea for Facebook.

In 2010, the Winklevoss twins and Narendra settled their lawsuit against Zuckerberg, marking a key point in the platform's history. Over the years, Zuckerberg made significant donations, including $100 million to the Newark public school system in September 2010.

As you progress through Facebook's history, you see important events, from the release of the film 'The Social Network' in October 2010 to the donation of $25 million in March 2020 for Covid treatment research. -19.

Constant influence in the world of social networks

Two decades later, Facebook remains a powerhouse in the social media landscape, with more than 2 billion daily active users. Initially, Facebook was exclusive to Harvard students, but it quickly expanded to include students from other universities and professionals. By 2006, the site opened to anyone over the age of 13, marking a significant change in its focus.

Unlike other platforms like MySpace, Facebook prioritized connecting through real-life acquaintances rather than focusing on creating profiles and interacting with new people. This approach gave Facebook a key advantage in addressing social relationships.

MySpace, which was popular between 2005 and 2008, tried to stand out as a music destination, but its efforts fell short in the face of the unstoppable rise of Facebook. In 2011, MySpace was acquired by a new group of investors, including Justin Timberlake, but its decline continued. A server migration error in 2019 almost marked the end of MySpace, although the platform still remains active.

Another competitor, Friendster, launched in 2002, ceased operations in 2015 after attempting to transform itself into a social gaming site. A 2013 study attributed Friendster's decline to a lack of strong connections among its new members and changes to its user interface.

Facebook, over the years, has maintained its influence as a space where people can keep up with friends, family, and acquaintances. Its emphasis on real connection has contributed to its lasting relevance in digital culture, marking a milestone in the history of social media.

Goal, a new era

In April 2012, the acquisition of Instagram for $1 billion marked a key moment. A month later, Facebook went public at $38 per share. Last Friday's close reflected a value close to $475 per share for Meta Platforms Inc., the name adopted in 2021 as the parent company of Facebook and other applications.

Meta's resilience is partly attributed to strategic investments, such as the purchase of messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp in 2014 for $16 billion. In addition, it ventured into technological hardware in 2014 by acquiring the virtual reality company Oculus for $2 billion.

WhatsApp stood out reaching places where it became an indispensable application. A popular messaging application in several countries, such as India, Brazil, Argentina and Italy. Providing this service for free generated significant mass, allowing users to communicate and providing the company with valuable data for monetization.

Despite changes in the social media landscape, Meta remains a leader with platforms like Facebook and Instagram competing with TikTok.

Internationally, Meta has demonstrated its ability to adapt, even in the face of the upheaval experienced by X, formerly known as Twitter. While X was facing trouble following unpopular changes to its user policies last summer, Meta launched Threads. This application, with a character limit and a layout similar to X, offered a space for real-time conversations online.

Although Threads attracted millions of daily users when it launched in July, its engagement has declined in the six months since, reflecting the ongoing dynamics in the world of social media. The history of Meta Platforms, Inc. continues to evolve in the international context, marking its presence and adaptability in the changing digital scenario.

Between trials and controversies before its anniversary

Zuckerberg was one of five executives questioned in the US Congress in a hearing on “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis.” The Senate was packed with children's families and advocates, with Senator Lindsey Graham accusing social media companies of “destroying lives and threatening democracy itself.”

During a congressional hearing on alleged online harm to minors, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized to parents of social media human trafficking victims in the Senate.

“I'm sorry for everything you've been through,” Zuckerberg said as parents showed photos of their children who died due to sexual exploitation or harassment on social media.

“No one should have to go through what their families have suffered. That's why we invested heavily and will continue to make industry-wide efforts to ensure that no one has to go through what their families have suffered,” Zuckerberg said.

Executives highlighted controls and tools to manage children's online experiences and mitigate harm. Zuckerberg claimed that Meta had introduced more than 30 of these tools in the last eight years and that they had spent 20 billion dollars in security since 2016.

Research from Yale University suggests that Meta has had difficulty preventing criminals from using its platforms for illegal activities. The hearing comes amid growing reports about the negative impacts of social media on young people's mental health.

“Bottom line, I've come to the conclusion that they're not going to support any of this,” Graham said. “If they're waiting for these guys to solve the problem, we're going to die waiting.”

With AP, Reuters and local media