Facebook: A Detailed Chronological History of the Social Media Giant
Facebook, now part of Meta Platforms Inc., is one of the most influential social media platforms globally, transforming how billions connect, communicate, and share information. Founded by Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates in 2004, Facebook’s rapid rise from a Harvard dorm room project to a global technology powerhouse is a story of innovation, expansion, and controversy. Here is a detailed, chronological account of Facebook’s journey.
2003–2004: Origins and Launch
2003: Mark Zuckerberg created Facemash at Harvard, a website that allowed students to rate the attractiveness of their peers. The site was quickly shut down by Harvard due to privacy concerns.
November 2003: Harvard seniors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra enlisted Zuckerberg to help develop their social networking site, ConnectU. Disputes over intellectual property later led to lawsuits.
February 4, 2004: Zuckerberg, along with roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, launched TheFacebook from Zuckerberg’s Harvard dorm room as an exclusive social network for Harvard students23468.
2004–2005: Early Growth and Expansion
April 13, 2004: Zuckerberg, Moskovitz, and Saverin formed Thefacebook.com LLC.
June 2004: Facebook received its first major investment of $500,000 from Peter Thiel.
July 29, 2004: Facebook incorporated as a new company; Sean Parker, former Napster president, became its first president.
September 2004: ConnectU filed a lawsuit against Zuckerberg and Facebook founders over intellectual property disputes.
December 30, 2004: Facebook reached one million registered users.
2005: Facebook expanded to universities across the UK and other countries.
August 23, 2005: Facebook acquired the facebook.com domain and dropped “The” from its name.
December 2005: Facebook introduced photo tagging, a feature that became hugely popular35.
2006–2007: Opening to the Public and Platform Development
March 2006: Facebook expanded membership beyond educational institutions to corporate employees.
September 6, 2006: Facebook launched the News Feed, an algorithmically generated stream of friends’ activities, revolutionizing social media engagement.
September 26, 2006: Membership opened to anyone aged 13 and older.
May 24, 2007: Facebook announced the Facebook Platform, allowing third-party developers to build applications integrated with Facebook’s social graph.
October 2007: Microsoft invested $240 million for a 1.6% stake, valuing Facebook at around $15 billion35.
2008–2011: Monetization and Mobile Expansion
February 2009: Facebook introduced the “Like” button, now a fundamental feature of social interaction.
May 2009: Facebook acquired FriendFeed, a real-time feed aggregator.
2009: Facebook became cash flow positive for the first time.
2011: Facebook partnered with Skype to add video chat functionality.
August–October 2011: Facebook Messenger was launched on Android, iOS, and BlackBerry.
November 2011: Facebook introduced the Timeline profile layout, changing how users displayed their life events35.
2012: IPO and Major Acquisitions
April 2012: Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion, expanding its footprint in photo sharing and mobile.
May 18, 2012: Facebook went public with its IPO, raising $16 billion and valuing the company at $104 billion, one of the largest tech IPOs in history.
June 2012: Facebook launched Facebook Exchange (FBX), a real-time bidding ad system35.
2013–2020: Growth, Controversies, and Diversification
Facebook expanded aggressively into video content, live streaming, and marketplace services.
The company faced scrutiny over privacy, data handling, and misinformation, notably during the 2016 U.S. elections.
Facebook acquired WhatsApp (2014) and Oculus VR (2014), diversifying into messaging and virtual reality.
The platform continued to evolve with new features like Reactions, Stories, and enhanced advertising tools.
2021–Present: Meta Rebranding and Future Vision
October 2021: Facebook Inc. rebranded as Meta Platforms Inc., reflecting its focus on building the metaverse—a virtual reality space for social and work interactions.
Facebook remains a core product under Meta, continuing to serve billions of users worldwide.
The company invests heavily in AI, augmented reality, and blockchain technologies as part of its long-term strategy.
Minute Details and Notable Features
The “Like” button, introduced in 2009, became a universal symbol of social approval.
Facebook’s News Feed, launched in 2006, set the standard for social media content delivery.
Facebook Messenger evolved into a standalone app with billions of users.
The Timeline feature allowed users to curate their digital life stories.
Facebook’s advertising platform is one of the most advanced, targeting users based on detailed data.
The company’s IPO in 2012 was one of the largest and most anticipated in tech history.
Conclusion
From a dorm room project at Harvard to a global social media titan, Facebook’s journey is a testament to innovation, rapid growth, and the transformative power of digital connectivity. Despite facing challenges around privacy and misinformation, Facebook continues to shape how billions communicate and interact online, now as a core part of Meta’s vision for the future of social technology.
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