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History of Facebook

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Facebook[2], a renowned social media giant, was initially introduced as TheFacebook in 2004. It was initially restricted to Harvard students but swiftly rose in popularity, capturing over half of the undergraduate population within the first month. The platform soon extended its reach to high schools and other universities worldwide. As of April 2023, it proudly flaunts a staggering 2.989 billion monthly active users[1]. Facebook’s economic trajectory has been fortified by substantial investments from Peter Thiel, Accel Partners, and Microsoft. The firm has encountered numerous legal hurdles, including patent violation lawsuits and claims of inappropriate data sharing. Despite these obstacles, Facebook has expanded through a series of acquisitions and product introductions, such as Instagram[3] and Facebook Messenger. The platform has also participated in various social impact endeavors and has been embroiled in controversies surrounding user policies and competition.

Terms definitions
1. active users. Active Users denotes individuals who interact with an online platform or application within a given timeframe. This concept is fundamental in diverse sectors such as business, academia, and research. In the business domain, active user metrics help forecast growth trajectories, customer involvement, and prospective revenue sources. Within academia and research, analyzing active user behavior aids in comprehending online behavioral trends. Ethical aspects surrounding active users highlight the significance of informed consent, data protection, and confidentiality in the digital sphere. Defining and precisely quantifying active users present technical hurdles due to diverse practices among various firms. Furthermore, data regarding active users is vital in predictive analytics and policy deliberations about technology usage and online security.
2. Facebook ( Facebook ) Meta Platforms, previously known as Facebook, is a prominent internet corporation that originated as a social networking site. The brainchild of Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, Meta Platforms swiftly spread from Harvard to other educational institutions, eventually reaching the wider public and becoming a global sensation. Its appealing user interface and diverse features such as Groups, the Developer Platform, and Meta Platforms Dating are well-known. Despite encountering backlash over matters like privacy violations and the proliferation of misinformation, Meta Platforms continues to hold a strong position in the digital sphere. It has made remarkable progress in the realm of technology, including the creation of its distinctive data storage system, the employment of PHP for its platform, and the introduction of the Hack programming language. In the past few years, the company has pivoted its attention towards the metaverse, a virtual reality domain where users can engage with a digitally-created environment.

Facebook is a social networking service originally launched as TheFacebook on February 4, 2004, before changing its name to simply Facebook in August 2005. It was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates and fellow Harvard University students, in particular Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. The website's membership was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and gradually most universities in the United States and Canada, corporations, and by September 2006, to everyone with a valid email address along with an age requirement of being 13 or older.

Mark Zuckerberg in 2005
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