As Facebook Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary, Let's Have a Look at the Journey So Far

Facebook as a medium of expression and information has become an important part of our lives, but we know little about the social media network, which was born exactly 15 years ago. The main brain behind Facebook is Mark Zuckerberg, who was 19 years old student then, studying at Harvard University.

It all began in the year 2003, when Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Luiz Saverin, a Brazilian born entrepreneur, and angel investor founded Facebook, little did they know, that one day it would go on to define and dominate the internet era. 

They first created an online program called “Facemash”, which allowed users to objectify fellow students by comparing photos of their faces and selecting who they rate as “hotter”. Zuckerberg had to face punishment from the Harvard administration and he narrowly escaped expulsion from the college altogether for his actions.

Then “Facemash” was changed and finally, on February 4, 2004, Facebook was born, then known as thefacebook.com, it was made available exclusively to the students of Harvard University. The membership was then expanded to other colleges in the Boston area then to all Universities in the United States and Canada. By September 26, 2006, anyone across the world could create a Facebook account, as long as they were 13 years old and had a valid email address.

In the year 2005, Zuckerberg and Saverin part ways and Saverin’s shares in the company were diluted. This also led to Saverin filing a lawsuit against Facebook, which was later settled outside the court.

In recent years, a series of scandals including data theft of users, popularly known as Cambridge Analytica saga, has led Mark Zuckerberg to ensure commitment to change its data policies and more security measures to be implemented within the network.  

Though many of his critics have called for Mark Zuckerberg to step down as CEO, but still under his guidance and leadership, the company continues to evolve into arguably the most successful company of the Internet era. With revenue of around $55 billion in 2018, Facebook is one of the wealthiest IT company in the world.

Facebook also has acquired various other companies such as Instagram and WhatsApp to maintain its users' interest. It is now used by one-third of the world’s population and it is growing continuously.

Now, in the next 15 years, along with its growth plan, Facebook is expected to implement certain features in order to improve its privacy and content controls. It also has to make changes in the User Interface and Algorithm.

This is Facebook’s story, in brief, hope the startup strugglers will learn from Mark Zuckerberg, who is now among the top 5 richest men in the world.