In February 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, a 19-year-old Harvard student known for wearing flip-flops, launched an online directory for Harvard students. At that time, the internet primarily focused on webpages rather than connecting individuals. However, it soon became apparent that the internet was an excellent platform for bringing people together. Within 24 hours, over 1,000 Harvard students registered on TheFacebook.com, and the platform quickly spread across campus by word of mouth. By the end of 2004, Facebook had expanded to include dozens of other colleges and amassed 1 million monthly users. At that point, Facebook’s user base was smaller compared to Myspace’s, but this situation would soon change.
Although social media platforms existed before Facebook, none captured the essence of what Zuckerberg and his peers developed. The Facebook of 2004 was quite basic, which worked to its advantage. Users could search for others and view information they chose to share, often revealing much about themselves. The site allowed for sending friend requests and the novelty of “pokes,” a digital gesture that preceded the like feature.
The platform offered a voyeuristic experience that significantly contributed to its success. In 2004, Facebook was populated by individuals from one’s own school or those they wished to know better. With a real name and .edu email requirement, anonymity was not an option. At that time, the implications of sharing personal lives online were not fully understood, making the experience feel novel and thrilling.
A former user did not create a Facebook account until March 2008, two years after the introduction of the News Feed—a constantly updating stream of friends’ updates that became a common feature across the internet. The News Feed, initially met with backlash from users, fundamentally altered human interaction by shifting from one-to-one exchanges to broader streams of information. This individual recalls being the first in their class to create a profile and soon persuading friends to join. Facebook’s value lay in the presence of known contacts, facilitating keeping in touch, self-expression, and even flirting. In those days, sending a friend request was akin to modern-day direct messaging.
Eventually, Facebook drew in a broader audience, including parents, teachers, siblings, and brands. The platform quickly realized that generating revenue through ads based on user engagement was an optimal business model for a free service. Zuckerberg’s vision evolved into connecting the world, and Facebook’s advertising capabilities provided the financial means to achieve that goal.
However, as commercial interests grew, Facebook’s unique insight into online communication began to backfire. Users, as they aged, realized that their digital footprint could be misused in numerous ways. What initially felt like a liberating experience of authentic self-expression eventually became perceived as a risk.
Today, many users interact with Facebook mainly through its Memories feature, often dismissing the constant stream of notifications. Some prefer to delete most of their past posts, retaining only those with nostalgic value. Reflecting on past activity, such as banal check-ins or music listening habits, evokes memories of a time when individuals shared more personal content with actual acquaintances. Social media now seems to emphasize media consumption over genuine connections. Algorithm-driven short-form videos dominate, being more engaging and monetizable than content aimed at close friends.
Though personal connections still occur online, they have migrated away from Facebook and other public platforms. Zuckerberg himself acknowledged in 2019 that personal conversations had shifted from the News Feed to private chat threads, an area he had already invested in by acquiring WhatsApp for $16 billion.
As a result, the future of Facebook diverges from the elements that brought it success two decades ago. Meta’s executives now describe its focus as “social discovery,” which involves discovering new videos rather than connecting with close friends. Zuckerberg has also suggested that AI-generated content will increasingly populate social media feeds, further distancing human interaction. Consequently, it may soon seem as though no familiar faces remain on Facebook, possibly leading to the sense that no real humans are present at all.
