Facebook is now 15 years old. If we compare it to an average 15-year-old child, maybe everything we know and think about Facebook will finally make sense.
15 years ago, the site "Facebook" was launched, an electronic tool from Harvard University for finding and making friends on campus.
Two years later this concept expanded worldwide and more and more people became members of the platform.
Many opposed this idea, but it eventually became a place where people could communicate with friends and family, whether they were nearby or not – and share silly, simple and complex events from their lives.
It's truly amazing that our distant relatives probably know a lot about our lives that they probably wouldn't know without the existence of Facebook.
With that in mind, Facebook is a great tool for connecting and communicating with people. And if that's its primary purpose, then it does so successfully.
However, Facebook is also a business. With a market capitalization hovering around half a trillion dollars, it is literally one of the largest companies in the world.
However, handling people's information is not an easy job.
Facebook has had many issues over the past two years, as there have been problems with privacy and the use of personal data.
2018 was the worst year for Facebook, with the Cambridge Analyticaleading to an attempt to take down the platform.
But in reality, nothing happened. With a user base in the billions, and with usage in Australia being over 60% (if we take into account those under 13, the number of whom is certainly 80%+), the platform cannot be ignored by individuals and businesses.
And it is the businesses that have benefited the most, and at the same time have been most disappointed by Facebook.
A business could create a “Page” on Facebook and attract “Likes” for its page. In return, users who liked the page would receive updates from that business. However, the company changed things a few years ago and reduced the amount of information pages directed to people by default. This means that each post from a business only reaches 10% of its “audience.”.
With the changes that have come, a post can cost a business $10 or it can go up to $1000. These costs could allow the post to reach its real audience or even grow and find a new audience.
This ability to target specific audiences, such as men aged 34-44 in Sydney who are already interested in Ferrari, meant powerful targeted advertising.
But for the poor small business owners who invest their time in a Facebook page, this change doesn't help. So it's understandable that they're upset.
However, Facebook is the dominant social media platform today. The only challenger is Instagram, which was also acquired by Facebook.
Despite all the controversy and drama that has been created, it is worth remembering that through this simple platform, many families and individuals have the ability to connect and communicate.
