Did you know that Facebook has nearly 3 billion active users? That’s a lot of people! In fact, if Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest in the world. With so many users, it’s no surprise that there are some things about Facebook most people don’t know. Here are 25 facts about Facebook you may not have known:
We all use Facebook, but how much do we really know about it? Chances are, not as much as we think we do. Here are interesting facts about Facebook that most people don’t know.
- Facebook was originally created to be a way for Harvard students to connect with each other online.
- Before he was a household name, Mark Zuckerberg was just another Harvard student with an idea. In 2003, he launched a side project called Facemash.
- Facebook’s first-ever investor was Peter Thiel, who invested $500,000 in the company. Thiel is a co-founder of PayPal and an early investor in LinkedIn, among other startups.
- For many of us, Facebook has become an integral part of our daily lives. The average Facebook user spends around an hour on the site every day. That’s an impressive amount of time, considering that Facebook is just one of many social media platforms that we use.
- As of the third quarter of 2022, Facebook had 2.96 billion monthly active users (Statista).
- China has a long history of censorship when it comes to the internet. In 2009, the government decided to block Facebook. While some people have found ways to circumvent these restrictions, for most Chinese citizens, the internet is a heavily censored space.
- On any given day, most of us are guilty of wasting at least a little bit of time on Facebook. For Maneesh Sethi, this was becoming a bigger problem than he realized. In an effort to increase his productivity, he decided to hire a woman to slap him every time he opened Facebook.
- It’s no secret that Facebook tracks your activity online. After all, that’s how they’re able to show you ads for products you might be interested in. However, what you may not realize is that Facebook continues to track your activity even after you’ve logged out of the site. That’s right – even if you’re not actively using Facebook, the company is still collecting data on the sites you visit and the things you do online. While this information may not be personally identifiable, it can still be used to create a profile of your interests and preferences. As a result, it’s important to be aware of the ways that Facebook is tracking your activity – even when you’re not using the site.
- While Facebook is known for its blue color scheme, this was actually not originally intended. In an interview with Business Insider, Zuckerberg revealed that he is red-green colorblind. This type of color blindness makes it difficult to distinguish between these two colors. As a result, blue was chosen for Facebook’s primary color scheme as it is easier for Zuckerberg to see.
- It’s no secret that social media can be a breeding ground for comparison and envy. We scroll through our feeds and see perfect images of other people’s lives, which can make us feel dissatisfied with our own. A study found that this is particularly true of Facebook, with 1 in 3 people feeling more unhappy after visiting the site.
- A woman in Cornwall, UK has been jailed for 20 months after sending herself hundreds of abusive messages using fake Facebook profiles. It is thought that this is the first instance of someone in the UK being prosecuted for “trolling” herself in this way.
- Wirehog was a P2P file-sharing system that was once a core function of Facebook. It allowed users to share music, videos, and other files with each other. However, the service was shut down in 2009 due to copyright concerns. Facebook later replaced Wirehog with a similar service called Facebook Connect.
- While it’s certainly not the most traditional way of catching a troll, Chapman’s case highlights the lengths some people will go to in order to put an end to online harassment. Here’s hoping her stint in jail will discourage other would-be trolls from following in her footsteps.
- A key feature of Facebook is the “Like” button, which allows users to show their support or approval for a post. However, the “Like” button was not always known by that name. In fact, it was originally going to be called the “Awesome” button.
- You can choose who sees your posts: By default, all of your posts are shared with everyone on your friend list. However, you can change this setting so that only specific people can see your posts.
- You can control what ads appear on your timeline: If you’re not interested in seeing certain types of ads on Facebook, you can control which ones appear by going to the ‘Ads Preferences’ page and selecting the interests and activities that interest you.
- Facebook now has over 2 million active advertisers. That’s a lot of businesses trying to reach out to potential customers through this social media platform.
- When it comes to sharing content on Facebook, videos are the clear winner. On average, videos receive 89.5 shares per video. This isn’t really surprising when you think about it – videos are more engaging and dynamic than written content, and they’re also more likely to go viral.
- While Facebook may be headquartered in the United States, the majority of its users live outside of North America. In fact, as of 2019, nearly 90% of Facebook users were located in countries other than the U.S. or Canada.
- If you’re one of the 2% of people who don’t use Facebook on mobile, you’re probably in the minority. As of April 2020, over 98% of active users use Facebook via the app on mobile devices. That means that whether you’re using a smartphone, tablet, or even a feature phone, chances are you’re among the majority of Facebook users.
- You might not realize it, but Facebook keeps track of everything you do on its platform. Every post you share, every chat conversation you have, and every Like or Comment you make is stored away in the Facebook archives. But did you know that you can actually download a copy of all this information? That’s right – Facebook gives you the option to download everything you’ve ever done on the platform, including posts, chats, and more. To do this, simply go to Settings, then Your Facebook Information, and then click on “Download Your Information.” You’ll get a copy of everything you’ve ever shared or done on Facebook – it’s really that easy.
- Well, it turns out that you can’t block Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook. As the founder and CEO of Facebook, Zuckerberg has complete control over what users see in their news feeds. And unlike other social media platforms, Facebook doesn’t give users the option to hide or filter content from specific people or brands. So if Zuckerberg wants to show up in your feed, there’s nothing you can do about it.
Did you know all of these facts about Facebook? We bet you didn’t! Stay tuned for more interesting facts and information about your favorite social media sites.
