What is Facebook and Why it is Best popular?
Facebook is the latest in the long line of sites we now know as “social networking”. But what sets it aside from its competitors is its popularity. At last check, Facebook has over 2.23 billion active users.
Founded in 2004 in the college dormitory of Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg, the site is now worth billions and one of the most recognizable brands in the world.
It even got the Hollywood treatment in 2011 with the release of “The Social Network,” a film exploring the site’s concept. However, if you are not very tech-savvy or new to the Internet, as a parent, or teacher, you may have a few questions.
What is Facebook?
Facebook is a website that allows users who sign up for a free profile to connect online with friends, colleagues, or people they don’t know. It allows users to share pictures, music, videos and articles, as well as their own thoughts and opinions, with any number of people.
Users send friend requests to people they may or not know.
Facebook has more than 1 billion users
Once accepted, the two profiles are associated with two users who are able to see anything the other posts. “Facebook users” can post almost anything on their “timeline,” a snapshot of what’s going on in their social circle at any given time, and engage in private chats with other friends who are online.
People with a profile list information about themselves. Whether it’s where they work, study, age or other personal details, many users post a wealth of information that can be easily accessed by their friends and others. Best of all, users can “like” other pages that interest them.
For example, supporters of Liverpool Football Club can follow the club by linking to its Facebook page. From there, users can post comments and receive club updates, pictures, and more.
Why is Facebook so popular?
For young people who grew up with technology, Facebook used to be the most popular website. However, many teens are migrating to other social networking sites such as Instagram and Snapchat.
Young people are naturally versatile, so using Facebook, like any social networking site, is almost second nature to many teens. Social networking sites allow young people to experience who they are.
They’re popular because teens can find their own unruly voice online and share it with their friends.
Some teens feel that they can express themselves more easily online than in the real world because perhaps they feel safer in the virtual world.
Teens love Facebook because they can personalize their profiles. Just as other generations might have plastered posters of their favorite band or football team on their bedroom walls.
Today’s youth are beginning to personalize their own online spaces with pictures, music, videos and commentary. The website also makes communication easier.
Instead of picking up the phone and calling a friend’s house, teens can communicate instantly and directly with their friends on Facebook.
Even email, another relatively new technology, is secondary to teens who use Facebook for most of their communication.
Facebook is the world’s largest social network. I have written this sentence so many times that it has become firmly etched in my mind.
Regardless, Facebook has been around for nearly 12 years. Its popularity has soared in the decade since its launch, beyond Zuckerberg’s original imagination. Big names like Orkut and
MySpace are burning in Facebook’s rocket jets.
Over the past few years, I’ve observed that the blue network has reached a saturation point, at least for me, and I imagine many others as well. People use Facebook only because they have to.
They have to go online every day and check their feed, which includes a daily dose of news content and updates from their friends.
Sometimes, they upload travel photos and comment on existing content. So, it’s like a daily habit, and not using it can lead to nervousness and restlessness.
In short, people are not excited about Facebook anymore. They use it only because they have a reason. So here are some reasons why some people might have to use Facebook.
I don’t remember my friend’s birthday
Honestly, this is one of three reasons I use Facebook. I don’t remember my birthday. In fact, not just me, many people have difficulty doing it.
When you have friends from school, college, work, relatives, you need a good memory to remember who was born on which day, and the list goes on.
I want to watch the news
The news feed is the second reason I use Facebook, in the early years it was to keep track of what my friends were up to.
But over time, various news platforms started pushing their content on Facebook, making it one of the largest news consumption platforms in the world.
Not just news, countless Facebook pages upload engaging and entertaining content and generate billions of views every day.
It is my responsibility to write comments and likes
Some people consider it a moral obligation to write comments, like photos and status updates of people on their friends list.
Some wrote it in good faith, and some of our friends patted themselves on the back after dropping comment bombs.
Your favorite profile picture was ruined by a comment from your best friend. Worst of all, other people will also contribute their analysis of your images.
I am an attention seeker
People used Facebook to let people know they were on a 7-day trip to Tampa. Some of them upload pictures of themselves at the right time every day so that they can get hundreds of likes and envy others.
Some of them even shared updates on their daily workouts, thanks to a smartphone app that allowed them to do so.
I’m here to spy on people
Using this reason, a person can justify why he keeps using his Facebook account. Just because he/she wants to stalk someone, possibly his/her crush. I’m not going to say whether these guys got it right.
It’s not a crush, a lot of times people stalk someone they admire, or it’s part of their internet research on someone. That’s why this question actually exists in the Facebook Help Center
I feel bored
There are so many amazing things on the internet that won’t let you get bored. But one thing, you have to search for those things. This is where Facebook helps. An average user subscribes to over 100 Facebook pages, which is enough to keep a person busy all day.
All you have to do is scroll through an endless news feed. Facebook’s Page Suggestions feature seems to work pretty well. So, after subscribing to a few pages, you may discover more great ones.
In recent months, Facebook has promoted itself as a video-sharing service like YouTube. This can be considered as another reason why people use Facebook. Various Facebook pages upload funny videos.
I need Facebook to promote my work
Facebook is more than just a social network. Many people use Facebook to cater to large groups of people. This is my third reason for using Facebook. Publishing visually appealing content has never been easier with advanced publishing tools and features like Instant Articles. It also allows Facebook to generate advertising revenue.
I want to support a social cause
We’ve seen people promote the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness for diseases like ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Although, for some, it’s nothing more than throwing a bucket of cold water on their head. In addition, No-shave November is to donate one month’s beauty expenses to cancer research and treat patients. These social causes have been championed by the likes of Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.
I want to keep in connect with my friends
Some people use Facebook primarily to connect with people. We have old friends who live all over the country and even around the globe. the existence of one
Platforms like Facebook have helped billions of people get in touch with their family and friends. After 10 years of no contact, I had a chance to talk to my friend.
I have FAD
Most people may have one of the different causes above. But there is a group of Facebook users who just can’t resist Facebook. They suffer from a problem known as Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD), which can be considered a subcategory of the broader Internet Addiction Disorder.
These people can’t resist the urge to use Facebook, just like a smoker or drug addict. Every now and then forget to check their Facebook account. Excessive Facebook use affects their social lives, and they increasingly enter their inevitable Facebook lives.