Today, you are unlikely to find a person who does not use social media. Instant exchange of photos, news, erasing boundaries in communication – all of this has led to the phenomenal success of projects like Twitter, WhatsApp, and Instagram. And undoubtedly, setting the tone for all these ventures was Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild — Facebook.
Today, the social network Facebook is the most technologically advanced and recognizable brand in the world. However, despite this, most of us see its creator as some sort of geek prodigy to whom success literally fell from the sky. AdmiGram.com is here to correct this terribly mistaken opinion and tell you about Mark Zuckerberg, revealing what 99.99% of users of his most famous social network don’t know.
Facebook: Surveillance, Scandals, And Success Story
Why Mark Zuckerberg was so fascinated with computers
© Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook
Very little is known about Mark’s childhood, but according to his friends and classmates, in his youth, Mark was more introverted and focused on his academic and programming interests than on socializing with peers. Perhaps Mark’s deuteranopia also influenced this. In addition, the kids of the 80s were the first to literally “befriend” personal computers, and if this “friendship” worked out, they all, in one way or another, immersed themselves in programming or games.
Why Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard University
Mark’s parents were involved in medicine throughout their lives, so they clearly saw a similar future for their child. For Mark, the psychology department, where he could only attend IT courses, was a kind of mental prison from which he was desperately trying to break free. At 18, Mark already understood perfectly well that he would easily realize himself in IT (Microsoft was already interested in Mark in college), and he was just preparing the ground for it.
Facebook is not the first largest social network in the world
© Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook
Before the emergence of Facebook, there were other similar projects, such as the Friendster and MySpace networks. However, they had certain barriers in the context of user socialization. Mark understood this well, being among the youth of Harvard University, the most advanced and progressive social environment. Mark believed that if he gave users what they saw and wanted to interact with on the Internet, his project would become the most popular.
Brand and name
The social network was originally created as “The Facebook” and was launched on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg and his roommates during their studies at Harvard University—Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. The name “The Facebook” was chosen in connection with the tradition of certifying students’ identification photos at Harvard University. In university directories, these identification photos are called “facebooks.”
Start and rise of Facebook
© Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook
Essentially, Mark is not only the creator of Facebook but also its first user. He is registered on the social network with the fourth number. The first three users were test accounts. Initially, the social network was supposed to unite all students of any educational institutions in the United States, allowing them to communicate and exchange information. Mark and his team only had to make these capabilities simpler and more interesting. Since September 2006, Facebook has been available to all Internet users as a full-fledged social network.
High-profile scandals
But not everything was as smooth in the beginning as you might think. During Facebook’s existence at Harvard, the social network and Mark Zuckerberg became the subject of constant high-profile scandals. Mark was accused of creating the “Facemash” program before the creation of Facebook, which allowed comparing photos of students and evaluating their attractiveness. Mark also faced several lawsuits from former colleagues and partners who claimed to have rights to the creation of Facebook.
Family matters
© Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg is married to his longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan. They tied the knot on May 19, 2012. They reportedly invited friends to a party supposedly celebrating Priscilla’s achievement of a medical degree. Some were also convinced that Mark simply decided to celebrate the successful initial public offering of Facebook stocks on the stock exchange. However, it turned out that the guests stumbled upon a wedding.
The world’s youngest billionaire
A student project turned an ordinary American guy into the youngest billionaire in history. In March 2010, Forbes magazine included Zuckerberg in the list of the richest people in the world. Mark was not yet 26 at that time. The publication’s experts estimated the young businessman’s fortune at $4 billion. Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg continued to wear jeans and a T-shirt (or a checkered shirt), sneakers, or flip-flops.
Philanthropy
© Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook
In December 2010, Zuckerberg announced that he was joining the “Giving Pledge.” It is a charitable campaign initiated by billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. In December 2015, Mark pledged to donate 99% of his wealth (estimated at $48 billion) to charitable causes. According to the entrepreneur, the money would be directed towards improving the world in which his daughters will live.
User tracking
The Facebook social network is constantly accused of various violations, with the most common being spam distribution and illegal processing of personal data. The most significant scandal was in 2018, involving Cambridge Analytica. This company gained access to the data of more than 87 million Facebook users without their explicit consent to use this data in political campaigns. This scandal led to widespread criticism and forced Facebook to address the issue of data protection.
Facebook, Lies, and Videos
© The Social Network / Columbia Pictures
The story of creating Facebook became the basis for the popular film “The Social Network,” directed by the iconic American filmmaker David Fincher. The film was released in 2010, with Jesse Eisenberg playing Zuckerberg. Mark had no involvement in the creation of the film and distanced himself from it, refusing to comment. However, on January 29, 2011, on the popular TV show Saturday Night Live, Mark shook hands with Jesse and spoke positively about his acting and the film as a whole.
Is there life on Facebook?
Today, pessimistic forecasts for Zuckerberg are becoming louder. Critics argue that Facebook is rapidly losing users, particularly the youth, who find this social network boring. Teenagers and people under 20 don’t like “this incomprehensible dinosaur with nothing fun in it.” Nevertheless, Facebook successfully competes with giants like TikTok and doesn’t seem willing to relinquish any of its users without a fight.
image on top: Mark Zuckerberg via Facebook
