Facebook turns 20: how the social network transformed the way we connect.

In February 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, a 19-year-old wearing flip-flops, launched an online directory of Harvard students. At that time, the Internet still had a sense of familiarity and was more focused on locating web pages than on connecting people. However, it soon became clear that the network was an effective tool for bringing individuals together. More than 1,000 Harvard students registered at TheFacebook.com in its first 24 hours. The platform quickly began to spread across campus through word of mouth. By late 2004, several universities had adopted Facebook, reaching a million monthly users, although Myspace had an even larger user base, which did not last long.

Before Facebook, there were other social networks, but none captured the essence of what Zuckerberg and his peers had created. The 2004 version of Facebook was quite simple, which turned out to be an advantage. It allowed users to search for other users and see all the information they chose to share about themselves. Users could send friend requests and "pokes," a kind of digital nudge that preceded the "like." This interaction was, in a way, intriguing and contributed to its success. For those with an account in 2004, Facebook was a place full of school acquaintances or people they wanted to get to know.

Facebook's policy of using real names and .edu email addresses made anonymity difficult, creating a new and exciting environment that was still unaware of the implications of sharing aspects of life with the world. It wasn't until March 2008 that I created my account, a couple of years after the launch of the News Feed, which allowed users to see constant updates from friends and served as a model for many other platforms. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the concept of the News Feed transformed the dynamic of interaction between people, shifting from one-on-one exchanges to a constant flow of information.

I remember being the first in my class to have a profile, but I quickly convinced several friends to join because Facebook relied on a network of contacts to be truly valuable. Over time, the platform became the means to keep us updated, express our identity, and, significantly, to flirt. Back then, sending a friend request was the equivalent of a digital approach.

Within a few years, it seemed like everyone was on Facebook: parents, teachers, siblings, and brands. The social network quickly realized that monetizing interaction through ads would be its best business model. Zuckerberg's mission was to connect the world, and he managed to fund it by building one of the most profitable advertising machines in history. However, as money became more influential, the original idea of staying in touch with acquaintances began to turn against users. As they grew older, many realized that the digital record of our lives could be used against them, turning what was once liberating into a risk.

Nowadays, my interaction with Facebook is mostly limited to the Memories feature, which I check occasionally after clearing the endless notifications that I usually ignore. I tend to delete almost all the history from my profile, except for a few nostalgic posts. The further back I go, the more mundane the entries become. Memories from fourteen years ago, like a "check-in" at Whole Foods with Gowalla or a status update saying I was listening to Weezer. Although it now seems trivial to share those moments, it is comforting to remember when we shared more of our lives with people we actually knew.

The nature of social media has changed; it now focuses more on content than on connecting with friends. Short videos recommended by algorithms have become more appealing and easier to monetize than posts meant for close circles. Although that type of interaction still occurs online, it no longer happens on Facebook or in public spaces. In 2019, Zuckerberg acknowledged that conversations among people were shifting from the News Feed to chat threads. For the comfort of his vision, he had already acquired WhatsApp for $16 billion. This indicates that the future of Facebook is moving further away from the elements that made it successful 20 years ago. Meta executives claim that their purpose is now "social discovery," a notion that focuses less on finding close friends and more on discovering new videos. Moreover, Zuckerberg anticipates that AI-generated content will flood social media, further displacing humans. Soon, it might seem like the people you know are no longer on Facebook, or that there are simply no people left on the platform.