20 Years Of Feacebook

Somehow I totally missed Facebook’s 20th birthday or anniversary on February 4th, 2024. I need a moment to just let that number sink in…twenty years…since Facebook became a thing. In technology and internet fields, that’s a crazy-long time for anything to not become obsolete. And for Facebook, it’s more surprising due to its countless controversies over the last two decades. Yet it keeps making billions of dollars off the billions of people still using it today. And I’m one of those people.

I first joined Facebook in 2009, five years after it launched. Over fifteen years, I deleted my account and rejoined Facebook four or five times, totalling around 12 years of overall usage. Not that it matters much. I remember, though, that Facebook used to be exciting, fun, or interesting. And I still like to relive some of that energy by watching The Social Network, one of my favorite movies (and soundtracks).

The last time I rejoined a few years ago was different. Coming back to Facebook, I could tell the old vibe was gone. After all the controversies and such, especially after Cambridge Analytica and the 2016 election, Facebook degraded. It became common knowledge that Facebook wasn’t a great thing or was doing some harm to society. Maybe a “tainted” or a permanently stained reputation is more apt.

People still use Facebook, but I think it’s more of a utility now. It’s not “cool” or “fun.” It’s a habit and is kind of like the yellow or white pages, an online directory with a sometimes temporarily distracting and amusing or annoying feed.

I still use Facebook to keep in touch with long-distance relationships on rare occasions and sometimes to find good deals on used stuff people sell on Marketplace. There’s also a group I’m part of that I check into every few weeks and a page I help seldomly post to. Sometimes, maybe once a month on average, I share a new personal post, like a picture of my Guinea Pigs or a milestone family announcement. That’s all really.

As I’ve done before, I could delete my account and live without Facebook. But one reason I don’t is because I always return in time. And another reason is because The Social Network has degraded. That may sound odd, so let me explain.

Facebook used to be thrown into a bad light every other week. It’d make me feel icky, so I’d revolt and delete. Now it just seems less relevant and a bit more innocuous. We all know it’s not a great thing. It’s just a tool to use. I simply don’t get worked up about Facebook anymore, either for it or against it, because it’s just there, if that makes sense.

The social site may still be detrimental to society on some level, but its relevance is fading. Even Instagram seems less important and less impactful these days. So while Facebook remains big, and its adverse effects can still be big, overall it’s less of a big deal. I think either fewer people are using it or the same number of people still have accounts but they’re using it much less. That’s a good thing.

I think Facebook is on its way to becoming like AOL or Yahoo. It might still exist in another decade or two, but it won’t matter much. How many billions of dollars will it still make Zuckerberg? No idea. Oh, and if I do delete my account again someday, it will likely be for the last time. I really don’t think it would draw me back like it did in the past.