History Platform / Facebook

** And you likely know a married couple who share a Facebook page with a name something like "BillyandMaria Smithperson". And unless they say who's posting, you can't tell which one is.

** And you likely know a married couple who share a Facebook page with a name something like "BillyandMaria Smithperson". And unless they say who's posting, you can't tell which one.

Facebook started out as thefacebook.com, which was intended to be a social networking site for college students.

Facebook's layout has gone through several major changes, each one triggering a mass epidemic of "RuinedFOREVER." Ironically, each new update has people rushing to defend the old layout, deciding it was not so bad after all despite laying into that one prior. In addition to this, the media and some more tech-savvy members of the public have found a place to whip Facebook where it hurts the most: privacy. Over time, Facebook has implemented different levels of privacy for its user profiles (while urging people to use caution before posting any compromising photos or rants).

Facebook's layout has gone through several major changes, each one triggering a mass epidemic of "Ruined FOREVER." Ironically, each new update has people rushing to defend the old layout, deciding it was not so bad after all despite laying into that one prior. In addition to this, the media and some more tech-savvy members of the public have found a place to whip Facebook where it hurts the most: privacy. Over time, Facebook has implemented different levels of privacy for its user profiles (while urging people to use caution before posting any compromising photos or rants).

* WhamLine: Seeing a notification on your news feed that someone you like changed their status to "In A Relationship/Engaged/Married" can feel like a punch in the stomach. Not to mention the way Facebook presents it on one's News Feed.

As of 2012, Facebook remains one of the most popular (and actually still more low-key, it hasn't taken as much flak as [[NewMediaAreEvil whipping boy]] [=MySpace=]) networking sites out there. More and more sites are adding Facebook Like buttons on their pages, making it look as if it's taking over the Internet. It lacks most of MySpace's profile-customization options; no sparklies or rainbow-colored fonts allowed. This may be to the site's benefit, as this creates a more professional feeling. However, there are a huge number of applications that one can add to one's profile, for anything from horoscopes to celebrity-lookalike pictures.

Facebook is home to a variety of third-party applications, including some rather addictive games like ''MafiaWars'' and ''FarmVille''. In fact, [[JustHereForGodzilla some individuals have Facebook accounts for the sole purpose of playing games]].

[[WeCanRuleTogether Facebook has announced an alliance with Skype]].

* HomeGame: Sort of. There are Facebook versions of ''WheelOfFortune'', ''ThePriceIsRight'', ''PressYourLuck'' and ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}''.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere / {{Ragequit}}: Every now and then people decide to take a stand against this site, as they feel their privacy is seriously compromised, or just their time.

* ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet: Hardest ever subversion / discrediting of this. About half the userbase is female, [[SarcasmMode surprisingly like]] RealLife.

A movie about the founding of Facebook, titled ''Film/TheSocialNetwork'', was released in 2010, directed by DavidFincher, (''{{Se7en}}'', ''FightClub'') and written by AaronSorkin. [[NineInchNails Trent Reznor]] and Atticus Ross provided the soundtrack.

A movie about the founding of Facebook, titled ''TheSocialNetwork'', was released in 2010, directed by DavidFincher, (''{{Se7en}}'', ''FightClub'') and written by AaronSorkin. [[NineInchNails Trent Reznor]] and Atticus Ross provided the soundtrack.

** Which leads to some odd situations, where if somebody posts something genuinely sad, like the death of a family member...well, "like" isn't exactly appropriate, is it? It sort of forces a comment.

* WhamLine: Seeing a notification on your news feed that someone you like changed their status to "In A Relationship/Engaged/Married" can feel like a punch in the stomach. [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome Not to mention the way Facebook presents it on one's News Feed.]]

* WhamLine: Seeing a notification on your news feed that someone you like changed their status to "In A Relationship/Engaged/Single" can feel like a punch in the stomach. [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome Not to mention the way Facebook presents it on one's News Feed.]]

Facebook's layout has gone through several major changes, each one triggering a mass epidemic of RuinedFOREVER. Ironically, each new update has people rushing to defend the old layout, deciding it was not so bad after all despite laying into that one prior. In addition to this, the media and some more tech-savvy members of the public have found a place to whip Facebook where it hurts the most: privacy. Over time, Facebook has implemented different levels of privacy for its user profiles (while urging people to use caution before posting any compromising photos or rants).

Originally, it was much more low-key than {{MySpace}}: A user needed an official school e-mail address to join. To a registered user, the interface worked somewhat similarly (a user could view everyone in his network, but would have to add friends from other networks to view their profiles). Because it came out in spring 2004, anyone who had graduated from college in 2003 or earlier was essentially forbidden from becoming a member, due to their lack of an official school account. Schools were also added piecemeal, so your friend might invite you to join, but find that your college wasn't in the site's database yet.

There are also a number of entries for fictional characters, such as Michelle Dessler from ''[[TwentyFour 24]]''.

Facebook is home to a variety of third-party applications, including some rather addictive games like ''MafiaWars'' and ''{{FarmVille}}''. In fact, [[JustHereForGodzilla some individuals have Facebook accounts for the sole purpose of playing games]].

[[WeCanRuleTogether Facebook has announced an alliance with Skype]].

Originally, it was much more low-key than {{MySpace}}: A user needed an official school e-mail address to join. To a registered user, the interface worked somewhat similarly (user could view everyone in his network, but would have to add friends from other network to view their profiles). Because it came out in Spring 2004, anyone who had graduated college in '03 or earlier was essentially forbidden from becoming a member, due to their lack of an official school account. Schools were also added piecemeal, so your friend might invite you to join, only to find that your college wasn't in the site's database yet.

In 2006, regional, corporate and high-school networks were established, leading to an [[ItsPopularNowItSucks outcry among]] [[EternalSeptember college students]], who felt that Facebook was becoming another [=MySpace=]; a counter-contingent appeared who disagreed. This outcry only intensified when the whole "official e-mail address" thing was abolished later in the year and ''anyone'' with an e-mail address was allowed to join. The complaints later became HilariousInHindsight, as now it's ''{{MySpace}}'' that's trying to copy Facebook's every move, ever since it became DeaderThanDisco.

As of today, Facebook remains one of the most popular (and actually still more low-key, it hasn't taken as much flak as [[NewMediaAreEvil whipping boy]] [=MySpace=]) networking sites out there. More and more sites are adding Facebook Like buttons on their pages, making it look as if it's taking over the Internet. It lacks most of MySpace's profile-customization options; no sparklies or rainbow-colored fonts allowed. This may be to the site's benefit, as this creates a more professional feeling. However, there are a huge number of applications that one can add to one's profile, for anything from horoscopes to celebrity-lookalike pictures.

Facebook's layout has gone through several major changes, each one triggering a mass epidemic of [[strike:TheyChangedItNowItSucks]] RuinedFOREVER. Ironically, each new update has people rushing to defend the old layout, deciding it was not so bad after all despite laying into that one prior. In addition to this, the media and some more tech-savvy members of the public have found a place to whip Facebook where it hurts the most: privacy. Over time, Facebook has implemented different levels of privacy for its user profiles (while urging people to use caution before posting any compromising photos or rants).

As with [=MySpace=], the mere mention of Facebook in forums and IRC channels can [[InternetBackdraft cause people to launch into long rants about why they don't use social networking sites]].

Facebook entered the stock market on May 18th, 2012 at 11 AM EST, under the abbreviation FB, with an IPO of about $38 billion, which it broke even at the end of that day. Even after the purchase, [[http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/a-big-bet-on-zuckerberg/?hp Mark Zuckerberg has control over the entire company]]. This move has made him a multi-billionaire and he coincidentally married his long-time girlfriend in a secret wedding just days after. But Facebook also lost a lot of money due to the lowering stocks, and a few lawsuits have happened that they'll need to deal with, in addition to an investigation by the US Senate.

!!This website contains examples of:

* ArtifactTitle: The term "facebook" once referred to printed directories that colleges hand out to students featuring everyone's photos and contact info -- essentially what Facebook originally aimed to imitate. Not so much now that it's open to the general public and has so many other features. Meanwhile, its massive popularity has caused a real-life inversion of this trope: nobody would refer to such a publication as a "facebook" now ([[TechnologyMarchesOn assuming they even print them at all anymore]]).

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Well, that's what some TV Tropes members seem to think of Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO.

* FoodPorn: Like [[{{Twitter}} another major social networking site]], people seem to feel an inexplicable urge to let the world know what they're eating for lunch (with pictures.)

* HomeGame: Sort of. There are Facebook versions of ''WheelOfFortune'', ''ThePriceIsRight'' and ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}''

* LooseLips: Two types of people who love Facebook? Private investigators and divorce lawyers. People forget that oftentimes ''anyone'' can read what they put online, although upping your privacy settings can reduce (but not ''eliminate'') the risks involved. Remember: It's a bulletin board, not a diary.
* LostForever: You can change your name as it is displayed, but only up to 4 times. The next time you try to do so, you can only change to a name you've had previously.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Well, that's what some TV Tropes members seem to think of Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO. However, it's a [[YourMileageMayVary contested point]].

Facebook entered the stock market on May 18th, 2012 at 11 AM EST, under the abbreviation FB, with an IPO of about $38 billion, which it broke even at the end of that day. Even after the purchase, [[http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/a-big-bet-on-zuckerberg/?hp Mark Zuckerberg has control over the entire company]]. This move has made him a multi-billionaire and he coincidentally married his long-time girlfriend in a secret wedding just days after. But Facebook also lost a lot of money due to the lowering stocks, and a few lawsuits have happened that they'll need to deal with.

Facebook has recently announced it's interested in going public and is searching for investors to buy them, although when this officially happens is anyone's guess, as well as what this will mean for its users. Even after the purchase, [[http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/a-big-bet-on-zuckerberg/?hp Mark Zuckerberg will have control over the entire company.]]

Facebook entered the stock market on May 18th, 2012 at 11 AM EST, under the abbreviation FB.

* {{Defictionalization}}: Samsung released a mobile device with an actual, tangible Facebook Like button on the dashboard!

* FoodPorn: Like [[{{Twitter}} another major social networking site]], people seem to feel an inexplicable urge to let the world know what they're eating for lunch (with pictures!).

* {{GIFT}}: Mostly averted, since the site requires users to use their real names. But that doesn't stop some people from being {{Jerk Ass}}es anyway.