Facebook Launches from a Harvard Dorm Room
Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook from his Harvard dorm room, beginning the platform that would connect 3 billion people and reshape democracy, media, and society.
On February 4, 2004, Harvard sophomore Mark Zuckerberg launched "TheFacebook" from his dorm room in Kirkland House. Initially restricted to Harvard students, it expanded to other Ivy League schools, then all colleges, then everyone over 13. By 2012, Facebook had 1 billion users; by 2023, over 3 billion. The platform revolutionized how people communicate, share news, organize movements, and maintain relationships. It also became a vector for misinformation, political manipulation, and mental health concerns. The Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018 revealed how user data could be weaponized to influence elections. Facebook's parent company rebranded as Meta in 2021, betting its future on the metaverse — a pivot that symbolized both the platform's ambition and its identity crisis.
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