1 Introducing Facebook
Facebook is is in fact more than just an app. At the time of writing (2023), it is also the company (called Meta) behind both WhatsApp and Instagram. However, for the purposes of this course, when we talk about Facebook, we are referring to the app, not the over-arching company.
Facebook was originally founded in 2004. The platform allows you to share content such as text posts, images, videos, and external links. As with all social media, a key principle behind it is interactivity, therefore it is probably not surprising to know that you can engage with other users by reacting to their content in the form of likes and emoticons as well as posting comments. You can also engage in private conversations via the Facebook Messenger service. Facebook has an events function where specific activities can be advertised, and events can be live streamed on Facebook Live. There are other functions such as ‘rooms’, where people can meet with eachother via video.
Despite the prominence of Facebook in the world of social media, the platform is not without its controversy. Most notably because of the prevalence of fake news and misuse of data, as was seen in the Cambridge Analytica scandal which has been linked to the 2016 US Presidential campaign and the Brexit referendum. For this reason, some universities and individuals have been reluctant to engage with it.