When Facebook was founded in 2004, it was a web service
aimed at a small number of educators and software developers. By the end of the
year, it had grown to a size of about 6 million users. During that time,
Facebook was mainly used by educational institutions and businesses to promote
their products and services. Then, in September 2006, it opened up to anybody
over the age of thirteen. It also extended its services to mobile devices.
These changes signaled the beginning of a new phase of the social networking
site's history.
The site began to connect advertisers, marketers, and
content producers. For instance, it was possible to import photos from photo
sites into your profile. In addition, it provided an interface to track network
activity. Moreover, it became possible to have a blog on your profile page.
Finally, it introduced the video application. However, the real power of the
platform is its programmability. As a result, the ability to repurpose the
structure and reconfigure it in a variety of ways enables it to perform a
multitude of tasks. This has enabled Facebook to become one of the most
important data-driven marketing platforms.
There are five recurring themes in the history of Facebook.
Each theme corresponds to a different functionality. One is the redesigned
profile page in 2008. Another is the introduction of the "Notes"
application. Lastly, the "Facebook Mobile" application paved the way
for communication between Facebook and smart phones.
The chronology of the Facebook is composed of two parts: the
first is the evolution of the number of users and the second is the evolution
of the features. We can also look at Facebook's programmability and interaction
possibilities as a key to understanding its development.
Unlike many other Internet companies, Facebook is an
interconnected system. This explains its ability to reconfigure itself as it
expands, and to support a large range of partners. At the same time, its
corporate partnerships generate asymmetrical dependencies on the platform.
Hence, its emergence is a major change for many firms, which is usually
regarded as a disruptive innovation.
Nevertheless, there is a lot of room for improvement. For
example, there are still some restrictions on the kinds of activities that can
be displayed on a profile page. On the other hand, the company is working on a
way to improve its ability to deliver news, information, and recommendations.
The Facebook Ads API is a significant transition in the
development of the Facebook platform. It accommodates advertisers as new
development partners. It also offers them the opportunity to provide relevant
data, technologies, and services.
A historical analysis of the Facebook reveals that it has a
long-term evolutionary trajectory, which is shaped by the organisational environment
and the technical environment. Among other things, the company uses various
interactions to connect content producers, advertisers, and various stakeholder
groups. Furthermore, it is the leader in the data-driven marketing field.
