February 4th marks the 10 year anniversary of Facebook. The social networking site has come far in the past decade, becoming one of the most visited websites and downloaded apps and even having a film made about its creation. But what’s next for Facebook?
It has been speculated that Facebook is trying to adopt the Twitter way of doing things, by trying to be more news oriented and even adopting hashtags and trending topics sections. But we already have a Twitter, do we need another one?
With the influx of adults turning to Twitter to keep in touch with friends and find out what all the social media fuss is about, Facebook has seen a decline in younger, teenage users, who are avoiding the prying eyes of their parents by using alternative apps such as Snapchat and Twitter to talk to friends.
Since the website’s launch in 2004, Facebook has attracted 1.23 billion users, almost half of the world’s internet-connected population.
But that is exactly where Mark Zuckerberg wants to put his focus. He already has the connected world in the palm of his hand, and he wants to work on getting the rest of the world connected to the internet too. Approximately 4.4 billion people do not have access to the internet, and Zuckerberg plans to change that.
In an interview about Facebook’s plans, he said: "In 2014, we’re going to focus on deepening our relationships with mobile operators around the world and working to develop new models for internet access.
"Helping more people get connected is important to developing the global knowledge economy."
His priorities might not be the teenagers setting sail for sunnier parent-free climes, but he knows what he’s doing. In another 10 years, Facebook could be reaching millions more, and the world will be even more connected.
