a brief history of facebook as a media text: the development of an empty scructure

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http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/rt/printerFriendly/5423/4466 1/20

FirstMonday,Volume20,Number54May2015

ThispapertellsahistoryofFacebookfrom2004to2013.ItpresentsthebigpicturebyfocusingonFacebookasitpresenteditselftoauser,thatistheavailablesemioticandinteractionalelements(e.g.,profile,wall,feed,commercials,etc.)aswellasthefunctionsanduseformswhichtheseelementsmadepossibleforavarietyofactortypes(profileowners,groups,companies,softwaredevelopers,etc.).Inaddition,FacebooksdevelopmentisinscribedinalongerWebhistoricalperspectivewithaviewtoidentifyingageneralmechanismforInternetdevelopment.

Contents

1.Introduction2.20042006:Whoareyou?3.20062008:Whatareyoudoing,andwhen?4.20082013:Whereareyou?5.ThedevelopmentofFacebook200420136.FacebookinaWebhistoricalperspective

1.Introduction

InJune2007IjoinedanInternetsitewhichIhadneverheardofbefore.ItwassomethingcalledFacebook.IjoinedbecauseIwastoparticipateinaninternationalInternetresearchconference,andtheorganisershadsetupasocalledgrouponthisWebservice,whichwasalmostunknowninDenmarkatthetime.ThemostpopularnetworkingservicebackinthosedayswasMySpace[1].TherewereonlytwopeoplethatIcouldaddasfriends:twocolleagueswhoIactuallythoughtwerealreadymyfriends.IntheearlydaysofFacebook,alotofpeopleprobablyfeltthesameasIdid:thiswasunknownterritory.Butthingshavechangedfast,andinearly2013therewere3,037,000DaneswithaFacebookprofile[2].Thephenomenonhasbecomeanintegralpartoftheeverydaylivesofmanypeople,aswellasbeingpartofourpoliticalandculturallives.

ButwhatdidFacebookactuallylooklikewhenitwaslaunchedin2004,andhowhasitdevelopedintheperiodfrom2004to2013?Havetherealwaysbeenautomaticstatusupdates,andhastherealwaysbeenanoptiontoLikethings?AndwhenweretheFacebooklogosthatcannowbeseeneverywhereinthedigitalworldfirstintroduced?ThechangesmadeduringtheshorthistoryofFacebookhavebeenbothbigandrapidasamatteroffact,Facebookwassoboringwhenitwasfoundedthatitwouldprobablynothavebeensuccessfulinthatformtoday.

ItisdifficulttoaccountbrieflyforallareasofthehistoryofFacebook.Thus,whatfollowspretendstobeneitherthehistoryofFacebook,norahistoryofFacebook.RatherisitanoutlineofahistoryofonesingleelementofFacebook,namelythetextualandinteractivemediaenvironmentthatuserscanseeandinteractwithontheWebsiteandonmobilemedia.Ortobeslightlymoreprecise:theelementsavailableforusersofFacebookwithregardtosemioticsandinteraction,aswellasthefunctionsandusestheseelementshavefacilitatedforvarioustypesofusers[3].Thisleavesoutmanyothertopicswhichwouldalsohavebeenveryrelevant:Facebookasacompany,thewayusersactuallyuseFacebook,privacysettings,censorshipofcontent,Webdesignandaesthetics,Facebookaspartofabroaderculturalhistory,tomentionjustafew.ItshouldalsobestressedthattheaimislimitedonlytotheaccountingofwhathashappenedinFacebooksdevelopmentasmediatext,andnotwhyithashappened,forinstanceasaconsequenceoftheinterplaywitheconomicfactors,privacyissues,userfeedback,etc.

Therefore,thispaperismerelyamodestcontributiontowhatmaylaterbecomethehistoryof

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Facebookinthehandsoffuturehistorians.However,foregroundingthetextualandinteractivemediaenvironmentconstitutesanimportantfirststeppingstone,sincewehavetoknowwhatFacebookactuallylookedlikeandwhatcouldbedonewithitinthepastbeforewecanbroadenthehistoricalscopeandidentifysomeofthereasonsforthedevelopmentofFacebook.

Thehistoricalanalysisseekstoshedlightontwoissues:WhathasactuallyhappenedinthedevelopmentofFacebook?AndisthereageneraldevelopmentmechanisminthehistoryofFacebookasamediatext?TheanswertothefirstquestionwillinvolveachronologicalpresentationanddiscussionofFacebooksmostimportantphenomenaandeventsintermsofsemioticsandpossibilitiesofinteractionwhereastheanswertothesecondwillplaceFacebookinabroaderInternet/Webhistoricalperspective.

Paradoxicallyenough,thegenerallyhighlevelofinterestinFacebookintheacademicliteratureisnotbalancedbyanequallyhighlevelofinterestinthehistoryofFacebook[4].Thereareafewjournalisticcompanybiographieswhicharenotacademic,butwhichareveryusefulsources[5].TherearenoproperhistoricalresearchanalysesofFacebookasawhole,butthereareafewhistoricalanalysesofindividualFacebookfeatures,e.g.,thedevelopmentofprivacysettings20052011[6],ortheuseandperceptionofFacebook20062008[7],ortheadoptionofFacebookinthe2006and2012campaignsfortheU.S.Congress[8].

ForWebhistorians,however,itisalsoachallengetowritethehistoryofFacebook,especiallywhen,asisthecasehere,thefocusisonFacebookasamediatext,wheretheactualWebsiteispivotal.OnereasonforthisisthatboththecontentandthevariousversionsoftheWebsiteareregularlydisabled[9].ItisalsoproblematictostudyFacebookasacompany,becauseitisdifficulttoobtainaccesstofirsthandsourcessuchasminutesandotherinternaldocuments.Thefollowingdiscussionisthereforeessentiallybasedontherelevantfirsthandsourcesthathavebeenavailable.Foronething,screenshotsetc.ofFacebookfoundontheopenWeb,orHTMLversionsfromtwoWebarchives(theDanishNetarkivet[http://netarkivet.dk/]andtheU.S.LibraryofCongressWebArchives[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/lcwa/html/lcwahome.html]respectively).FacebookisnolongeravailableintheU.S.InternetArchive(archive.org)becauseFacebookaskedtoberemoved.Incidentally,thedisadvantageofscreenshotsfromtheopenWebisthattheiroriginanddatingmaybedifficulttodetermine.Andforanotherthing,thefollowingsubsitesareusedatfacebook.com:Facebooksowntimeline,whichcoverstheperiodfromFebruary2004tothepresentday,butwhichisnotparticularlydetailedandthereforeoftenlinkstotheFacebookBlog(coveringAugust2006toJanuary2012)andtoFacebookspressreleases(coveringFebruary2007tothepresentday).Unlessotherwiseindicated,thesourceofthedatesofFacebookpagesisoneofthesethreeWebsitesatfacebook.com.Finally,statisticsregardingthenumberofusershavebeenpublishedbyFacebook.Theinformationshouldthereforebeviewedwithsomecaution,asithasnotbeenverifiedbyothersources.

Inthefollowingsection,thehistoryofFacebookasamediatextisdividedintothreephases:20042006,20062008and20082013.ThisdivisionintophasescorrelatestochangesontheWebsiteandtothefunctionalitiesavailabletousers.Ifanotherpointoffocushadbeenselectedfordiscussion,thephaseswouldmostlikelyhavebeendifferent.ThechronologyofFacebookisanalysedandinterpretedthroughfiverecurringthemes:profileandnetwork,sharing,commercialactivity,outsidetheWeb,andsoftwaredevelopment.Attheendofthepaper,thereisarepresentationofthedevelopmentinthenumberofFacebookusersandatimelineshowingthemainphenomenaandeventsontheWebandonFacebook.

2.20042006:Whoareyou?

On4February2004theWebservicethefacebook.comopenedforstudentsatHarvardUniversityinCambridge,Massachusetts.ThefacebookmadeitpossibleforHarvardstudentstocreateaprofilepagewithpersonalinformationandtomaintaincontactwitheachother.Theonlyrequirementswerethatyouhadtohaveanemailaddressendinginharvard.eduandyouhadtobemorethan18yearsold.Thefacebookreferstoitselfasanonlinedirectorythatconnectspeoplethroughsocialnetworksatcollegesanduniversities[10].Organisationsandbusinesseswerenotallowedtocreateaprofile[11].Theservicewascreatedby19yearoldMarkZuckerberg,himselfaHarvardUniversitystudent,whoranitfromacomputerinhiscollegeroom.Hewasjoinedbyfourfellowstudents,andthewaythefounderspresentthemselvesclearlyshowsthatthisWebservicewascreatedbyandforyoungstudents:

MarkZuckerberg:Founder,MasterandCommander,EnemyoftheStateEduardoSaverin:BusinessStuff,CorporateStuff,BrazilianAffairsDustinMoskovitz:NoLongerExpendableProgrammer,PaidAssassinAndrewMcCollum:GraphicArt,GeneralRockstarChrisHughes:TheSecretWeapon[12].

Shortlyafterthesiteislaunched,ThefacebookstartedtoaddotherAmericanuniversitiestothenetwork,firstofallStanford,ColumbiaandYale(FebruaryMarch),andlaterNewYorkUniversity,MIT,CornellUniversityandothers(March).StudentsfromotheruniversitieswereinvitedtosuggestfurtheradditionstothenetworkonThefacebooksopencontactpage[13].In

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Mayofthefollowingyear,Thefacebookwasavailableto800Americanuniversities.FromSeptember2005itwasalsoavailabletouppersecondaryschoolstudents,andinOctoberofthesameyearFacebook(thenamewaschangedinSeptember2005)startedopeninguptoeducationalinstitutionsoutsidetheU.S.SoitwasnosurprisethatFacebookgrewrapidly:inApril2004,twomonthsafterthelaunch,therewere70,000users,butalreadyinDecemberthisfigureincreasedtoonemillion,andinDecember2005thereweremorethansixmillionusers.

Thefacebookwasapparentlyaddictivefromtheverybeginning:Ihaveanewaddiction.Itispowerful.Itisdisturbing.Itisthefacebook.com,theeditorialpageof34thStreetMagazine,TheDailyPennsylvanianreportedon25March2004[14].

2.1.Profilesandnetworksoffriends

ThetwomainelementsofThefacebookweretheprofileandthenetwork.Thepersonalprofilewaslinkedtoanindividualperson,anditwasvisibletoallusersofThefacebookifpermittedbyprivacysettings[15].Itmayincludeinformationsuchascontactinformation,whetheryouareinarelationship,yourpoliticalviews,yourfavouritemusic,booksandfilms,informationaboutwhereyoustudy,andaphoto.Inaddition,theprofilepageshowedwhetheryouwereloggedinandwhetherthishadbeendonefromoneoftheplacesthatappearinFacebooksdatabaseofcolleges[16].Theprofilemustnothavebeencreatedforananimal,aplace,deadobjects,fictitiouspersons,orexistingpersonsotherthanyourself[17].

Astheownerofaprofileyouwereincludedinalargesocialnetworkconsistingofthegroupofalluserswhoseprivacysettingsallowyoutoviewtheirinformation[18].Butyoucanalsochoosetolinktootherprofilesfriendsviahyperlinks.Thisnetworkoffriendswasshownonyourprofilepagevialistswithphotos,eitherasalistoffriendsoralistofclassmates[19].Inaddition,youcouldseeyourfriendslistsoffriends[20],andwhenyouvisitedsomebodyelsesprofileyoucouldseewhichfriendsyoushare.

2.2.Sharingandcreatingcontact

BecausetheusersofThefacebookweresociallynetworkingwitheachother,theusersprofileinformationwasavailabletohisorhernetwork,whichwasthemostbasicformofsharingonThefacebook.Butaboutsixmonthsafterthelaunch,thesharingoptionswereextendedwiththeintroductionofasocalledWalloneachprofilepage,whereuserscouldpostmessagesfortheirfriendsandwriteontheirwalls.Userswerenowabletosharemessageswitheachother,andlateronitbecamepossibletosharephotos(fromOctober2005).Whensharing,however,youhadtogotoyourfriendsprofilepagestoseeiftheyhadmadeupdates,forexamplewrittennewmessagesontheirwalloruploadednewphotostotheirsite.Updateswerethusnotvisibletoyournetworkunlesstheyvisitedyourprofilepage.However,itwaspossibletogetintouchwithoneofyourfriendsbypokingthemorbysendingamessageandfromOctober2005itwaspossibletotagapersoninaphoto.Youdidthisbywritingwhichofyourfriendsareinthephotoandlinkingtotheirprofiles.

2.3.Adverts

AdvertshavebeenpartofFacebookalmostfromtheoutset.Alreadyinthespringof2004,banneradsbegantoappearontheuserprofilepages,andthisoptionwastypicallyusedbybusinessesandeducationalinstitutionsthatwereofpotentialinteresttostudents.Advertscouldbetargetedforuserswithspecificprofilesonthebasisoftheirage,gender,university,personalinterests,politicalviewsetc.[21]Businesseswerenotallowedtocreateaprofilepage[22],norwereusersofThefacebookallowedtoadvertiseontheirprofilepagesortotradewitheachother.

2.4.Facebook,aclosedWebsiteforthefew

ThereisnodoubtthatFacebookwasasuccessinthisfirstphase,judgingbyitsgrowthinthenumberofusersandusersenthusiasm.ButwhatmadeFacebookanovelty,andwhywasitnew?

TheindividualtextualelementsandpossibilitiesofinteractionofFacebookwerealreadyavailableontheInternetandtheWebbeforeFacebookstartedusingtheminmanycasesaverylongtimebefore.Afewexamples:thepersonalprofilewasusedindatingWebsites,forinstancekiss.com(1994)andmatch.com(1995)intheU.S.networkswithfriendswereusedinSixDegrees.com(19972000),LiveJournal.com(1999),Friendster(2002),Linkedin(2003)andMySpace(2003)[23]sharingisoneoftheInternetsmostfundamentalfeatures,includinguntil2004,forexample,softwareandsourcecode(atBulletinBoardSystemsinthe1980s,Websourcecodein1991,oftenconnectedtotheopensourcemovement[24],music(Napster,1999),knowledge(newsgroupsandUsenetinthe1980s,Wikipediafrom2001),andphotos(Picasa,2002,Photobucket,2003,Flickr,2004)messagescouldbewrittenonawallinblogs,whichgainpopularityinthe1990sandfinally,banneradsontheWebwereintroducedin1993.

SotheindividualelementsandfunctionalitiesofFacebookarenotnew.IfFacebookwasnewinanysense,itwasowingtothewayitcreatedandmixedfamiliarelementsandtypesofusers.WhatisfundamentalhereisthatFacebookmerelymakesanemptystructureavailable.Itisastructureinthesensethatcertainoptionsareprovidedintermsofsemioticsandinteraction(profilepages,networksoffriends,sharingofmessagesandphotos,bannerads)whichallow

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andpromoteaparticularuseandspecificusers,whilemakingitdifficultforothers(orexcludingthemaltogether)[25].Forexample,itisnotpossibletochangethelayoutoftheprofilepageortoaddsoftwaretoFacebook.ButthestructureisemptyinthesensethatthespecificcontenttobeaddedisnotdecidedbyFacebook.Thestructuremustbefilledinbytheprofileownersoradvertiserswithactualwriting,photos,clicks,links,advertsetc.

FacebooksemptystructuremakesitpossibleforthefeaturesmadeavailablebyFacebooktointeractwiththreetypesofuserFacebookasacompany,profileownersandadvertisersbycontrollingtheusersaswellasofferingthemopportunities,whichallinallcontributedtomaketheservicegrow.

ThecontentwhichtheprofileownerscansupplyforFacebooksstructuremainlyinvolvedpresentingyourselfasapersonandaspartofanetwork.Inotherwords:Whoareyou?

3.20062008:Whatareyoudoing,andwhen?

ThetransitiontothesecondphaseinthehistoryofFacebookasmediatexttookplaceinthespringof2006,andfortworeasons.Foronething,Facebookopeneduptotheworldoutsidetheworldofeducation.Andforanother,from2006onwardsaverylargenumberofnewfeatureswerelaunchedwhichchangeFacebookradically.

InMay2006Facebookstoppedbeingapurelyeducationbasednetworkandopeneduptoemployeesofcertainbusinesses,forexampleAppleandMicrosoft[26]andinSeptemberofthesameyearFacebookopeneduptoanyoneabovetheageof13.Onthewelcomepage,Facebookwasdescribedasasocialutilitythatconnectsyouwiththepeoplearoundyou.Inaddition,in2008FacebookbecameavailableinlanguagesotherthanEnglish.FirstSpanish(February)thenGermanandFrench(March)andbyJunetherewere17Facebooklanguages,includingJapanese,ChineseandItalian.2006wastheyearwhenthemembershipofFacebookstartedtoexplode:from12millionusersinDecember2006to100millionlessthantwoyearslater(August2008).

Finally,Facebookgrewsofastthatcommunicationwithuserswasprofessionalised,asreflectedinthecreationoftheFacebookBlog(August2006),wheremanynewinitiativeswereregularlyadvertisedandexplained,andtheCustomerSupportTeam(October2006).FacebooksincreasedinternationalpresencewasalsoreflectedintheopeningofitsinternationalheadquartersinDublin(October2008).

3.1.Newprofiletypesandnetworkoptions

TheprofilepageslinkedtoindividualswasstillthemainelementofFacebook.Butnewelementsforexpressionandinteractionwereadded,looseningtheclosebondsbetweenWebsiteandindividual.

InAugust2006,theNotesapplicationwasintroduced,allowinguserstohaveablogontheirprofilepage,eitherbywritingdirectinNotesorbyimportingblogpostsfromablogoutsidetheFacebookuniverseinJune2007,FacebookVideowasreleased,allowinguserstoaddvideostotheirprofilepage2008sawtheintroductionofachatfeatureallowinguserstocommunicatewiththeirfriendsinrealtime(April2008),andaredesignoftheprofilepages(July2008).

ThenitbecamepossibletocreatenewtypesofFacebookpages,apartfrompersonalprofilepages.First,politiciansrunningformidtermelectionsintheU.S.inNovember2006wereallowedtocreateprofilepagesonFacebookinpreparationfortheelection.ThesepageswerevisibletoallusersallcandidatepageswerecollectedinanElection2006boxmadefortheoccasion.Secondly,WebsitesknownasNetworkPages(similartoportals)werelaunchedinApril2007tocollectonepagecompilationsofinformationthatwasalreadyavailableinanetwork(forexampleonusers,eventsandstatistics).Thesenetworkingsiteswerevisibletoeveryoneinthenetwork,withalimitededitionbeingvisibletopeopleoutsidethenetwork.Third,inNovember2007itbecamepossibleforanyonetocreateprofilepagesnotonlyindividualsbutalsorestaurants,businesses,organisations,singleissueadvocates,musicians,filmcompanies,younameit.Whatwasnewisthatyoudidnotbecomefriendswiththeownersoftheseprofilepages,althoughyoudidhavetheoptiontoBecomeaFan.Thisintroducedanewwayofcreatingnetworkswhichwasbasednotonmutualrelationsbetweentwoprofileownersbutonaonesidedrelationship,withtheprofileownerbecomingthefanofapage.ThesepageswerevisibletoallWebusers,notonlytouserswithaFacebookprofile.Inthisway,aFacebookpageactuallyfunctionedlikeanyotherWebsite,buttakingadvantageofallthefeaturesandfunctionalitiesofferedbytheFacebookuniverse.

Finally,inSeptember2007,itbecamepossibletosearchamongallFacebookusers,evenifyouwerenottheirfriend.AndinDecemberofthesameyear,listsoffriendswerelaunchedwiththeoptionofdividingyourfriendsintoFamily,Colleagues,orwhateveryouneedthiswasusefulbecauseFacebookhadgrownsopeoplesnetworkshadgrowntoo.In2008(May)thefeaturePeopleyoumayknowwaslaunched,suggestingthatyoumayknowyourfriendsfriendsandwishtobecomeFacebookfriendswiththem.Thesethreeinitiativesmeantthateachindividual

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networkcouldgrowfast.

3.2.Newwaysofsharing

Notonlyaretheremoreformsofcontenttoshare,butthewaysofsharingalsochangeradicallyinthisphase.

Themostimportantbreakthroughsweretheoptionofmakingstatusupdates(April2006)andthefeaturesNewsFeedandMiniFeed(September2006).Statusupdatesmadeitpossible,bymeansofasmallwritingarea(MyStatus)onyourownpagetotellpeoplewhatyouweredoingwithouthavingtochangeyourmorepermanentprofileinformationwheneveryoudidsomethingnewthatyouwantedtotellyourfriendsabout.NewsFeedandMiniFeedmadeiteasierforyoutokeepupwithyourfriendsactivitiesintheabsenceofastatusupdate.Whereasyoupreviouslyhadtovisityourfriendsprofilepagestosecurenewinformation,itwasnowpossibletoallowinformationtoflowintoyourownFacebookpageautomaticallybydisplayingeitherallnetworkactivity(NewsFeed)oronlytheactivityofoneparticularuser(MiniFeed).Statusupdatesandfeedsaboutwhatwashappening,whatyouweredoingandwhenbecameacrucialnewbondingoptioninFacebooksnetwork.Inparticular,feedsledtoanexplosivegrowthintheradiusandspeedofmessages.AccordingtooneofthedevelopersofNewsFeed,itwasnotreallytheirintentiontoinventaplatformthatcouldbeusedtosupportglobalactivism,butthisseemedtobewhathadhappened:forexample,postsaboutthecreationofnewgroupsontopicssuchassupportforDarfurorbreastcancerspreadatthespeedoflightning,makinggroupsgrowfromzerotohalfamillionmembersinjustafewdays(blog.facebook.com,6October2006).

AnotherimportantnewsharingfunctionalitywasMyShares(October2006),whichappearsonallWebsitesassmallFacebookicons,makingitpossibletosharealinktoasitewithyourFacebookfriendswithasingleclick.Usershadbeenabletocopyalinkontotheirprofilepageortheirstatusupdatesinthepast,ofcourse.Butnowthiscouldbedonequicklyandeasilybyasingleclick.IncontinuationofMyShares,aFacebooktoolbarwasdevelopedfortheFirefoxbrowserinNovember2006,enablinguserstokeeptrackoftheirFacebooknetworksactivityinthebrowser,evenwhentheywerenotontheirFacebooksite,aswellasmakingitpossibletosharethelinktoagivensite,ifthepagedoesnotcontainthesmallshareicon.Finally,animportfeaturewasintroducedin2008,allowinguserstoimportcontentfromothersites,suchasphotosites,directlyintotheirMiniFeed(April).Withthesefeatures,FacebookextendeditsscopetotherestoftheWeb,aswellasdrawingcontentfromelsewhereintotheFacebookuniverse.

Finally,taggingwasexpandedtoincludeapersonwhowasmentionedinNotes,forinstance,orappearedinavideo.

3.3.Gifts,marketplaceandviraladvertising

IntheearlyyearsofFacebook,banneradsweretheonlyformofcommercialactivityonthesite,andindividualprofileownerswerenotallowedtoadvertiseontheirprofilesortradewitheachother.However,thiswasradicallychangedinthesecondphase,whenbanneradswerejoinedbyvariousformsoftrading.

TheGiftsfeaturewaslaunchedinFebruary2007,givinguserstheoptionofbuyingsmallFacebookgiftsfortheirfriendsandthussupportingacharitablecause.GiftsconsistedofsmalliconscostingUS$1each,withallproceedsgoingtocancerresearch,forinstance.Theywerestoredintherecipientsgiftbox,andiftheyweredonatedpubliclyamessageappearedontherecipientswall.

Laterin2007(May)Marketplacewaslaunched,makingitpossibleforFacebookuserstoadvertisethingstheywantedtobuyorsell,orthingstheyneeded(ajoboraccommodation,forinstance).SoMarketplacecouldbecategorisedassomewherebetweentheclassifiedadvertisementsandadvertsforjobsoraccommodation.

Finally,amoresophisticatedandintegratedadvertisingplatformwasaddedtothesimplebanneradvertisingplatform:theFacebookAdsservice,whichwaslaunchedinNovember2007.FacebookAdsenabledcompaniestosetupacorporateorproductsiteonFacebook,therebygainingdirectcontactwithFacebookusers.UsersbecameFansofthesesites,enablingcompaniestospreadtheiradvertisingmessagesvirallythroughthenetworkaswellasgatheringspecificinformationabouttheFacebookactivityofusers.Companiescouldalsobeintegratedwiththesharefunctionontheirownsites,soinformationaboutwhatFacebookusersweresharingwiththeirfriendsonthecompanysitewasnotonlyaddedtotheusersfeedbutalsomadeavailabletothecompanyconcerned(viatheFacebookBeaconservice).

3.4.FacebookoutsidetheWebFacebookMobile

FacebookstartedlifeasapureWebservice,andthiswasstillwhereitsmainactivitywasfound.ButduringthisphaseFacebookalsostartedextendingitsactivitiestoanotherplatform:mobilephones.Initiallytostandardmobilephones,butlatertosmartphonesaswell.

InApril2006FacebookMobilemadeitpossibletocommunicatewithFacebookbytextmessages,andlateritbecamepossibletouploadphotosaswellasvisitingFacebookssitefromyourmobilephone(January2007).LessthantwomonthsafterthelaunchofthefirstiPhone,FacebookssitewasaccessibleviaiPhone(August2007).ShortlyafterAppleopensitsAppStorethefollowing

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year,FacebookforiPhonewasready(August).

3.5.Softwaredevelopmentforeveryone

ThelastmajornewtypeofactivitylaunchedbyFacebookinthisperiodwastheFacebookPlatform(May2007),whichmadeitpossibleforsoftwaredeveloperslargecompaniesaswellasamateurstoproduceprogramsthatcouldbeintegratedwiththeFacebookuniverse:eitherprogramsonFacebookssite,orprogramswhichsendinformationfromFacebooktoothersitesortheuserscomputerdesktop.AtthelaunchinMay2007,anumberofexamplesofsuchprogramswerementioned,includingaprogramforbookreviews(BookReviews),producedbyFacebookandAmazontogiveFacebookusersthechancetowriteanddisplaybookreviewsontheirprofilepage,wheretherewasaBuyfromAmazonbuttonforeachreview.EachFacebookuserdecidedwhichprogramstheywantedtousebyaddingthemtotheirprofilepage.

Therewasalotofinterestintheinitiativeamongsoftwaredevelopers:thebetaversionFacebookDevelopmentPlatformwasavailableinAugust2006andinMarch2007theFacebookDevelopersgrouphadmorethan4,000members.Justoveroneyearlater,400,000developersusedPlatform.FacebookPlatformmadeitpossibletosupplyanewtypeofcontentforFacebook:softwareprogramsasanintermediatelayerofcontentbetweenthecontentofprofileownersandtherestoftheFacebookstructure.

3.6.Facebook,apowerfulmediamachinefortheflowofinformation

Themaincharacteristicoftherelativelyshortperiodfromthespringof2006untilthesummerof2008,whichwasthesecondphaseinFacebookshistoryasamediatext,wasstrongandrapidexpansion:thenumberofusersgrewtheoptionsforexpressionandinteractionincreasedanybodycouldsetupaprofilepageFacebookexpandedtomobilemediaandotherWebservicesandnewtypesofuserwereseen:profileownerssuchasshops,companies,softwaredevelopersandownersofotherdigitalservicesthatinteractwithFacebook.

ItisstilltruetosaythatnoneofthenewformsofactivityonFacebookwereactuallynew.TheICQinstantmessagingprogramappearedin1996WebfeedstoautomaticallysendupdatedinformationwereusedinRSS(1999)andAtom(2003)microbloggingwasusedinJaiku(20062012)andTwitter(2006)videostreamingwithRealsoftwarehadbeenpossiblesince1997,andvideosharingstartswithYouTube(2005)chatstartedwiththeBitnetRelay(1985)tradingontheWebstartedinthemid1990s,withoneofthefirsttradersbeingamazon.com(1995)tradinginclosedcomputernetworkslikeProdigystartedin1984,withtradingbetweenprivateindividualsstartingwiththeAmericanCraigslist(1995)andeBay(1995)ithadbeenpossibletotargetWebadvertisingandmonitoruserbehavioursincethemid1990sanduserswereincludedinsoftwaredevelopmentintheopensourcemovement(forinstance).

Facebookwasnewbecauseofthewayitcombinedalltheseformsofactivity,andbecauseofthewaytheywerecloselyconnectedandintegratedwithinajointuniverse.

OneimportantprerequisitemakingitpossibletohandletherapidexpansioninallvariableswasthatFacebookwasstillbasicallyanemptystructure.ItwastruethatFacebookaddedawealthofnewstructuralelementsbutitwasstillprofileowners(nowincludingcompanies,softwaredevelopersandownersofotherdigitalservices)whosuppliedcontentandspecificrelationstothestructure.Thewayinwhichthestructuralelementsweremixedseemedtobebalancedconstantly,enablingmoreandmoreuserstocoexistandwanttobepartofFacebook,despitedifferencesintheirinterests.

TheconsequenceofthemanynewinitiativeswasthatduringthisperiodFacebookacquiredanewgeneralfunction.WhilethequestionWhoareyou?wasinfocusinthefirstphase,theactivitiesinthesecondphasetendedtosupportthequestionWhatareyoudoing,andwhen?instead.ThedigitalstructureinwhichthisWhatareyoudoingwhen?tookplacewascharacterisedbytwosimultaneousbutcontradictorytendencies.OntheonehandFacebook,whichwasasinglesiteinthefirstphase,expandedtootherWebsites,programsandplatformsbysupplyingthemwithcontent(viaPlatform,toolbar,MobileandApps,forinstance).Butontheotherhand,Facebookdrewanincreasingproportionofitscontentfromtheoutsideworld(viaNotes,MyShare,toolbar,ImportandAds).Inotherwords,Facebooksemptystructurewasbasedonatwowaytransferofinformation.WhenthistwowaytransferofinformationacrosstheFacebookinterfacewascombinedandintegratedwithstatusupdatesandfeeds(whichwerebasicallyinternalmechanisms),thelargeradiusandhighspeedofthesefeedssupplementedthewaythetransferwasachieved.TheresultwasthatingeneraltermsFacebookworkedlikeapowerfuljunctionorpointoffocus,withagreatdealoftheactivitythattookplaceontheWeboutsideFacebookflowedthroughtheFacebookuniverseinoneformoranotherinanexponentialprocess:thecontentofothersitespassingthroughFacebookwasredistributedtootherpartsoftheWeb,fromwhereitwasretrievedbyFacebookandcombinedwithothercontent,andsoonadinfinitum.ThelimitstotheFacebooksitebecameporous,andthesitebecamearapidlyexpandingmachinefortheflowofinformation.

4.20082013:Whereareyou?

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Bycontrastwiththerapidexpansionofnewfunctionalitiesduringthesecondphase,therewerefarfewernewinitiativesduringthethirdphase.Evenso,Facebookcontinuedtoexpandatevengreaterspeedthanbefore:from150millionusersinJanuary2009tomorethan500millioninJuly2010.Theonebillionmarkwaspassedon14September2012.Facebookwasnowusedbyoneseventhoftheworldspopulation,andbyjustunder50percentofeveryonewithanInternetconnection.From2009onwardsFacebookwasalsoavailableinover70differentlanguages,includingLatin,andhadapresenceonallcontinents,evenAntarctica.ThestructureofFacebookasacompanyalsochangedwhenitenteredthestockmarket(NASDAQ)on18May2012.TheFacebookphenomenonreallypenetratedmanyaspectsofculture:forinstance,theverbtounfriendwaschosenasthewordoftheyearintheNewOxfordAmericanDictionary(November2009),andMarkZuckerbergwaselectedPersonoftheYearbyTimeinDecember2010.ThereasongivenforchoosingZuckerbergwasthatWehaveenteredtheFacebookage,andMarkZuckerbergisthemanwhobroughtushere.Andfinally,thecreationofFacebookwasportrayedinthefilmTheSocialNetwork,whichopenedinOctober2010(directedbyDavidFincher).

4.1.Profilesandnetworksoffriends

Inthethirdphasetherewerecountlesschangesinlayout,expansions,alterationsandchangesintheprofilepagesaswellasthemanyexpression/interactionelementsandpagetypesthatwerepresentinpreviousphases.Newelementswereaddedaswell.

Firstofall,variousformsoflivestreamingwereaddedtovideoasamodeofexpression.Nearly19millionviewerswatchedthefirstlivevideostreamingonFacebookinJanuary2009:theinaugurationofthenewlyelectedU.S.President,BarackObama(incollaborationwithCNN),withcontinuousfriendcommentsnexttotheliveimage.InAugust2010FacebookLive,Facebooksownlivestreamingtelevisionservice,openedwithguestsbeinginvitedtoastudiothatbroadcastedatspecifictimes.AninterpersonalvideochatalsobecameavailablewiththeserviceFacebookVideoCallingincollaborationwithSkype(July2011).

Secondly,FacebooksusershadtheopportunitytoreviewtheirFacebookpastinanentirelynewway.Timeline,launchedintheU.S.attheendof2011andtotherestoftheworldinJanuary2012,madeitpossibletogorightbacktothecreationofaprofile,fromwhereyoucouldjumptoanylateractivities.Thisfeatureexpandedtheprimarilyspatialorganisationofelementsinalocaltimeline(connectedtofeed,photoupload,etc.)byaddingtheoptionofachronologicalsystemwhichwasglobalfortheentireFacebookactivityoftheprofileownerconcerned.

Thirdly,anewtypeofpagewaslaunchedinApril2010knownasCommunityPages,whichwerepagesbasedonatopic,interestoractivity(Cooking,forinstance).Thistypeofpagewascollectiveinthesensethatitwasownedbyeveryonewhouseditnotbyanindividual,company,organisationoranyotherclearlydefinedgroup.Wikipediawasusedasthemodel,sothesystemstartedwithinformationretrievedfromthere.

4.2.LikesandFacebookConnect

ThetypesofsharingthathavecharacterisedFacebookinthepastcontinuedandwereexpandedinvariousways.ThetrafficinandoutoftheFacebookuniversewasconstantlybeingrefinedandnewinitiativeswereadded.Forinstance,itbecamepossibletoimportfriendsfromanemailorInstantMessagingaccounttoFacebook,andtowriteonTwitterviaFacebook(althoughnotfrompersonalprofiles,August2009),asmallcounterwasaddedtotheFacebookSharebuttonswhichwerefoundoncountlesssitesshowingthenumberoftimesthesiteinquestionhadbeenshared(October2009),andSpotifywaslinkedtoFacebook(July2011).Inparticular,anew,smallbutton(Like)wasaddedtotheFacebookportfolioofsharemechanismsinFebruary2009,makingitpossibleforuserstotelltheirnetworkwhattheylikedquicklyandeasily.AtfirstthiswasonlyavailableonFacebooksownpagesbutfromApril2010itwasavailableonsitesoutsideFacebook,anditquicklybecamepopular.Oneyearafterthelaunch,morethan10,000sitesadaywereaddingtheLikebuttontotheirpages.LikewasclearlyanextensionofthefunctionknownasShare.

ButthemostfundamentalnewinitiativewasFacebookConnect,whichwaslaunchedinDecember2008havingbeenavailabletodeveloperssinceAugustthatsameyear.ThedistinctivefeatureofFacebookConnectwasthatitenabledFacebookuserstotaketheirprofilesandalltheinformationaboutactivities,interests,favouritefilms,books,etc.withthemandloginusingtheirFacebookusernameandpasswordtoanysiteoutsideFacebookthattookpartintheservice.Thesesitesthenhadtheopportunitytocustomiseandpersonalisetheirsitefortheprofilewhichloggedon.Italsoworkedtheotherwayaround:whenyouwereloggedontoanotherservicewithFacebookConnect,theinformationaboutyouractivitiesonthisservicecouldbesentbacktotheFacebookuniverse.ThismeansthatFacebookConnectfunctionedintwoways.Firstofall,itworkedasagenerallogintoawidevarietyofWebservices,sousersdidnotneedtocreateanaccountwiththeirusernameandpassword.Secondly,itwasyetanotherelementthatextendedFacebookbeyondthesiteitself,butinsuchawaythattheusersaloneelectedtotaketheirentireFacebookidentitywiththemtoanothersitewithconstantfeedbacktoFacebook.ThepopularityofFacebookConnectwasdemonstratedbythefactthatitwasavailableonmorethan80,000sitesoneyearafterthelaunch.

FacebookConnectmadeitpossibletoextendtherangeofsitesfromwhichyoucouldaccess

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Facebook.Forexample,inApril2009itbecamepossibletoseeandwriteinFacebookviaanothersiteordirectlyviaaprogramonthecomputerdesktopwithoutusingabrowser,eitherwithFacebookaloneinthewindoworinapplicationswhichcombineanumberofinformationflows,e.g.,fromTwitter.FromAugustonwardsyoucouldsharephotosfromNintendogameconsolesbyusingFacebookConnect.FromNovemberonwardsyoucouldplayXboxgameswithyourFacebookfriendsaswellasusingXboxandthetelevisionscreentoaccessFacebook.ThisdevelopmentturnedFacebookintomorethanjustaWebservice.

4.3.Giftsshutdownandreopened,FacebookCreditsandDeals

Asmentionedearlier,fromFebruary2007onwardsitwaspossibletomakedonationstospecificcharitiesbybuyingsmallFacebookgiftsforyourfriendsthroughtheserviceGifts.InthethirdphaseGiftswasexpanded,shutdownandreopenedinanewform.Firstofall,therangeofGiftswasexpandedtoincludenotonlycharitygiftsbutalsorealgiftssuchasecards,musicintheformofMP3files,gifticonswithmerchandisefromfavouritesportsteams,andgiftsinthephysicalworld(October2009).ThenGiftswasshutdownlessthanayearafterthisexpansion,beingoneofthefewtimesthataFacebookactivitywaseverremoved(August2010).Giftswasreborntwoyearslater(October2012),butnowwithrealgiftsyouorderedfromoneofthecompaniesconnectedtotheservice,afterwhichtherecipientreceivedamessagewithapictureofthegift.Alternatively,theycouldgainaccesstothesegiftsontheInternet(TVseriesormusic,forinstance).Butitwasstillpossibletomakedonationstocharities.

AsanoffshootoftheactivitiesinGifts,Facebookcreateditsownvirtualcurrency.InitiallythiswascalledGiftCredits,andlateronFacebookCredits.YoupurchasedFacebookCreditswithyourcreditcard(orPayPal,fromFebruary2010),usingthemtobuygiftssuchasgoodsorgameelementsintheFacebookuniverse.FromSeptember2010,itwasalsopossibletobuyvouchersorcreditcardsissuedforfixedamountstouseintheFacebookuniverse.

ThemostrecentcommercialinitiativewasDeals,whichmadeitpossibleforshopsnearyoutooffercheapproducts,freemerchandiseorthelikewhenyouloggedontotheirFacebookprofile(November2010,initiallyonlyintheU.S.,butfromJanuary2011itbecameinternational).Thisservicewasbasedontheabilityofmobilemediatoidentifyyourlocation.

4.4.MobilegrowthandPlaces

ThepresenceofFacebookinmobilephones,startinginthesecondphase,continuedtoexpandfullforceafter2008.Inadditiontoregularupdatesandminoradjustments,FacebookspresenceinmobilemediawascharacterisedbythefactthatnewopportunitiescreatedbytheongoingdevelopmentofmobilephoneswereexploitedinclosecollaborationwithfeaturesalreadyavailableonFacebookssite.YoucouldsecurestatusupdatesintheformoftextmessagesfromJune2009,youcouldchatusingmobilemediafromFebruary2010,youcouldwatchFacebookvideosonaniPhonefromJune2010,andFacebookCameramadeitpossibletotakephotosthatcouldbestoredintheFacebookuniverserightaway(May2012).Finally,Facebookwasavailableonthelatestmobileplatform,theiPad(October2011).Thesemobileservicesquicklybecameverypopular.ThenumberofusersaccessingFacebookontheirmobilephonesgrewfrom20millioninJanuary2009to100millioninFebruary2010.Duringthesameperiod,Facebookhad150millionandapprox.350millionusersrespectively,sotheincreasewassignificant.

Themostimportantbreakthroughinrelationtomobilemedia,however,wasnotonlythatFacebookwasbecomingincreasinglymobilebutthatthegeolocalisationoptionofmobileunitswasconnectedtofeaturesthatarealreadypartofFacebook.FromSeptember2009youcouldseewhichofyourfriendswerenearby,andFacebookPlaceswaslaunchedinAugust2010,connectingFacebookuserstotheirlocation.Checkinginmadeitpossibletoshareinformationaboutwhereyouwereandwhoyouwerewithaswellasfindingoutwhichofyourfriendswerenearby.Youcouldalsogobackintimetoseeifyouoranyofyourfriendshadbeeninthesamelocationpreviously.Placeswasbasicallylikethelocationfunctionfrom2004,butmuchmoreflexiblebecausethelocationwasdeterminedbyyourmobilephoneandnotthephysicallocationofthecomputer.

4.5.Softwaredevelopment

SinceFacebookgavesoftwaredeveloperstheopportunitytocreateprogramsthatcouldbeintegratedwiththeFacebookuniverseinMay2007,thousandsofsmallprogramshadbeendeveloped(forinstance,therewere52,000programsonFacebookPlatforminMay2009).Inthewakeofthisgreatpopularity,averynaturalneedforacleardirectoryofprogramsarose.ThisresultedinthelaunchofanApplicationDirectoryinMay2009,whereyoucouldfindalistofalltheprogramsdevelopedforFacebookssiteandothersitesandprogramsoutsidetheWeb,aswellasmobilemedia.

4.6.Facebook,adecentralisedmediamachinefortheflowofinformation

Duringthepreviousphasefrom2006to2008,Facebookappearedtohavefoundaformthatrequiredveryfewchanges.Asaresult,thethirdphaseofFacebookshistorywasgenerallycharacterisedbyconsolidationandexpansionoftheexistingframework,withveryfewnewinitiatives.Theconsolidationinvolvedadapting,developing,adjusting,mergingandmoving

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existingfunctionsofaverylargeproportionoftheactivitiesontheFacebooksite.Theexpansioninvolvednotonlyusers(thenumberofusersincreasedmorethansixfold),butalsothespreadofInternetservicesandplatformsoutsidetheFacebooksite:othersites,programsonthecomputerdesktop,mobileplatformsandgamingconsoles.Inthisrespect,twoofthemostimportantnewinitiativesFacebookConnectaswellastheservicesconnectedtothegeolocationpotentialofmobilemediaplayedadecisiverole,astheybothmadeitpossibleinvariouswaystotakeFacebookwithyou.

Aswasthecaseinthetwopreviousphases,thenewtypesofactivitythatFacebooklaunchedduringthisphasewerealreadyfamiliarbeforeFacebookdecidedtousethem.SinglesignonhadbeenusedbyMicrosoftPassport(1999),locationbasedserviceshadbeenusedsince1999,andtheconnectionbetweenlocationbasednetworkservices,mobilemediaandcheckinhadbeenusedbyFoursquare(2009).

However,aswasthecaseinthepast,thecrucialthingwasthatFacebookwassuccessfulinintegratingandcombiningtheseactivitiesintheFacebookuniverseinawaythatwasbothrelevantandapplicabletoalltypesofFacebookusers.AllofthiswasstillbasedonFacebookasanemptystructure.AlthoughFacebookasacompanychangedandincreasedthenumberofstructuredelements,userswerestilltheonesthatprovidedcontentandsocialrelations.

AsaconsequenceofFacebookswayoforganisingthestructuredelementsduringthisperiod,thepreviousmainfunctionsconnectedtothequestionsWhoareyou?andWhatareyoudoingwhen?werestillsupported,buttheywereexpandedtoincludeyetanothermainfunction,connectedtothequestion:Whereareyou?Ortobemoreprecise:WhereareyouinthedigitaluniversewithyourFacebookprofile?andWhereareyouinthephysicalworldwithyourmobiledevice?supportedbyFacebookConnectandPlacesrespectively.

ThedigitalstructureinwhichFacebookusersnowmovedwascharacterisedbythefactthatitwaseasiertocrosstheporousbordersoftheFacebooksitethatexistedinthesecondphase.InthesecondphasetheFacebooksitestillfunctionedtoalargeextentasthecentralunit,despitetheflowofcontentacrossitsborders.Duringthethirdphase,however,FacebookasawholewasdevelopingintoadecentralisedmediamachinefortheflowofsemioticcontentthatwaslocatedanywhereontheInternet,andwhosemostsignificantcoherencegeneratingfeaturewastheFacebooknameandlogo[27].

5.ThedevelopmentofFacebook20042013

Facebookshistoryfrom2004untilthebeginningof2013wascharacterisedbybothcontinuityandchange.

Generallyspeaking,twotypesofcontinuitywereevidentduringtheentireperiod.Firstofall,Facebookasacompanyprovidedadigitalspacethatstructuresthepossibleinteractionofitsusersbutwasinotherrespectsanemptyspacewhosecontentwasprovidedbyothersintheformoftext,pictures,sound,softwareandsocialrelationsintheformofnetworks.Secondly,Facebookwasalwaysaccumulatingandexpanding,withmoreofeverythingconstantlybeingaddedwithintheareasofFacebooksuniverse,andnewareasappearingwhilehardlyanythingeverdisappeared.

Thevariationwasprovidedbychangesinthespecificformsassumedbytheemptystructure,accumulationandexpansionrespectively.Facebooksstructuressupportedanswerstomoreandmoregeneralquestions:Whoareyou?wasfirstsupplementedwithWhatareyoudoing,andwhen?andlaterwithWhereareyou?(thedistinctionbetweenthesequestionswasborrowedfromthetitleofablogpostonblog.facebook.com,18August2010).Facebookwasspreadinggeographically.Thenumberofusersandthepossiblesocialconnectionsbetweenthemgrew,fromstudentswithaHarvardemailaddresstoabroadrangeofverydifferentusers.ThisdemonstratesthatFacebookinvolvedfarmorethananumberofindividualswithprofiles.Thenumberofpossiblefunctionalities,interactionoptionsanddigitalpresenceswasgrowing.Theinformationcomplexityfoundintheindividualprofiles,connectionsandcontentflowofFacebooksnetworkwasgrowing.TheseamlessintegrationandflexibilitybetweenthemanyelementsinandoutsidetheFacebookuniverseweregrowing.Allthesedifferenttypesofstructuringandexpansionweresupportedandcombinedinaclosedsite,andlaterinacentralisedmediamachinefortheflowofsemioticcontent.Finally,thismachinebecameadecentralisedmediamechanismfortheflowofsemioticcontentwiththeconstantexpansionandretrievalmechanismsofFacebookextendingtotheentireWeb,onanydigitaldeviceandatanytimeandanyplace.

6.FacebookinaWebhistoricalperspective

Thissectionaskswhethertheemptystructure,accumulationandexpansionwhichcharacterised

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thehistoryofFacebookintheperiod20042013wereexpressionsofamoregeneraldevelopmentoftheInternetandtheWeb.Inotherwords,thispartofthepaperquestionswhethertherewasageneralpatternbehindFacebooksdevelopmentasamediatext,andifsowhetherthiscanhelptoexplainhowFacebookmanagedtoremainsignificantandcontinuetogrowunlikepreviousWebservicesofasimilarnature.Inordertofindapossibleanswer,weneedtoviewFacebooksmodusoperandiintheoverallhistoryoftheInternet.

Aseachofthethreephaseshasshown,FacebookbasedonitsemptystructurewasabletoabsorbandcombineexistingsoftwareorusagetypesoftheWeb.Thiscouldindicatethatthemoreadaptableandflexibleastructureis,thegreaterthepossibilityofsurvival.

6.1.FromtheInternettotheWeb

TheinterestingthingisthatthisparticularmechanismoccurredatacrucialtimeintheshorthistoryoftheInternet:atthepointintimewhenthespecificsoftwaresystemtodayseenastheInternettheWorldWideWeb(WWW)wasinvented[28].InAugust1991,aBritishsoftwaredeveloperemployedatCERNinSwitzerland,TimBernersLee,publishedtheresultsofseveralyearsofprogramminginthenewsgroupalt.hypertextwiththetitleWorldWideWebExecutiveSummary,afterwhichthesourcecodewasaccessibletoanyoneinterestedinusingitordevelopingit.TheWWWwasdifferentbecauseitcombinedtwophenomenathathadbeenseparateinthepast:hypertextprogramsthatmadeitpossibletojumpfromonepartofatexttoanywhereinthesametext,whichhadbeenusedincomputerssincethe1980sandtheoptionofdownloadingfilesfromothercomputersviaacomputernetwork.BernersLeescombinationofthesetwophenomenameantthattheWWWcouldbeusedtojumpfromonelocationinatextononecomputertoanylocationinatextonanycomputerconnectedtothecomputernetwork.Thefundamentalfunctionalitywhichmadejumpingfromonecomputertexttoanotherpossiblewascalledthehyperlink.Thenotionofahyperlinkseemsobvioustoday.Atthebeginningofthe1990sitwasrevolutionary,especiallywhencomparedtotheInternetbeforetheWWW.

TheInternetbeforetheWebconsistedroughlyofawidevarietyofdifferentsoftwaresystems,eachmadewithaspecificpurpose:BitnetRelayorInternetRelayChatwereusedforchattingemailprogramsforelectronicmailnewsgroupsandemaillistsforsharingknowledgeanddiscussinganythingatallspecialprogramswereusedforaccesstoinformationdatabasestheFileTransferProtocol(FTP)wasusedtotransferfilesandGopher,acompletelynewphenomenonatthebeginningofthe1990s,usedahierarchicalmenustructuretodownloadfilesfromothercomputersaswellasaccessingandsearchinginotherservices.GopherwasthebiggestcompetitortotheWWW.Theseprogramsoftenworkedinvarioustypesofpartiallyclosednetworksandwerenotable(orintended)tocommunicatewitheachother.Forexample,whenusingthepoormansInternettheverywidespreadBulletinBoardSystems(BBS)ofthelate1980syouhadtocalleachBBSviaamodemwhereyoucouldhaveanemailaccountorparticipateindiscussions.IfyouwantedtovisitanotherBBS,youneededtocloseoneconnectionandcallagain,whichtodaywouldbetheequivalentofopeninganewInternetconnectioneachtimeyouwantedtogotoanothersite.Fromtheuserspointofview,therewereamyriadofdifferentsoftwaretypesandwaystoaccessthenetworkwiththeirownspecificuserandcommunicativesituations.

TheWWWwasaddedtothecomputernetworkenvironmentin1991,anditquicklybecamewidespreadfrom130sitesinJune1993to23,500twoyearslater[29].Atthesametime,itslowlybegantoabsorbthefunctionsthateachoftheothersoftwaresystemspossessed:freeWebmailbecamewidespreadfromthemid1990s,discussionforumsbecamepartoftheweblogs,theoldnewsgroupswereavailableontheWWW(groups.google.com),andWebbrowsersstartedtosupportfunctionssuchaschatandaccesstoFTPservers.TherewereofcoursemanyotherimportantfactorsinvolvedinthepopularityoftheWWW,suchastheopeningoftheInternettocommercialactivity(1992),whichmatchedtheformoftheWWW,theemergenceofthegraphicalbrowserMosaic(1993),Websearchengines(from1995),andthefactthattheWebwouldeventuallyhandlebothsoundandimages.

6.2.TheWebandFacebooksimilarpatterns?

Allinall,thestrengthoftheWWWisthatitofferedaveryflexibleframeworkwhichmadeitpossibletocombinethecommunicativeandsocialfunctionswhichwerepreviouslyassignedtoeachspecifictypeofsoftwareornetworkinthesamebox,enablingthemtoseamlesslycommunicatewitheachotherviahyperlinks.Thispossibilitywasabigadvantagefromtheuserspointofview,sothetrendincreasedexponentially:themoreactivitytheWWWpermitted,andthemorefunctionsworkingtogether,moreusersjoined,increasingactivity.

AsimilarpatternseemedtobeanimportantdrivingforceinthedevelopmentofFacebookasamediatext.JustastheWWWattractedandabsorbedpreviouslyseparatesoftwaretypesinotherformats,FacebookabsorbedorintegratedsoftwaretypesthatwerealreadyavailableontheWebasseparateservices.TheeffectoftheWebonprevioustypesofsoftwareoutsidetheWebwasmatchedbytheeffectofFacebookoncontemporarysoftwaretypesontheWeb.Inthissense,FacebookisalmostasdiverseastheWebintermsofsoftwaretypes,usabilityanduserssoitfunctionslikeaminiversionoftheWebwhereyoucanstayinthesameprogram,likeaWeb2insteadofaWeb2.0.

WhencomparingFacebooktotheInternetshistory,onefactbecomesclear:thebettera

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softwaresystemisatstrikingabalancebetweenbeingopenandflexibleontheonehandandprescriptiveandstructuralontheother,thegreaterthechanceisofoutperformingorabsorbing,gatheringandintegratingothersoftwaresystemsandthusgrowingandbecomingthedefactostandard.Itshouldbenoted,however,thattherearedifferencesbetweenthedevelopmentoftheWWWandFacebook.Firstofall,FacebookwascreatedintheWeb,meaningthatitcouldbeintegratedseamlesslywithsitesoutsideFacebook,whereastheWWWhadtoabsorbsoftwaretypesfromwhichitdiffered.Secondly,theWebservicesabsorbedorintegratedinFacebookdonotnecessarilydisappear,aswasthecasewiththeWWWandtheprevioussoftwaresystems.Infact,inmanycasesFacebookactuallyattractsusers.Andlastly,abigdifferencewasthatBernersLeeandCERNchosenottocommercialisetheWebbutinsteadreleasedthesourcecodetotheInternetcommunity.

6.3.Socialmediaandthenecessityofhistory

Facebookisoftenreferredtoasasocialmediumorsocialnetworkingsite[30],oftenwiththeimplicationthatitwasanewphenomenon.ButtheneedforsocialityandnetworkingdidnotarisewiththeInternet,theWeborFacebook.Ifanything,thatneedisanintegralpartofhumanlife.Butthroughhistorythisneedhasbeenreflectedinavarietyofmediatechnologies,fromspokenandwrittenlanguage,toprint,film,radioandtelevisiontotheInternetandotherdigitalmedia,eachcreatingtheirowncommunicativespacewithdifferentlimitationsandopportunities.

Soanunderstandingofhistoryteachesusthattheneedforsocialityandnetworkinginitselfisnotanewphenomenon.However,thewayinwhichthisneedishandledissubjecttoanumberoftransformationsorchangeslinkedtothetechnologiesusedtofulfilitwithsomefeaturesbeingpassedonfromonemediatypetothenextandothersdisappearing.Thefirstprofileswerepersonaladsinnewspapersinthenineteenthcenturypenpalsandradioamateurscreatednetworksoffriendsoverlongdistancesaboutdecadesagoandformanyyearsnewspapercolumnsinfamilyweekliescreatedasenseofcommunitybetweenreaders.EachoftheseoldformsofcontactcontributedtotheformsofsocialityandnetworkingontheInternet,theWebandFacebook.Facebookdidnotstartfromscratchwhatmodernnetworksdoistocombine,transformanddevelopoldformsofcontactinnewways.TheWebandFacebookdothiswithinamedianetworkthat(unliketheInternetbeforetheWeb)promotestheflexibleandseamlessintegrationoftheseneedswithinthesamesoftwaresystembasedononekeyfeature:thephysicalmanifestationofarelationintheformofahyperlink.

Soaswellasprovidingknowledgeofpastevents,historyisalsoanimportantvoiceinanyattempttoexplaintheworldtodayandperhapsthefutureaswell.Theabilitytoidentifyrecurrentpatternsanddevelopmentmechanismsinhistorymayprovetobeofgreatimportancewhendecisionshavetobemadetoday:whatweshouldbedoing(ornotdoing)asasocietyororganisation,orinconnectionwiththetechnologicaldevelopmentandinnovationofcompanies.Theeventsofthepastrarelyrepeatthemselves,butthemechanismsbehindthemmightdoso.Sostudyingthepastisanimportantaspectofstudyingthepresent.

Finally,historyisalsoimportantintheshorttermwhenwestudyFacebook.GiventhefactthatFacebookdevelopedsofastinarelativelyshortperiodoftime,itisnecessarytohaveindepthknowledgeofFacebooksfeaturesasamediatextatthespecificpointintimethatyouareconsidering.Forinstance,inordertoapplyacademicanalysesfrom2006totopicssuchasuserhandlingofaccesstotheirprofilepages,Facebookprofilesasselfrepresentations,ortheuseofFacebookinconnectionwiththeAmericanmidtermelection[31],thehistoricalcontextoftheseanalysesmustbetakenintoaccounttoensurethattheyarenotinterpretedbasedonthepresentdayversionofFacebook.TheseanalyseswereproducedatapointoftimeinFacebookshistorywhentherewerelimitedoptionsforprofilesandnetworkingandnostatusupdates,NewsFeeds,FacebookConnectorappsformobilemedia.ThisalsomeansthatknowledgeofFacebookshistoryisnecessaryifyouwanttocompareanalysesfromdifferentperiods.Inotherwords,itisimportanttobeawareofthechangesthatFacebookhasundergoneinthemediaandtextenvironmentinwhicheachofitsfunctionsandinteractionformsmustbeunderstood.Forthesamereason,anyanalysisofFacebookshouldbefollowedbyabriefdescriptionofthefeaturesofFacebookatthetimeinquestion.FacebookisnotjustFacebookFacebookisalwaysFacebookataspecificpointintime,suchasin2004,2008and2012.WhichiswhyitissoimportanttoknowaboutthehistoryofFacebook.

Abouttheauthor

NielsBrggerisAssociateProfessor,HeadoftheCentreforInternetStudies,andofNetLab,AarhusUniversity,Denmark.HisresearchinterestisWebhistoriography,andwithinthisfieldhehaspublishedmonographs,anumberofeditedbooks,articles,andchaptersineditedvolumes.RecentbooksareWebhistory(editorPeterLang,2010)andHistoriesofpublicservicebroadcastersontheWeb(coeditorwithMaureenBurnsPeterLang,2012).Web:http://imv.au.dk/~nb.Email:nb[at]dac[dot]au[dot]dk

Acknowledgements

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ThispaperwasinitiallypublishedinaDanisheditedvolumeFacebook:Frasocialtnetvrktilmetamedie(Copenhagen:Samfundslitteratur,2013).IwouldliketothanktheeditorsofthisvolumeJakobLinaaJensenandJesperTkkeforhavinginvitedmetowritethearticle.Thepresentversionhasbeenrevisedandchanged.

Notes

1.InJune2007therewere9,000DanishFacebookusers,cf.,Larsen,2007,p.12.

2.Outofapopulationofapp.5.5million,cf.,internetworldstats.com.

3.Themedia/texttheoreticalbasisofthisapproachisBrgger,2009,p.115132.

4.ForanoverviewoftheacademicliteratureaboutFacebookseeWilson,etal.,2012,andCaers,etal.,2013.

5.Lacy,2008Kirkpatrick,2011.

6.Stutzman,etal.,2012.

7.Lampe,etal.,2008.

8.GulatiandWilliams,2013.

9.FordeliberationsonWebarchiving,seeBrgger,2011.

10.CoedStaff,2009,FAQ.

11.CoedStaff,2009,Facebook,Termsofuse.

12.CoedStaff,2009,Facebook,About.

13.CoedStaff,2009,Facebook,FAQ.

14.Editor,2004.


16.Saverin,2012.



19.Saverin,2012.

20.CoedStaff,2009,Facebook,Welcome.

21.Saverin,2012.


23.boydandEllison,2007.

24.Poole,2005,pp.195203.

25.Cf.,alsoBucher,2013,aboutthesoftwaresstructuralconditioningofonlinefriendshiponFacebook.

26.boydandEllison,2007.

27.Obviously,thedecentralisationintermsofwhatisavailabletotheuserdoesnotnecessarilycorrespondtoadecentralisationregardingneithertechnologynorownership,whereFacebookmaybeverycentralised.

28.ForoverviewsofthehistoryoftheInternetandtheWebintheearly1990s,seeAbbate,1999Anderson,2005AsprayandCeruzzi,2008Banks,2008Barnet,2013BernersLee,1999Brgger,2010GilliesandCailliau,2000Naughton,2002Poole,2005Wolinsky,1999.

29.Gray,1996.

30.E.g.,boydandEllison,2007.

31.AcquistiandGross,2006Gosling,etal.,2007WilliamsandGulati,2007.

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Appendix

UserdevelopmentandtimelineDevelopmentinthenumberofFacebookusers

19/06/2015 Brgger


Figure1:DevelopmentinthenumberofFacebookusers(inmillions).Thedottedlinesmarkthephasetransitionsmentionedinthisarticle.

Source:Figuresfromblog.facebook.com,newsroom.fb.com/Newsandwww.facebook.com/facebook(January2013).

Timeline

TimelineofmaineventsandphenomenaontheWebandmobileplatforms(left)andonFacebook(right).Thedottedlinesmarkthephasetransitionsmentionedinthisarticle.

19/06/2015 Brgger


19/06/2015 Brgger


Figure2:TimelineofmaineventsandphenomenaontheWebandmobileplatforms(left)andonFacebook(right).Thedottedlinesmarkthephasetransitionsmentionedinthisarticle.

Note:PDFversionofimageavailablehere.

19/06/2015 Brgger


Editorialhistory

Received20June2014accepted29April2015.

ThispaperislicensedunderaCreativeCommonsAttributionNonCommercialShareAlike4.0InternationalLicense.

AbriefhistoryofFacebookasamediatext:ThedevelopmentofanemptystructurebyNielsBrgger.FirstMonday,Volume20,Number54May2015http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/rt/printerFriendly/5423/4466doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.5210/fm.v20i5.5423

a brief history of facebook as a media text: the development of an empty scructure

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