Facebook at 10: How it grew from a social network to a social phenomenon
Amid all of the legal battles the company is dealing with, Facebook has remained undeterred in its mission to further connect millions of people around the world. It recognizes that not everyone will have the same tolerance over perceived reductions in privacy, and has made it a point to help educate users about how to tweak their settings. After all, the fact that you might want your photos to be publicly viewable may be different from your friend who is less inclined to “live in public”.
Revamped privacy settings began rolling out to all users back in December 2012, all intended to provide Facebook users with more visible controls. In October 2013, the social networking company also adjusted the privacy features for teenagers as well. It also recognizes that there are a variety of user types on Facebook, so it’s been busy crafting guides for different markets seeking to educate groups like domestic violence survivors.
One of the things that Taylor says helped contribute to Facebook’s longevity is the company’s willingness to change with the trends and adjust accordingly. Privacy is obviously something that the company pays attention to (whether it’s effective at it remains disputed in the court of public opinion).
But unlike MySpace, Friendster, Twitter, and other social services, Facebook recognizes that there are multiple audiences using it, all for a variety of reasons so a “one-size fits all” approach isn’t going to help. So while you may have a single account, you may use it to interact with your family and friends under certain circumstances while also utilizing it in a professional networking capacity. Regardless of the intent, some people just don’t want to cross the streams.
Next: Here’s to the next 5 billion