Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook in 2004 as the social network that grew into Meta Platforms’ flagship service.
The website began at Harvard University on February 4, 2004. It was initially limited to Harvard students before expanding to other universities, then to schools and users beyond the United States. Its early purpose was to help people connect through personal profiles and networks.
Facebook became a major global platform for sharing posts, photographs, messages, and video. Facebook, Inc. acquired Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014, adding two separately branded services to its portfolio.
The parent company changed its name from Facebook, Inc. to Meta Platforms, Inc. in 2021. That corporate name change did not rename the Facebook social network itself.