Facebook introduced the News Feed in 2006. The feature was announced on September 6, 2006, and changed Facebook’s home page from a primarily profile-focused destination into a continuously updated stream of friends’ activities.
Before News Feed, users generally visited individual profiles to see what friends had posted or changed. News Feed gathered updates such as status changes, new photos, upcoming events, and birthdays into one central view, making the service more immediate and easier to browse.
The launch also introduced a major source of controversy. Some users objected to the sudden visibility of their activity, leading Facebook to add privacy controls and explain how the feature worked. Over time, the feed became algorithmically ranked rather than simply displayed in strict chronological order.
A common mix-up is confusing the original 2006 launch with later changes to the feed. Facebook introduced advertising and increasingly sophisticated ranking systems years afterward, but the News Feed itself dates to 2006.