The significant achievement was confirmed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg today in a post on his Facebook profile. Just a few hours ago, the two billionth person to join Facebook created their account and began to try out the platform.
In an official news post, Facebook announced it is launching a special individualised video experience that will celebrate the milestone. When you next log into Facebook, you may see the option to view the video appear in your News Feed. You can watch it now by heading to facebook.com/goodaddsup.
Facebook’s also encouraging people to share “love” on its platform. It said over 175 million people already use the “Love” reaction each month. When you press “love” on a post, you’ll now see a special thank you message in the News Feed. Facebook said that the “like” button is still an important part of its community and is used by 800 million people each month.
The milestone in Facebook’s user growth indicates how far the social network has come since it was launched by Zuckerberg in 2004. Initially limited to select universities in the U.S., the site’s expansion into the public domain has allowed it to achieve global scale like no other platform. The company still intends to grow further though, intending to “connect the world.”
“Our mission is to bring the world closer together,” said Facebook. “Reaching this milestone is just one small step toward that goal. We are excited to continue to build products that allow people to connect with one another, regardless of where they live or what language they speak.”
Facebook will now face significant challenges as it seeks to expand and maintain its vast audience. It has taken it five years to grow from one billion users to two billion. With most potential Western users already signed up, the company will need to look further afield to find its next billion. Like other tech companies, still developing regions like India and China will be its focus for the next few years.
Facebook’s also working on new projects in a bid to develop its platform technically and keep users coming back for more. The company is embarking on a major entry into video, including the production of original TV series. It’s also doing ongoing work on emerging technologies like augmented reality as it tries to look beyond the curve to predict what its users will come to expect.
