11 things you didn't know about Facebook
Chances are you visit Facebook every day. Actually, probably multiple times a day, but do you really know the truth behind the world's biggest social network?
Fine, you've probably got the gist of how the site came to be thanks to Jesse Eisenberg's portrayal of founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, but we bet there are a few things you probably didn't know about the social service that continues to hit ever larger user milestones.
1. Al Pacino's was the first Face on Facebook
Despite being started in a dorm room, Facebook's first face was more recognisable than you might expect, and no, it wasn't king of the nerds Mark Zuckerberg whose mug first adorned the site.
Instead, Facebook's early logo was a face covered in 1s and 0s. This wasn't just any face, however, but the esteemed scar-free swede of Scarface himself, Al Pacino. How the tag line 'Say hello to my little (Facebook) friend' never caught on is beyond us.
2. Facebook makes almost $2 million an hour
Remember when you were psyched to have your wages bumped to £6.50 an hour – oh, what a day – well, Facebook is shitting all over that. Every 60 minutes, the social network is generating revenues in excess of $1.8 million – beers on you, yeah, Zuck?
The company's second-quarter revenues of $4.042 billion equated to $44.4 million a day, figures primarily driven by advertising revenues.
3. Facebook is a major cause of divorce
That's right, it's not all cat videos and endless pictures of that girl from school's kids, Facebook has a darker side. According to a recent Divorce-Online study, Facebook is listed as a contributing factor in a third of UK divorces. That's a lot of people getting caught Facebook stalking their exes.
If that wasn't bad enough, it looks like that figure is only going in one direction. Earlier this year one in seven Brits revealed they had considered divorcing their spouse purely because of their Facebook posts – ah, true love.
4. 1 in 7 people have a Facebook account
With 1.49 billion active monthly users at last count, Facey-B isn't just big, it's bloomin' massive. That near incomprehensible figure equates to 1 in 7 people. Not just in the developed world, everywhere, on the whole planet. This thing is massive!
A lot of them use the site every day, too. On August 24 of this year, Facebook hit 1 billion active users in a single day for the first time. It's only a matter of time before the entire world is connected.
5. Changing your relationship status gets you noticed
This isn't some Ashley Madison-style approach to online dating, but it turns out there's no better way to boost your social visibility (by 225%) than by changing your relationship status. Obviously it helps if you've actually met someone – it seems less desperate – but if you're in something of a 'Like' slump it's an easy win.
You don't have to wait around to go Facebook-official, either. 28% of newlyweds change their relationship status within hours of tying the knot. Some possibly still do while atop the altar, although we're usually too busy Instagramming #NoFilter shots from the pews during the vows to be sure.
6. The most followed celebrity on Facebook is…
Kim Kardashian's arse is breaking nothing up here. The reality star turned Kanye spouse is a relative Facebook flop. No matter how many self-aggrandising selfies she posts, the big-bootied star has less than a quarter of the Facebook followers of the equally humble footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronnie's Facebook fan club numbers over 106 million, having recently overtaken Shakira (102m) for the title and automatic Champions League qualification.
7. Facebook says LOL is dead
We're gathered here today to remember our long-time friend and the term that's always been there for us – LOL. According to team Zuckerberg, LOL, that one-time favourite sign of enjoyment, has passed on. In its place, young upstart 'haha' has risen to social prominence.
Not only has the once-ubiquitous term of laughter lost its crown, it's also been overtaken by emoji as a sign of happiness – winky face, tongue-out smiley, happy poo.
8. Almost 70% of teens are Facebook friends with their parents
There's plenty of stuff floating around on our Facebook pages that you'd probably rather your parents didn't see. Bizarrely, and perhaps bravely, however, a majority of people are Facebook friends with their folks – cringe.
From drunken snaps of last weekend's mad night out, to all too flirty messages to unknown men, there's plenty of Facebook happenings that shouldn't be shared between family – and that's just on your mum's account.
9. The Simpsons is the most popular show on Facebook
Our 'Like' lists not only show a lot about who we are, with well over a billion users, they highlight global trends, including the world's love for a yellow-skinned family from Springfield.
With over 69 million Facebook fans, The Simpsons edges out Mr. Bean to second (62.7m) yes, really, and the underwater pineapple living SpongeBob SquarePants in third (54.7m).
10. 100,000 Facebook friend requests are made every minute
The world is becoming an increasingly connected place - and at a rapid rate too if these huge friend request figures are anything you go by. With more than 20,000 people on Facebook every second and 7,246 new people joining the site every day, friend requests are dropping left right and centre.
Almost a million friend requests will have been sent in the time it takes you to read this full article - you've probably not received any through, so what does that say about you, huh? Actually, wait, nor have we. Now we're sad. Will you be our friend?
11. Facebook employs 0.0008% of its users
Chances are you visit Facebook every day. Actually, probably multiple times a day, but do you really know the truth behind the world's biggest social network?
Fine, you've probably got the gist of how the site came to be thanks to Jesse Eisenberg's portrayal of founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, but we bet there are a few things you probably didn't know about the social service that continues to hit ever larger user milestones.
1. Al Pacino's was the first Face on Facebook
Despite being started in a dorm room, Facebook's first face was more recognisable than you might expect, and no, it wasn't king of the nerds Mark Zuckerberg whose mug first adorned the site.
Instead, Facebook's early logo was a face covered in 1s and 0s. This wasn't just any face, however, but the esteemed scar-free swede of Scarface himself, Al Pacino. How the tag line 'Say hello to my little (Facebook) friend' never caught on is beyond us.
2. Facebook makes almost $2 million an hour
Remember when you were psyched to have your wages bumped to £6.50 an hour – oh, what a day – well, Facebook is shitting all over that. Every 60 minutes, the social network is generating revenues in excess of $1.8 million – beers on you, yeah, Zuck?
The company's second-quarter revenues of $4.042 billion equated to $44.4 million a day, figures primarily driven by advertising revenues.
3. Facebook is a major cause of divorce
That's right, it's not all cat videos and endless pictures of that girl from school's kids, Facebook has a darker side. According to a recent Divorce-Online study, Facebook is listed as a contributing factor in a third of UK divorces. That's a lot of people getting caught Facebook stalking their exes.
If that wasn't bad enough, it looks like that figure is only going in one direction. Earlier this year one in seven Brits revealed they had considered divorcing their spouse purely because of their Facebook posts – ah, true love.
4. 1 in 7 people have a Facebook account
With 1.49 billion active monthly users at last count, Facey-B isn't just big, it's bloomin' massive. That near incomprehensible figure equates to 1 in 7 people. Not just in the developed world, everywhere, on the whole planet. This thing is massive!
A lot of them use the site every day, too. On August 24 of this year, Facebook hit 1 billion active users in a single day for the first time. It's only a matter of time before the entire world is connected.
5. Changing your relationship status gets you noticed
This isn't some Ashley Madison-style approach to online dating, but it turns out there's no better way to boost your social visibility (by 225%) than by changing your relationship status. Obviously it helps if you've actually met someone – it seems less desperate – but if you're in something of a 'Like' slump it's an easy win.
You don't have to wait around to go Facebook-official, either. 28% of newlyweds change their relationship status within hours of tying the knot. Some possibly still do while atop the altar, although we're usually too busy Instagramming #NoFilter shots from the pews during the vows to be sure.
6. The most followed celebrity on Facebook is…
Kim Kardashian's arse is breaking nothing up here. The reality star turned Kanye spouse is a relative Facebook flop. No matter how many self-aggrandising selfies she posts, the big-bootied star has less than a quarter of the Facebook followers of the equally humble footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronnie's Facebook fan club numbers over 106 million, having recently overtaken Shakira (102m) for the title and automatic Champions League qualification.
7. Facebook says LOL is dead
We're gathered here today to remember our long-time friend and the term that's always been there for us – LOL. According to team Zuckerberg, LOL, that one-time favourite sign of enjoyment, has passed on. In its place, young upstart 'haha' has risen to social prominence.
Not only has the once-ubiquitous term of laughter lost its crown, it's also been overtaken by emoji as a sign of happiness – winky face, tongue-out smiley, happy poo.
8. Almost 70% of teens are Facebook friends with their parents
There's plenty of stuff floating around on our Facebook pages that you'd probably rather your parents didn't see. Bizarrely, and perhaps bravely, however, a majority of people are Facebook friends with their folks – cringe.
From drunken snaps of last weekend's mad night out, to all too flirty messages to unknown men, there's plenty of Facebook happenings that shouldn't be shared between family – and that's just on your mum's account.
9. The Simpsons is the most popular show on Facebook
Our 'Like' lists not only show a lot about who we are, with well over a billion users, they highlight global trends, including the world's love for a yellow-skinned family from Springfield.
With over 69 million Facebook fans, The Simpsons edges out Mr. Bean to second (62.7m) yes, really, and the underwater pineapple living SpongeBob SquarePants in third (54.7m).
10. 100,000 Facebook friend requests are made every minute
The world is becoming an increasingly connected place - and at a rapid rate too if these huge friend request figures are anything you go by. With more than 20,000 people on Facebook every second and 7,246 new people joining the site every day, friend requests are dropping left right and centre.
Almost a million friend requests will have been sent in the time it takes you to read this full article - you've probably not received any through, so what does that say about you, huh? Actually, wait, nor have we. Now we're sad. Will you be our friend?
11. Facebook employs 0.0008% of its users