One Billion People Access Facebook In A Single Day

More than one billion people accessed Facebook on Monday 24 August, meaning one in seven people across the world logged into the social network.

CEO Mark Zuckeberg has hailed the event as an important milestone for the company, which launched in February 2004.

Billion People

“On Monday, 1 in 7 people on Earth used Facebook to connect with their friends and family,” noted Zuckerberg. “When we talk about our financials, we use average numbers, but this is different. This was the first time we reached this milestone, and it’s just the beginning of connecting the whole world.

“I’m so proud of our community for the progress we’ve made,” said Zuckerberg. “A more open and connected world is a better world. It brings stronger relationships with those you love, a stronger economy with more opportunities, and a stronger society that reflects all of our values.

“Thank you for being part of our community and for everything you’ve done to help us reach this milestone. I’m looking forward to seeing what we accomplish together.”

Zuckerberg of course has big connection ambitions, as shown by Internet.org, which aims to bring Internet access to the masses by zero rating certain applications and sites with local mobile operators.

However the initiative has been controversial, with some questioning wihether it violates the principles of net neutrality. In July this year, a notable shift occurred as Facebook shifted the emphasis away from the charity aspect of Internet.org, presenting it more as a business opportunity for mobile operators.

But despite these wobbles, Facebook seems to be going from strength to strength, and the milestone appears to counter concerns about “Facebook fatigue”.

For a while now the company has had to face claims that Facebook users were abandoning the site, whilst some critics said that teenagers think Facebook is no longer cool and are therefore jumping ship to rival social networks.

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