Facebook probably needs no introduction; nonetheless, here is a quick history of the company. The world’s biggest and most-famous social network was launched by Mark Zuckerberg while he was a...

Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook Inc., continues to dominate the digital landscape with impressive financial growth. In 2024, the company's annual revenue reached a staggering 164.5 billion U.S. dollars, marking a significant increase from 134.9 billion U.S. dollars in the previous year. This upward trajectory reflects Meta's ability to monetize its vast user base across multiple platforms, solidifying its position as a tech giant. Advertising remains the primary revenue driver The bulk of Meta's revenue stems from its advertising operations, particularly within its Family of Apps segment. In 2024, this segment, which includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, generated 162 billion U.S. dollars. Despite a slight dip in 2022, Meta's advertising revenue has shown remarkable resilience and growth potential. User engagement and global reach The company's global influence is further illustrated by the fact that every minute, 138.9 million Reels are played on Facebook and Instagram, showcasing the ongoing evolution of user engagement within the Meta ecosystem.

In 2024, Meta Platforms generated a revenue of over 164 billion U.S. dollars, up from 134 billion USD in 2023. The majority of Meta’s profits come from its advertising revenue.Meta’s total Family of Apps revenue for 2022 amounted to 114 billion U.S. dollars. Additionally, Meta’s Reality Labs, the company’s VR division, generated around 2.1 billion dollars. Meta’s marketing expenditure for 2022 amounted to just over 15 billion U.S. dollars, up from 14 billion U.S. dollars in the previous year. Increasing audience base despite privacy misgivings Meta’s user numbers have continued to grow steadily throughout past years. In the fourth quarter of 2022, there was a total of 3.74 billion worldwide users across all of Meta’s platforms. For this same time frame, the company recorded 407 million monthly active users across Europe. Downloads of Meta’s app Oculus, for which virtual reality headsets are required, increased greatly from 2020 to 2021, reaching a total of 10.62 million downloads by the end of last year. Up until 2021, downloads had grown in a steady manner but from 2020 to 2021, they more than doubled.User numbers have increased despite data security issues and past controversy such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018. There remains skepticism surrounding the idea of the metaverse in which Meta aims to immerse itself. Of surveyed adults in the United States, the majority said that they were concerned about their privacy if Meta were to succeed in creating the metaverse.

In 2022, Facebook generated nearly *** billion U.S. dollars in advertising revenue. This figure is expected to further grow to exceed *** billion U.S. dollars by 2027. The social platform is responsible for roughly ** percent of the global ad revenue.

During the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of daily active users on Facebook reached 2.1 billion, a minor increase on the previous quarter. When compared with the number of daily active users in the final quarter of 2022, the platform has gained around 100 million users. Facebook’s penetration rate for the United States in 2023 was 72.13 percent, up from 71.43 percent in 2022. The social network’s audience reach is projected to stand at 75.79 percent by 2027.

                Most popular social media websites

                As of May 2021, Facebook was the most used social media site in the United States, accounting for 71.8 percent of all social media visits. Ranking in second place was Pinterest with 12.4 percent, followed by Twitter and Instagram, with 9.15 percent and 3.82 percent, respectively. Although other sites remain popular, Facebook’s number of visits made it undoubtably the leading social media platform in terms of social media site visits.
                For Generation Z and Millennials in the United States, Facebook was one of the least popular platforms used to connect with others. Gen Z and Millennials preferred video sharing platforms, specifically Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube

                Meta’s revenue

                Facebook Inc was renamed as Meta in 2021, in a strategic step toward the metaverse. Meta Platforms is now the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp amongst others, together being known as Meta’s Family of Apps.
                Meta’s annual revenue for 2021 was 117.92 billion U.S. dollars, up from 85.97 billion in 2020. Within a decade, the company has increased its annual revenue by approximately 114 billion U.S. dollars. In the most recent fiscal year, Meta’s Family of Apps were responsible for over 115 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of Meta’s revenue.

In the third quarter of 2021, Facebook's total advertising revenue amounted to roughly 28.3 billion U.S. dollars. Other revenue streams generated 734 million U.S. dollars in revenues. At the end of 2021, Facebook renamed and rebranded as Meta Platforms. In the first quarter of 2022, Meta's total Family of Apps segment revenue amounted to roughly 27.21 billion U.S. dollars, of which advertising still generated the majority of revenues.

Between May 9 and July 14, 2024, cost-per-mille (CPM) on Facebook and Instagram in the United Kingdom (UK) oscilated between 4.35 U.S. dollars and 9.82 U.S. dollars. UK to emerge as third largest market As of 2022, the UK was the third largest market globally - behind the United States and China - for social media advertising. By the end of 2023, the industry is expected to generate approximately 14 billion U.S. dollars. Furthermore, the United Kingdom and Germany were two European markets to be featured in the top five within the industry globally. Mobile advertising takes the lead Annual revenue growth has also been forecast for the industry until 2027. The average revenue generated per internet user for social media ads in the UK was recorded at nearly 223 U.S. dollars in 2022. By 2027, this is expected to reach approximately 265 U.S. dollars. Most of this will be generated through mobile advertising, which is forecast to make up a significantly larger share of advertising each year over desktop.

Gross-Profit-Margin Time Series for FB Financial Corp. FB Financial Corporation operates as a bank holding company for FirstBank that provides a suite of commercial and consumer banking services. The company operates in two segments, Banking and Mortgage. It offers checking, demand, money market, and savings accounts; deposit and lending products and services to corporate, commercial, and individual customers; and time deposits, as well as residential mortgage and loan securitization services. The company also provides owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied real estate commercial loans; residential real estate 1-4 family mortgage, multi-family residential, commercial and industrial, construction, land acquisition, and land development loans, as well as residential lines of credit; and consumer and other loans, such as car, boat, and other recreational vehicle loans; loans for manufactured homes without real estate; and personal lines of credit. In addition, the company offers mortgage banking services through its bank branch network and mortgage banking offices in the southeastern United States; and trust, insurance, and investment services, as well as online and mobile banking services. It operates through various full- and limited-service branch locations throughout Tennessee, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, Jackson, Birmingham, Florence, Huntsville, Alabama, Bowling Green, Kentucky, Tuscaloosa, Asheville, and North Carolina. The company was formerly known as First South Bancorp, Inc. and changed its name to FB Financial Corporation in 2016. FB Financial Corporation was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

In 2022, Amazon reported 35 billion U.S. dollars revenue generated through advertising sales. A year earlier, the figure was roughly six billion lower. This figure is expected to further grow to reach 70 billion U.S. dollars by 2026. The online retailer is responsible for roughly six percent of the global ad revenue.

The social media industry in Hong Kong has gone from strength to strength. Facebook and WhatsApp remained the top with a 70.6 percent monthly usage rate as of the third quarter of 2024. Facebook lost its dominance in the market with a 77 percent penetration rate, followed by Instagram. The high internet quality It comes as no surprise that a large percentage of the population in the Asian financial hub are active social media users. Hong Kong citizens are known for being well connected in the social media world. It consistently ranks as having one of the fastest internet connections worldwide - as of April 2023, Hong Kong had an average fixed broadband internet connection speed of 205.19 Mbps. Facebook in Hong Kong Facebook is not just used for staying connected with friends and family; many in the financial hub also use it to keep up with the latest news and to research or find products to purchase. With such a high user penetration rate, Facebook has been particularly focused on brand advertising and user engagement. Mobile advertising accounted for a large chunk of Facebook’s global advertising revenue. In Hong Kong, social media advertising grew by 12 percent, while Facebook's ad revenue increased by four percent in the third quarter of 2022.

The digital advertising industry across India grew to a market size of just under *** billion Indian rupees in the year 2024, a considerable leap from the market size in 2016. Owing to the progressive growth of the digital media market in India, digital advertising was projected to expand to well over *** billion Indian rupees by 2026, reflecting the rising trend that developed over the past years. Social media advertising As internet accessibility in India continues to expand, content consumption has seen a significant shift toward online platforms. Notably, India boasts the highest number of YouTube users worldwide. Given the potential of social media to reach a wider audience, it is expected to remain a prevailing trend in India’s digital advertising landscape. In March 2023, YouTube emerged as a frontrunner, with an advertising reach of around *** million users across the country. Meta platforms such as Facebook and Instagram also demonstrated substantial reach. Digital advertising revenue In 2022, the revenue from digital advertising in India surged to almost half a trillion Indian rupees and is expected to continue growing in the future. This can be attributed to businesses' increasing dependence on digital advertising to connect with their target audiences and capitalize on technology and data-driven strategies. Some of the leading industries that invest heavily in digital advertising include the FMCG and e-commerce sectors.

With roughly three billion monthly active users as of the second quarter of 2023, Facebook is the most used online social network worldwide. The platform surpassed two billion active users in the second quarter of 2017, taking just over 13 years to reach this milestone. In comparison, Meta-owned Instagram took 11.2 years, and Google’s YouTube took just over 14 years to achieve this landmark. As of January 2022, Facebook’s leading audience base was in India, with almost 330 million users whilst the United States ranked second with an approximate total of 179 million users. The platform also finds remarkable popularity in Indonesia and Brazil. Social Media usage in the United States In January 2021, Facebook was the platform on which users in the United States spent the most time per day. The average time spent on Facebook was 33 minutes, followed by TikTok with 32 minutes and Twitter with 31 daily minutes. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, all major social media platforms saw an increase in daily usage, which then either plateaued or decreased in 2021. At the end of 2021, over a quarter of all Facebook users in the United States belonged to the 25 to 34 year age group and 18.2 percent of users were in the 35 to 44 year age group. In general, Facebook users were more likely to be female. Meta Platforms Meta is Facebook’s recently renamed parent company and had a grand total of 3.59 billion core product users by the final quarter of 2021. Other Meta products include Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Oculus – Meta’s virtual reality subsidiary which produces VR headsets. In 2021, Meta's revenue amounted to 117 billion US dollars, up from around 86 billion U.S. dollars in the previous financial year.

Facebook's advertising revenue in the United States amounted to ***** billion U.S. dollars in 2021, marking a ** percent increase from the previous year. The revenue was projected to record a drop in 2022 and bounce back a year later, to reach ** billion by 2024.

South Korea HIES: UH: AME: 2015p: CS: Food and Beverages (FB) data was reported at 345,432.476 KRW in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 375,239.445 KRW for 2021. South Korea HIES: UH: AME: 2015p: CS: Food and Beverages (FB) data is updated yearly, averaging 362,567.284 KRW from Dec 2019 (Median) to 2022, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 385,247.676 KRW in 2020 and a record low of 345,432.476 KRW in 2022. South Korea HIES: UH: AME: 2015p: CS: Food and Beverages (FB) data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Korea. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.H068: 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey: 1 or more Members: Urban Households: Real: 2015p.

In 2023, Meta Platforms earned over 131 billion U.S. dollars in digital revenue through online advertising. In 2022, search market leader Google generated 224.47 billion U.S. dollars through digital advertising channels.

In 2024, the brand value of Facebook amounted to 75.7 billion U.S. dollars. A year earlier, the value stood at 59 billion dollars, which marked an annual increase of over 28 percent.

In 2024, Facebook posts saw a year-over-year change in engagement of -5.31 percent. Interactions interactions saw a change of -9.25 percent, and overall impressions decreased.

HIES: UW: AME: 2015p: CS: FB: Cereal data was reported at 12,515.161 KRW in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 15,789.367 KRW for 2021. HIES: UW: AME: 2015p: CS: FB: Cereal data is updated yearly, averaging 15,917.729 KRW from Dec 2019 (Median) to 2022, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16,452.075 KRW in 2020 and a record low of 12,515.161 KRW in 2022. HIES: UW: AME: 2015p: CS: FB: Cereal data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Korea. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.H072: 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey: 1 or more Members: Urban Salary and Wage Earner HH: Real: 2015p.

In 2023, Facebook was projected to generate an estimated 28 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in the United States. The social platform’s revenue is set to increase to 31 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. The CAGR of Facebook's revenue was estimated to reach six percent during the measured period.

Meta Platforms had ****** full-time employees as of December 2024, down from ****** people in 2023. As of December 2023, more than ******* employees at tech companies worldwide were laid off throughout the year across more than 1,000 companies. Facebook: how it all beganIn 2003, a sophomore at named Mark Zuckerberg hacked into protected areas of the university's computer network in order to find photos of other students. He then would pair two of them next to each other on a program called “Facemash” and ask users to choose the more attractive person. At the beginning of 2004, Zuckerberg launched “The Facebook,” a social network dedicated to Harvard students, which later grew to encompass Columbia, Yale and Stanford. The popularity of this new service sky-rocketed and in mid-2004, Zuckerberg interrupted his studies and moved his operation to Palo Alto, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. By 2006, Facebook was open to the general public. In 2020, the company reported almost ** billion U.S. dollars in revenue and a net income of ***** billion US dollars. It is also the most popular social network in the world, with *** billion monthly active users as of December 2020. Facebook employee diversity criticismLike many other tech companies, Facebook has been criticized for having a diversity problem. As of June 2020, tech positions, as well as management roles in U.S. offices were overwhelmingly occupied by men. Furthermore, almost ** percent of Facebook employees in the U.S. are White and only *** percent are African-American, which has sparked concern regarding representation and equal opportunities. Around **** percent of senior level positions are occupied by White employees and only *** percent by Hispanic-Americans.