Facebook changing with times a decade after stock debut

SAN FRANCISCO, May 16 (AFP):- Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg rang the opening bell remotely to cheers 10 years ago as the beloved social network made its stock market debut, culminating an all-night hackathon that included street hockey, costumes and music.
The Silicon Valley tech colossus rebranded as Meta has since seen its image tainted by accusations it has become a tech tyrant, putting profit over user privacy and even the good of society.
Meanwhile, the likes of TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter and even Apple now vye with Meta for people's online attention as Facebook social network is increasingly seen as a place for older people.
"At the time it went public, Facebook was considered to be young, edgy and connecting people," Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi told AFP.
"Now to most people it sounds like political manipulation and advertising; Facebook is considered a data-hungry company."
Ad-powered machine
When Facebook became publicly traded on May 18, 2012, it was seen as a darling of the internet generation, connecting people in a "pure" way, Milanesi said.
But like other free online platforms, Facebook makes its money from ads targeted at people's interests.
The company tapped into information about people's online activities to become a digital advertising behemoth, raking in billions of dollars.
Critics say Meta focused on growth at the expense of safeguarding people's data as the number of users on its "family" of apps climbed into the billions.
In 2016, Facebook was embroiled in controversy over Russia's alleged use of it and other social media platforms to influence the outcome of the election that put Donald Trump in the White House.