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Happy 10th birthday Facebook!


The world's most popular social network is 10 years old today – and what a 10 years it has been!

Who remembers a time when you didn’t feel the need to update your status for good or for bad. When if you’d broken up with your boyfriend, you did what every heartbroken girl did – drank her weight in wine and cried on her friends.

Whether we like it or not, Facebook has changed our lives.

It’s arguably brought people together – I speak to members of my extended family who I hardly ever get to see – but it’s also created some ‘other’ characters. You know who they are… maybe you are one!

For example, the ‘over sharer’. The person who feels the need to share EVERYTHING about their current relationship.

Status updates that go beyond affectionate, couple selfies that are embarrassing and a relationship status that changes every time they have a tiff over the remote.

XX is in a relationship with XX 10.23pm

XX is single 10.25pm

And so on.

It’s come a long way since those hazy days at Uni when you had to wait for your college or University to be allowed onto the network, so you could share your every move with the world.

And then, all of a sudden, the day came when your mum announced she wanted to join Facebook. Dun dun duuuunn.

“You won’t understand it” I said

“Probably not” she replied.

Two days later and she’s ‘liking’ every post you add.

I guess this is all part of the Facebook evolution and I imagine it’ll only continue.

But in all seriousness, Facebook has evolved a lot in the past decade. It’s had a film made about it, its founders are rich beyond their wildest dreams and the chap who painted Facebook's first office and chose to get paid in shares instead of cash is now worth over $200m.

It hasn’t been without its critics though, especially when it comes to criminal cases in our courts.

Back in July 2013, a juror was jailed for two months after posting a comment on Facebook about the case he was witnessing.

This prompted Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, to warn Facebook users about publishing remarks that could technically be contempt of court, requiring a judge to discharge a jury in order to ensure adverse publicity does not undermine a fair trial.

Suddenly, a flippant comment or status update can see a Facebook user behind bars. Scary stuff!

There’s also been a well-documented rise in the number of prospective employers who will have a gander at your Facebook before inviting you for an interview.

So maybe those ‘MAGALUF 2007 – lads on tour’ pictures need taking down?

I guess the rules of being a Facebooker are simple – don’t say something you wouldn’t say in front of your mum or even a packed courtroom.

Otherwise you might be forced to do the very same, in front of your mum AND a packed courtroom.

And on that bombshell, Happy birthday Facebook – here’s to the next 10!

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