You have to wonder if Mark Elliot Zuckerberg and his college roommates ever fathomed just how hugely popular Facebook would become when they first envisioned the idea of friends keeping in touch with friends. From its humble beginnings in a Harvard dormitory in 2004, Facebook has grown to 1.55 billion users and has 800 million active users each month…Zuckerberg’s personal wealth is estimated at $46 billion. Even when it comes to smartphone apps, according to Nielsen, it is the number one app with 126 million average users each month – up 8-percent from last year – and beating out YouTube with 97 million users. But what is so surprising is that Facebook Messenger took a solid third place with over 96 million users per month and was the fastest growing app with a 31-percent increase from 2014. Stan Chudnovsky, head of product for the Menlo Park, California-based company’s messaging efforts said, “We are growing very, very fast and it’s all shaping up into thinking about what we can make this year better than last year.”
Facebook has not been sitting back on its laurels as they are constantly seeking new ways to be innovative and to keep the old users coming back as well as attracting new users. Facebook has become the got-to-app to check several times on a daily basis as people seek to fulfill their desire to keep in touch with friends and family through the busy lifestyles thrust upon us by society. Facebook Messenger was the next logical step – why use Facebook simply to check out what our friends are up to…why not be able to chat with them at the same time, within the same app. It turns out that millions of user agreed with Facebook and are now using Facebook Messenger for their Facebook friends.
What is next for Facebook and Messenger? Facebook collaborated with other app makers to allow you to send mobile payments to one another. There is also a digital assistant or concierge service designed to compete with Google Now or Siri. Facebook also worked with Uber so users can grab a ride whenever they need one. In 2016 they will be working on new ideas – you can now have a video chat or make a voice call over Messenger without even having the person’s phone number. They are also looking for more ways in which Messenger can interact with businesses. David Marcus, Facebook’s vice president of messaging products, said in a statement, “We believe we have so much more opportunity ahead of us. These are the early days of Messenger.”