Top 5 Common Misconceptions About Facebook

If you've spent any time online, you've likely encountered numerous hoaxes circulating across the web. Many of these misleading and false stories have been around almost as long as the word 'Internet' itself. Take the infamous 1997 e-mail claiming Bill Gates would share his fortune in exchange for forwarding messages—of course, Gates wasn't actually giving away billions.

A few years later, Al Gore made a well-known gaffe during his presidential run by stating he invented the Internet. However, he didn't. In truth, Gore claimed he 'took the initiative in creating the Internet' in an interview with CNN. While that’s still quite a bold statement, many believe it falls short of claiming he personally constructed the infrastructure.

The rapid expansion of the Internet has led to its fair share of confusion, misconceptions, and rumors, with Facebook—one of the most popular platforms—being at the center of some of these tales. With over 250 million users, it's not surprising that myths surrounding Facebook have emerged. Here are the top five Facebook myths, starting with one that could cause quite a stir if proven true.

5: They Might Start Charging Users

We've all heard that there's no such thing as a free lunch, so it's understandable that some might believe Facebook could begin charging for its services. This rumor gained some credibility following a 2008 column by Farhad Manjoo in Slate magazine. Manjoo argued that if even 5 percent of Facebook's users were willing to pay $5 a month (while others would be downgraded to limited accounts), Facebook could easily rake in hundreds of millions of dollars annually from membership fees alone.

Thankfully for Facebook users, the company has no current plans to introduce fees for its service. According to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in an interview with Business Week, the platform remains profitable and is expanding rapidly due to the strength of its advertising revenues. While it's impossible to predict exactly what Facebook's business model will look like in the future, for now, users can keep their wallets closed when logging in. The next myth, however, has significant financial implications—but not for Facebook users. Keep reading to find out why.

4: Facebook's Founder Stole the Idea for the Site

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, was named the youngest billionaire in the world at just 24 by Forbes Magazine. However, long before Facebook became a household name, Zuckerberg worked on coding for Harvard students creating a website called Harvard Connection. This site was designed to help college students network, a concept strikingly similar to Facebook's. The narrative diverges depending on who you ask. The creators of Harvard Connection claim that Zuckerberg intentionally neglected his programming responsibilities to create a similar site. Zuckerberg, on the other hand, asserts that Facebook was inspired by Harvard's reaction to Facemash, his earlier website. Facemash allowed students to rate and compare each other's photos, and its unexpected success gave Zuckerberg insight into the appeal of online connections. He argues that, given the rising trend in social networking at the time, Facebook was a natural evolution of his previous work.

So what's the truth? After a prolonged legal dispute between the founders of Harvard Connection (now ConnectU) and Zuckerberg, the matter was finally resolved outside of court. According to a statement from the Harvard Connection team’s lawyers, Facebook agreed to pay up to $61 million in cash and stock to settle the case [source: Kincaid]. While this was a considerable sum, it pales in comparison to Facebook's current worth, which is why the next myth has yet to come true.

3: [Company X] Is Going to Buy Facebook

For most people in their twenties, a billion dollars would seem like an enormous amount of money, but not to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO. After leading the company for two years, Zuckerberg entered talks with Yahoo! about potentially selling Facebook. At the time, Facebook's rival MySpace had more users and was sold for $580 million, so Yahoo! believed offering $1 billion for Facebook was a generous proposal [source: BBC]. Zuckerberg, however, disagreed, opting to retain ownership and control of the platform instead.

As it turned out, Zuckerberg made the right decision. Just a year later, Microsoft valued Facebook at $15 billion [source: Sloane]. This lofty valuation was partly due to Microsoft's desire to block any competitors from acquiring Facebook. Nevertheless, an internal Facebook valuation in early 2009 estimated the company’s worth at closer to $4 billion, still significantly higher than Yahoo!'s $1 billion offer [source: CBS News]. Rumors of Facebook being sold seem to have quieted for now. In a 2007 interview with Time magazine, Zuckerberg said selling Facebook was 'not the core focus' of the company. Instead, he explained that the company's priority was finding the best way for people to connect online, leading us to the next myth.

2: Facebook Destroys Your Social Skills

While there's no question that Facebook facilitates easy communication with old friends and faraway relatives, this convenience may have a downside. Dr. Himanshu Tyagi, a psychiatrist at the West London Mental Health Trust, cautions that the speed and dynamism of social networking can make people numb to the importance of real-world relationships. This is especially true for younger generations, who have grown up online and may place more value on their virtual identities than on in-person connections.

Psychologist Aric Sigman takes this concern further, claiming that Facebook's promotion of an isolated lifestyle may be harmful to people's health. Drawing on studies that show how personal interactions affect our genes and hormone levels, Dr. Sigman argues that the lack of face-to-face contact could lead to various health problems, such as heart disease, strokes, and even cancer.

On the other hand, not everyone believes Facebook is pushing people into isolation. A study from Cambridge University suggests that Facebook can actually help maintain relationships that might otherwise fade away. Participants in the study found that Facebook provided a more complete view of their friends and family, ultimately giving them more ways to engage with others. However, if the next myth on our list turns out to be true, you might want to consider logging off, regardless of how Facebook impacts your social skills.

1: Facebook Is Going to Sell Your Pictures

While it's always wise to be cautious when posting pictures on Facebook, you probably never considered that Facebook could use those photos for commercial purposes, even after you delete your account. However, that's the concern sparked by recent updates to the company's Terms of Service (TOS).

The backlash from these changes prompted Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, to respond on the company's blog. Zuckerberg explained that the adjustments aimed to clarify how Facebook and similar sites operate, noting that even if a user deletes their account, the content might still be accessible through other users' pages. As a result, Facebook needs permission to share those images, but only as allowed by the user's privacy settings. Most importantly, Zuckerberg reassured users that Facebook has no intention of selling their photos and acknowledged the need to improve the clarity of this message.

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