We knew it was bound to happen sooner rather than later. After reporting 955 million monthly active users in their May IPO filing, Facebook just announced last Thursday that they had crossed the 1 billion users threshold.
According to the company, they hit that mark at 12:45 pm PT on September 14th.
“This morning, there are more than one billion people using Facebook actively each month. If you’re reading this: thank you for giving me and my little team the honor of serving you. Helping a billion people connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life. I am committed to working every day to make Facebook better for you, and hopefully together one day we will be able to connect the rest of the world too,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
One billion users is a huge milestone indeed, and some of the additional stats Facebook provided with the announcement are even more incredible. For instance, Facebook users have uploaded over 265 billion photos, and have clicked the “like” button over 1.13 trillion times since February of 2009.
Of course, U.S. House members, Senators, Governors, and Mayors make up a portion of those 1 billion active users (albeit a small portion). As we barrel toward election day, the interaction between politics and social media is as strong as ever. With that in mind, Facebook decided to ask some prominent U.S. politicians about their 1 billion user milestone.
Here’s what some of them had to say:
John Boehner, House Speaker: “One billion means yet another illustration of the nearly unlimited potential of digital media. Mews, views, and information can now move in ways never thought possible. Used responsibly, it can be an unprecedented tool for the exchange of knowledge and truth in our world.”
Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader: “One billion means- What problems can one-billion individuals solve by working together? I am working hard to ensure Americans have access to good-paying jobs and quality education so our children’s future can be brighter than ours. With one-billion strong, we can work to ensure everyone had opportunities to thrive.”
Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader: “One billion means we have the power to change the world we live in. If I could communicate to all of them, my message would be to take some time to translate your online engagement into offline activism, go vote, run for office, or serve your community.”
Steny Hoyer, House Minority Whip: “One billion means no one can question the fact that we are all connected, and with that connection comes a responsibility to our neighbors near and far. One billion means more ideas can be generated, travel farther and faster than ever, and result in actions that could change the world.”
Marco Rubio, Senator: “One billion means harnessing the power of the internet and spreading it to places where repressive governments ban it out of fear. This would profoundly impact our society because of the internet’s virtually unlimited power to help people achieve unprecedented freedom and rise above the circumstances of their birth.”
Martin O’Malley, Governor of Maryland: “One billion means the ability to connect and communicate like never before. It means revolutionizing the way we fuel, feed, and heal our people and planet while moving our children forward to a stronger, more sustainable future through unprecedented global collaboration, learning, and the effective sharing of resources and information.”
Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles: “One billion minds mean the power to bypass the entrenched ideology of the left and right. By linking one billion citizens we can realize the dream of a true radical center and one that takes on the big challenges and solves the real problems across the world.”