Yuhnke Commentary: Facebook hits 1 billion monthly users, so what?

PHOENIX - One billion monthly users! What does that even mean? Sure, it seems like a high flippin’ number, but it’s so high that it’s almost hard to comprehend.

Facebook hit a milestone in mid-September that the company is celebrating but is it really that big of a deal?

Yes. It is. Think of it this way, the population of the entire world is 6.9 Billion. More than 1 out of every 7 people in the entire world is using Facebook each month. The population of the United States is 311 Million, just 1/3 of the "population" of Facebook. It’s pretty crazy when you think about it that way.

What does this mean for Facebook? The company has insane usage numbers but still can’t seem to keep its stock price above $22 after opening at $38 in May. Facebook is still working to sort out the business side of things, but in the meantime it has clearly become something unlike anything we’ve seen before.

It’s an online network that is larger than anything anyone could even imagine. Half of all the internet users (as calculated by the International Telecommunications Union) in the world are on Facebook every month.

Facebook has created a virtual hub that is bringing all of us together online. Has it changed the world? Of course not. But you can say it has changed the Internet.  

It has changed the way we share pictures and life events.  It has changed the way many of us stay in touch with friends and family. 

The most interesting part about Facebook is where it goes next. What will the company do to attract cash flow and more importantly, will we all get sick of it and move on? Will it be the AOL of this new generation?

By the way, I’m on Facebook, too. Tell me what you think is next for Facebook over on my page at Facebook.com/KirkYuhnke.