Facebook originated as physical student directories at American universities.

Evidence

In 2004, with the Internet revolution already in its adolescence, Harvard University’s computer services began work on what it described as an “electronic facebook.” The term “facebook” traditionally referred to a physical booklet produced at American universities to promote socialization in the way that “Hi, My Name Is” stickers do at events; the pages consisted of rows upon rows of head shots with the corresponding name, and perhaps the class and residence underneath. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 976

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader history of attention-grabbing platforms being built atop earlier analog forms — parallels the earlier chapters tracing radio, TV, and web predecessors. — connects to: Facebook launched as one undergraduate’s race against the university bureaucracy. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 980; Facebook won by representing existing campus networks rather than creating new ones — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 996
• SEED: Could seed an essay on how digital platforms routinely inherit their formats from analog institutions that universities and governments had already built.

Broader Connections

• Facebook launched as one undergraduate’s race against the university bureaucracy. #corroborates (0.85) — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 980
• Facebook won by representing existing campus networks rather than creating new ones #expands (0.80) — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 996