Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook. Photo: wiki commons.

NY Times – Facebook is the third biggest initial public offering in United States history, but no other market debut has matched the frenzy created by Mark Zuckerberg’s social networking site.

For Facebook’s debut is not just a market event. For the millions of Americans who have no intention of ever buying or selling a share of Facebook (although the mutual funds in their 401(k) may have other thoughts), the trading on Friday is the equivalent of a must-see Super Bowl Sunday showdown for people who don’t ordinarily watch a football game. With some 900 million Facebook users, the I.P.O. is also a pop culture spectacle.

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