*EDITED*
For various reasons I have really scaled back my Facebook useage – the main one being the privacy issues that continue to dog the platform and the next biggest the simple fact that it was the sheer amount of scams using it a lot brought my way. As FB useage in the UK continues to fall for many it has become common to boost posts or to pay for increased exposure. This combined with worldwide changes in how Facebook is used means that it has seen profits jump in Q2 of 2024, against many predictions. As far as I can see many people are put of with the continued legal troubles that FB is facing daily, like settling with Texas for $1.4 billion earlier this week, but businesses are happy to use the numbers (after all FB is way ahead of the rest numbers wise)
What I can say is that personally I have seen a huge drop in scams, scam emails and hack attempts since scaling back, and this is something I feel everyone should be made aware of.
I used to think that my work would suffer from not using FB as much, but it really hasn’t. FB has turned into an old persons social media platform. I have heard a few times this week that only old boring people use FB and I can say that as an old person now (55) it seems to be true. The amount of interactions has slumped even in the last month or so. I believe it is just no longer cool or accepted to post on FB like it was, even 6 months ago. It is therefor no longer my position to recommend FB as the best social media platform, despite the numbers. I see that Instagram, despite being owned by Meta as well results in way better interactions, and threads is pretty decent too. Threads having no ads is a way easier platform to use and this is where FB really sucks, with suggested posts and ads outnumbering real posts on a scale of about 10-1 for me these days….
I am also seeing plenty of opposition to the continued AI hype too – many people now choosing things to use if they DON’T use AI at all, or don’t sell their data. As Meta has really gone all in on AI this is also another reason to swerve FB if that bothers you. Mind you most big platforms are selling all your data for the AI hungry now so that is a completely different kettle of fish….
Added after a further discussion
One of the biggest issues facing Facebook though is that the majority of users are just posting less and less. They *may* be scrolling and looking about, but they are posting less. This is simply as FB makes it harder and harder to post a simple update about yourself. I have a larger and larger percentage of my “friends” who no longer post but are still about. Groups and Pages are the real reason though, many don’t use FB as a personal social network anymore, but as something to interact about their hobbies or work. This shift is why you see less of what you would have wanted before but more about groups/pages and work. This simple shift is why many are posting less, but of course it helps Meta make money – something that these changes are really helping them with.
https://apnews.com/article/meta-facebook-instagram-earnings-q2-2024-profit-15cbc0fdd0cc599d737388bb5a0c35a3?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
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