People have been complaining about the quality of their social media feeds for a long time. Now we are seeing Facebook and Instagram losing users, with signs pointing to low-quality feeds as the real reason. Recent numbers show Meta lost 20 million daily active users across its main apps this past quarter.
While the company points the finger at global internet issues, many people believe the real problem is just a bad user experience.
The company blames overseas problems while feeds fill up with ads
Even though Facebook and Instagram are losing users, the parent company blames the drop on outside forces. It claims internet blackouts in Iran and new rules blocking WhatsApp in Russia caused the sudden dip. However, every day, people are telling a different story.
Users are getting tired of seeing so many ads and suggested posts from accounts they do not follow. Finding actual updates from friends is getting harder. Instead of a simple list of photos, the main timeline is packed with pushed content and recycled videos.
A new update targets accounts that post unoriginal content
To win back users, the company is making changes to how it recommends posts. It is updating its rules to favor creators who post completely original photos and videos. If an account mostly reposts other content without making real edits, the algorithm will stop showing its posts to new audiences.
At the same time, the company is spending billions more on artificial intelligence and laying off thousands of workers to balance the budget. We will have to wait and see if these new rules actually clean up the timeline or if users keep leaving.
