Facebook’s Meta-Dilemma
Screenshot from Meta via YouTube
By Victoria Gerenetski
At the end of October, Mark Zuckerberg and his team announced that Facebook will now be rebranded as the Metaverse.
The Metaverse, or Meta for short, will soon allow users to virtually shop, gather, and even attend meetings without actually having to be physically present, but rather attend virtually. The goal of this new innovation is to have people still carry on their everyday lives while managing to get tasks done without leaving their home.
The establishment of this new platform comes after Facebook’s gradual decline in users over recent years became more sudden. Its app's usage has declined by 13% since 2019 and is projected to drop by 45% just over the next two years. The number of daily users has plummeted as many young adults and teens have completely abandoned it and switched over to other platforms, such as TikTok, while Facebook continues to struggle to change its course.
Zuckerberg is confident that giving users a virtual reality experience will help attract the younger generation, despite the rapid growth of other social networks that have seemingly been able to retain their popularity with young people. Apps such as TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram are wildly popular among teens who have taken an interest in these “modern” platforms.
When asked in an informal survey which social media app they use most frequently, no SJC students admitted to Facebook being their top choice. Sophomore Nick Tapio, a history major, says he doesn’t use Facebook at all, and in fact never did. He does, however, spend most of his time on Twitter since he “likes to keep up with sports news on it.”
Anthony Leone, a current junior majoring in business management, explains that he did indeed use Facebook at one point, but quickly abandoned it for Snapchat since, “it presents the least amount of negative news.”
The prevalence of news stories has become a growing issue with Facebook over the past few years. The fact that it mainly reports on current events, rather than posting more teen-friendly content, has driven young people away from the platform since there isn’t much on there that resonates with them.
One of the very few reasons the younger generation continues to use Facebook, however, is because it allows them to keep in close contact with their relatives and distant family members. Elizabeth Leone, a first-year student majoring in child study, claims Instagram to be her go-to app, but also admits that she is on Facebook. “I use it to connect with my family,” says Leone. But despite that small exception, she otherwise finds very little interest in the app.
Although Zuckerberg has made recent claims that he believes “the Metaverse will be the successor to mobile Internet,” his statement seems to ring untrue. Among teens, Facebook seems increasingly off the radar.