Mark Zuckerberg, the kingpin of Meta (Facebook, Instagram) announced this Sunday the launch of a paid subscription starting at $11.99 a month to authenticate his account on the platforms, while the social media giant is going through a difficult time financially.
The formula, which will be rolled out for the first time in Australia and New Zealand this week, resembles the one implemented by Elon Musk on Twitter, with identity verification services and benefits such as “direct access to customer service.”
On Facebook and Instagram, followers will get a badge that shows their identity has been verified, as well as protections for their account (including against phishing), access to customer service, and more visibility,” a spokesperson for Facebook said. Goal.
Content from creators who subscribe to Meta Verified will be more widely distributed and appear at the top of search results and recommendations.
Membership is restricted to individuals and professionals over the age of 18; it is not open to corporate accounts.
More free
The slogan of the social network launched in 2004 has long been “It’s free and (always will be).”
Facebook has thus established the dominant model of large online platforms: users take advantage of free services that collect personal information about them in order to target them with personalized advertising.
Acclaimed by advertisers from big brands to small businesses, Google and Meta have quickly become the dominant players in the industry, raking in tens of billions of dollars each year.
But in 2022, Meta saw its ad revenue decline for the first time since the Californian group went public in 2012. Facebook alone reached two billion daily active users on the platform.
But between inflation eating into advertiser budgets and fierce competition from apps like TikTok, these users aren’t as reporting to Meta as they once were.
The company is also suffering badly from regulatory changes introduced by its neighbor Apple, which restrict the ability of social networks to collect user data to sell ultra-targeted advertising space. These factors have already led other networks, from Reddit to Snapchat, to launch paid plans.
Twitter has implemented “Blue”
Acquired by Elon Musk in the fall, Twitter has enabled “Blue,” a subscription to authenticate your account, make your tweets appear with priority, and see fewer ads, among other benefits.
Blue and Meta Verified do not have the same price depending on whether the subscription is contracted on the web or in the mobile application, due to the commissions charged by iOS (Apple) on iPhones and Google on smartphones operated by the system. .
Therefore, users will pay $11.99 per month for Meta Verified on the web, or $14.99 per month on iOS or Android.
Meta implemented a massive social plan in the fall, cutting 13% of its workforce, and Mark Zuckerberg indicated earlier this month that he wanted fewer managers at “middle levels.”
The year 2023 will be the year of “efficiency”, he promised, words well received by stock market investors.
Source: BFM TV
