“It’s free and always will be).” This slogan, displayed on the Facebook home page until 2019, has long been obvious to all social networks: in exchange for the use of their personal data for advertising purposes, Internet users have free access to all social networks.
free template
But as Facebook sees revenue drop for the first time, Twitter still fails to turn a profit, and TikTok overtakes Instagram, a new trend seems to be emerging: Like many video games, social media is going “freemium” to supplement its revenue: a hybrid model, which offers free use, but which implies paying to take advantage of all the functions.
This February 19, Facebook and Instagram (through their common boss Mark Zuckerberg) announced the launch of a payment package in Australia, invoiced for the equivalent of fifteen euros per month. The company thus imitates Twitter, whose owner, Elon Musk, launched the Twitter Blue subscription a few weeks earlier, at an equivalent price.
The recipe is identical and plays mainly with the ego of Internet users: both Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, the main reward is none other than the coveted blue certification badge. A symbol historically reserved for the most followed accounts on these platforms to avoid any identity theft, now displayed as a fashion artifice.
two speed operation
Now accessible to as many people as possible, for a fee, this blue badge is still sold as a guarantee of security, at least on the Facebook and Instagram side, with ID verification.
Another point in common between the Facebook and Twitter formulas: both promise a user to gain popularity by seeing their posts driven by the recommendation algorithm.
This two-speed operation should spread widely in the coming months, even to professionals. “Ultimately, we want to create a relevant subscription offer for everyone, be it private users, companies and all Internet users,” explains Facebook.
The company thus has the emulation caused by these new tools so that accounts that have not paid are sufficiently penalized and end up opting for the “premium” formula.
“It’s worth it, but you’re still the product”
Despite these additional options and the fairly high price of the Twitter and Facebook formulas, neither plans to eliminate targeted advertising. If Elon Musk’s platform promises to halve the number of commercial posts, the subscriber will not be able to benefit from an environment devoid of these ads.
Since its inception, those responsible for these platforms have ensured that the dissemination of advertising is the essential condition for its free access. From now on, users will be forced to deal with it, while being encouraged to pay, even for features that relate to simple account security.
In fact, going to the checkout is essential for Facebook or Instagram to deign to help you in case of identity theft, while Twitter deprives Internet users of SMS two-factor authentication reluctant to pay for its paid formula.
Since the advent of social media, the saying “if it’s free, you’re the product” has entered popular culture. The “it’s worth it, but you’re still the product” formula could soon happen.
Source: BFM TV
