Facebook and Instagram kicked off a weeklong launch of their first paid subscription service on Friday, testing users’ willingness to pay for previously free features on social media.
With advertising revenue dwindling, parent company Meta is experimenting with subscription in Australia and New Zealand before rolling it out to larger markets. The service will cost $11.99 (11.30 euros) per month for users who subscribe via the Internet and $14.99 for those who use mobile applications.
Strengthen authenticity and security.
Starting this Friday, Australian subscribers who provide a government-issued ID will be able to request a blue badge, a token of authenticity, offering them protection against any risk of identity theft, direct access to customer service and more. visibility, according to the company.
“This new feature is intended to strengthen the authenticity and security of our services,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a statement posted on Facebook and Instagram.
Crucially, this move also provides Meta with a way to earn more revenue from its two billion users. A strategy similar to that adopted by Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter. It offers since December to obtain a certification badge for any subscription to the Twitter Blue offer.
try new models
The growing army of creators and influencers making a living online could be the first customer base for its paid services, experts say. Many of them complain about the difficulty in solving technical and administrative problems, which leads to delays and loss of income.
Jonathon Hutchinson, senior lecturer in online communications at the University of Sydney, noted that some form of “VIP service” could be “a very attractive proposition for a content creator.”
Meta has often wanted to try new, sometimes risky models, only to abandon what doesn’t work, Jonathon Hutchinson said.
But before launch, regular users didn’t seem too enthusiastic about donating money to a company that already makes big bucks from their data.
Source: BFM TV
