What better way to start the year than by making four seismic changes to your social network, eh Meta? Last week started with the announced departure of Nick Clegg, and ended with the company terminating its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. But the Meta sandwich was its two biggest announcements, which I was invited to speak to the BBC about for this story, and the impact it will have on brands that I want to expand on.  

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When the main news headlines are about turbulence on social platforms, it’s often Elon Musk that’s causing the chaos. But right now it’s Meta that’s in the spotlight. The company revealed last week that it is axing its fact-checking program in the US, before shortly after announcing that Instagram and Threads users will not be able to opt out of seeing political content in their feeds. 

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All in the name of free speech?

We are approaching a new era of social media, with greater levels of free speech as Meta describes the impetus behind these moves. But is this really about free speech? Or are we about to enter a messier, and more polarised social media ecosystem in 2025? 

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What does this mean for brands and users of social media? Community management, and actively participating in user-led feedback will be essential, and will need to increase this year.  

The combination of changes at Meta this week has set a dangerous precedent. Removing over 100 organisations from Meta’s fact-checking program, while also introducing more political content to Instagram and Threads, will open up the potential for vast amounts of disinformation to spread at speed across the biggest social media user base in the world. 

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Fact-checking on Meta will be replaced by ‘community notes’, a system whereby users will be offered the chance to correct misinformation, a method commonly used already on Twitter/X. 

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It’s important to note that Meta is not scrapping content moderation entirely. That will still exist to protect users from the most harmful content that is posted to Facebook, Instagram and Threads. But the move to community notes for fact-checking specifically is an important change for the purpose of news and information veracity, so a lot is riding on the need for a transition to non fact-checked political content across Facebook, Instagram and Threads.   

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Fears for younger users

I fear the real danger here will be with younger social media users, for whom social media is their primary source of news and information – political or otherwise. Without adequate safeguards, we could face a generation shaped by disinformation and hate content, which regulators will have to work hard to avoid.

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While this U-turn from Meta has sent shockwaves through users, the changing political winds in the US make it easy to understand what’s coming next. 

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Many social media users do want to have more political discussions on social media, of course, but Threads and Instagram were largely thought of as ‘safe spaces’, especially compared to the turbulent developments on X. 

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Is Bluesky a viable alternative?

For this reason, we are seeing many users on Meta’s platforms are already saying they will turn to newer rivals like Bluesky, which is working hard to prioritise content moderation and have less political focus. 

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It’s important for brands and social media managers to stay one step ahead over the next few months. Social listening, audits and strategies should all be reassessed as the sands of social media shift more quickly than at any time in recent years. 

If you’d like to speak to one of our experts at Battenhall about how we can help you, contact us at hello@battenhall.com or check out our social media services page for more information: https://www.battenhall.com/services/social-media.