Please answer 3 questions with 3-5 sentences.
Question #1: If you lived in one of the EU countries, which option would you choose?
Question #2: Do you agree with what Meta is proposing? Why or Why not?
Question #3: Do you believe Facebook is dying? What about WhatsApp and Instagram?
Then do classmate replies: (3-5 sentences)
Classmate 1: Hello Shandy! You did an excellent job on your presentation. I enjoyed hearing your summary of the articles about Meta Plans To Charge Up To $14/Month For Ad-Free Instagram In Europe. The article analyzed how Meta, formerly known as Facebook plans to charge up to $14 per month for their ad-free Instagram in the European Union in response to the EU regulators’ privacy demands. In addition, I found very interesting that this subscription model aims to offset Meta’s ad revenue losses that was caused by strict privacy regulations and rules in the EU. Additionally, I can clearly tell how passionate you are about Meta Plans To Charge Up To $14/Month For Ad-Free Instagram In Europe because you also mentioned that this unlikely to happen in the US since Mark Zuckerberg already introduced a paid verification subscription called Meta Verified. Furthermore, having a powerpoint made it very easy to follow because it was very clear to understand. In conclusion, after viewing your presentation and reading the articles that you provided, I found that due to the EU introducing new privacy regulations and rules that Meta responded with ad free subscription options for both the Facebook and Instagram platform which overall highlights the challenges within the digital advertising business environment. Down below are my answers to your three discussion questions from your presentation.
Question #1: If you lived in one of the EU countries, which option would you choose?
Personally, if I lived in one of the EU countries and I had the choice between paying for an ad free version of Instagram vs continuing using the free version with ads I would choose the option to pay a monthly subscription fee for an ad-free experience on Instagram and Facebook because it truly has its unique advantages and benefits. For example, I believe that paying a monthly subscription fee for an ad-free experience would reduce distractions by eliminating unwanted ads from my personal social media feed. In addition, I would opt for the ad-free subscription that cost $14 per month because I wouldn’t have to deal with being bombarded with numerous ads and I would be able to have a distraction-free environment to enjoy my content in peace.
Question #2: Do you agree with what Meta is proposing? Why or Why not?
Personally, I believe that Meta’s decision to charge for an ad-free version in response to EU privacy regulations and rules makes sense from a business standpoint. For example, Meta is adapting their company in order to comply with the new regulatory requirements. Again, I believe that paying a monthly subscription fee for an ad-free experience would reduce distractions by eliminating unwanted ads from my personal social media feed. Additionally, I would opt for the ad-free subscription that cost $14 per month because I wouldn’t have to deal with being bombarded with numerous ads and I would be able to have a distraction-free environment to enjoy my content in peace. Furthermore, I agree with Meta’s proposal because they responded quickly to privacy regulations by offering and providing their customers with an ad-free option.
Question #3: Do you believe Facebook is dying? What about WhatsApp and Instagram?
Personally, I believe that Facebook is dying even though the platform is widely used by billions of users worldwide. For example, over the years Facebook’s user base has shifted over the years since many younger users have switched to Instagram and TikTok. As of today, Facebook still maintains a large user base that predominately has older users. In addition, Facebook is dying due to competition from other platforms such as TikTok. Instagram continues to thrive as a social media platform because it is very popular among younger users. In addition, Instagram has also been able to compete against the major social media giant TikTok. Additionally, WhatsApp is very popular among users due to secure messaging communication all around the world. In conclusion, over the years, Meta has undergone a remarkable company transformation / rebranding and expanded their horizons beyond traditional social media platforms. Furthermore, Meta has had several notable strategic acquisitions, which include Instagram and WhatsApp which has helped push the company Meta into diverse technology industry. Meta’s recent rebranding and their new focus on the metaverse has indicated that the company is looking to transform their company way beyond a traditional social media platform. Meta continues to explore new technologies and experiences, which supports their overall effort to adapt and innovate in today’s world.
Classmate 2: Hello Shandy,
I thought your explanation of recent events was fantastic. You did a great job of summarizing the article by emphasizing all the essential information, and your PowerPoint presentation made it easy for me to follow along with what you were talking about. Your chosen article about Meta Plans charging up to $14/Month for Ad-Free Instagram in Europe was a fascinating topic.
1. If you lived in one of the EU countries, which option would you choose? If I lived in one of the EU countries, I would not pay for the Meta Plan to get ad-free Instagram or Facebook. I don’t have a Facebook account, nor am I interested in getting one. On the other hand, I have Instagram, but I barely use the app nowadays. I don’t have anything to hide. All I do is scroll through social media, like my friend’s, or a random post, and that’s pretty much it, so I don’t need to pay to use these social media platforms not to receive ads for privacy reasons. I am okay with them knowing the posts I like, shopping activities, or what I usually stream. I sometimes feel that if they know what I want, they give me ads for things I could be interested in. However, I see why many people are uncomfortable with social media platforms tracking what they do or giving them ads, which could be considered an invasion of privacy.
2. Do you agree with what Meta is proposing? Why or Why not? In a sense, I agree with what Meta is offering. I used to strongly believe that social media should allow people to choose whether they want ads without paying for that kind of thing. However, as you mentioned, social media is a massive deal in the 21st century, and technology will continue to advance. I consider social media as a world where businesses and people can easily advertise and show their products—so making social media a place where people must pay a monthly subscription not to have ads can cause great harm in the business world. Many people look forward to learning and finding new things on social media. For instance, TikTok is known for showing products that people didn’t even know existed, and it gets cleaned off of shelves once the product goes viral. Although social media has a few negatives concerning privacy, we can’t deny how easy it is for companies to advertise their services and products to any part of the world without too much of a hassle. Social media platforms also make most of their money from allowing business or influencers to post their ads on their platforms. So, in this sense, I agree with what Meta is proposing when charging those who don’t want ads on the Meta social media platforms. Overall, paying for social media or not, there will still be surveillance to an extent, and people’s information won’t be completely private. I think it is essential that users are careful with what they say or do on social media and use it properly, and there won’t be any problems.
3. Do you believe Facebook is dying? What about WhatsApp and Instagram? In my opinion, Facebook is slowly dying. As you mentioned, Facebook was a big deal for those part of the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials. However, as those generations continue to age, they will slow down on their usage of Facebook. They will still use it to find products and services, but I feel like they won’t post as much or scroll through Facebook for fewer hours than before. I don’t think WhatsApp is dying because all current generations continue to use it. Since WhatsApp allows users to send messages to anybody globally for free, it is widely used globally to connect with loved ones or even to other businesses (internationally) easily. Due to the ability to send calls and texts via Wi-Fi, WhatsApp may be utilized without a data connection. As you stated, WhatsApp allows people to communicate with anyone anywhere in the world without restrictions, without having to pay for prepaid calling cards, pay extra to set up international calls into their phone plans, and not worry about going over a time limit. On top of these benefits, many people love how WhatsApp is more secure than texting and other messaging applications because of its end-to-end encryption. It is clear that many people are now focusing on their privacy more than ever, so it is not a shock that WhatsApp continues to be so popular. Lastly, I believe that Instagram is still strong, especially for Millennials, Gen Z, and Generation Alpha. People still love posting on Instagram, especially their stories; however, I feel like people aren’t engaging as much as before, like not many people like or comment on every post they see, unlike before. I think this is because of TikTok. I feel like more people are scrolling for more hours, liking and commenting, and using this application the most overall.