Facebook Tests Charging Users for Sharing Links, Possibly Striking a Hard Blow to News Outlets
Facebook's parent company, Meta, is running a small-scale trial where profiles without a Meta Verified account may be limited to sharing only two external web links per month.
Details of the Test
This experiment at present includes a subset of Facebook pages operating in Professional Mode, which is often used by creators and influencers to monetize their posts. Although publishers are excluded from this trial, the long-term implications could be significant.
"Starting 16 December, some Facebook accounts without Meta Verified will be restricted to posting two organic posts per month."
A History of Retreat
This action comes after years of Meta strategic withdrawal from news distribution. Industry analysts note that after ending deals to pay publishers and blocking news links in Canada, Meta has signaled strongly that news is no longer strategic.
Media companies previously faced a steep decline in online traffic following a 2023 decision to de-prioritise news in favor of more videos and viral content. Although visits were starting to rebound in 2024, it remained down by around 50% compared to the previous year.
Driving Verified Sign-ups
This latest trial is understood to be a wider effort to persuade people to subscribe to Meta Verified. This subscription service costs from £9.99 to almost four hundred pounds monthly and offers extra features like a blue checkmark and improved account protection.
- A company representative said: "This is a small experiment to see if the ability to publish an greater number of posts with links adds additional value for paying users."
- Some experts suggest this shift towards monetization may be linked to Meta's expensive ventures in other areas, like the metaverse and artificial intelligence.
Could News Benefit Elsewhere?
It is worth noting that in January, Meta stated it would take towards a tailored feed for political content. Subsequent analysis indicated this may have led to more news content reappearing in feeds for some users.
As one instance, visitors referred by Facebook to certain newspaper websites reportedly grew by a notable margin in the early months of this year.
In the end, this test highlights the ongoing tension between social media platforms seeking new revenue streams and news organizations that depend upon them for readers and visibility.
