Meta is easing its moderation regulations and brand safety and ad revenues are questioned. What are these developments going to do for Facebook and Instagram’s brand value with advertisers?
Here is an excerpt from the latest piece by Andrew Hutchinson of social media Today on the potential consequences of Meta’s content moderation crackdown as well as how the company would have been faring at X (Twitter), when Elon Musk slashed internal moderation staff. It cost X 60% of its ad revenue because the platform, according to various reports, no longer seemed brand-secure.
Meta’s updates, with their removing of some bans on offensive language and de-policing of fact-checking, could produce the same issue. All of these adjustments might give users more freedom of expression, but they will also subject users to objectionable or malicious content. Even Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, accepts the trade-off: fewer offensive posts removed, but also fewer innocuous posts.
As Meta’s audience is already over 3 billion in number, there’s much more damage than X can do. Advertisers may rethink but the platform’s sheer reach may mean brands are not able to retreat even if brand security issues loom large.
It’s not quite as morally offensive as X, but Meta’s policy shifts will have echoes of those of brands, who will now have to take another look at Facebook and Instagram advertising.
