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Uncovered emails showed how Meta struggled to keep Facebook culturally relevant
METAMeta Platforms(META) TechCrunch·2025-04-20 14:00

Core Insights - Meta is facing challenges in maintaining Facebook's cultural relevance, as highlighted by internal communications and ongoing antitrust trials [1][4][6] - The company aims to restore Facebook's relevance by returning to its original format and launching a revamped Friends tab [2][5] Group 1: Concerns about Cultural Relevance - Internal emails from 2022 reveal executives' worries about Facebook's declining cultural relevance and the need for a unique vision to ensure sustainable growth [6] - Mark Zuckerberg expressed that Facebook's engagement remains steady, but its cultural relevance is diminishing, which could indicate future health issues for the platform [6] - The current structure of Facebook's "Friends" feature is seen as outdated compared to other platforms that focus on "Following," leading to discussions about potential changes [3][6] Group 2: Proposed Solutions - Zuckerberg suggested refreshing Facebook's graph structure to regain cultural relevance and improve long-term prospects [6] - A strategy is needed to ensure that Facebook and Instagram do not compete for the same audience, as Instagram currently holds more cultural relevance [6] - Ideas discussed include adopting a following model instead of friending, which may involve significant changes to the platform's structure, including potentially wiping existing friend graphs [6][7]