Mark Zuckerberg Teases Return to Original Facebook in 2025

Meta's Plans for a "Return to OG Facebook" in 2025

During the Q4 earnings call with investors on Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg indicated a focus on a “return to OG Facebook” as a key objective for 2025. Specific details regarding these planned alterations were not disclosed by the company.

However, it is evident that Meta requires a renewed influx of younger Facebook users to ensure the platform’s longevity for future generations.

Zuckerberg's Vision and Potential Tradeoffs

When questioned about his intentions for the “OG Facebook,” Zuckerberg affirmed that it represents a significant area of focus for the coming year. He stated the company intends to dedicate both investment and time to this initiative.

He expressed his belief that substantial opportunities exist to enhance Facebook’s cultural influence.

The executive also cautioned investors that implementing these changes might necessitate compromises in “maximizing business results in the near term,” suggesting potential revenue impacts. He anticipates the product modifications will begin to be implemented within approximately six months.

Zuckerberg alluded to a return to the platform’s original usage patterns, but refrained from providing further specifics.

The Challenge of Attracting Younger Users

A diminishing interest in Facebook among younger demographics is presenting a growing challenge for the technology company, particularly as its existing user base continues to age.

Data from an eMarketer study released in August indicates that U.S. Gen Z users (ages 18-24) devote considerably more time to TikTok, followed by Instagram and Snapchat. This represents twice the engagement compared to the overall U.S. adult population.

Furthermore, a 2024 Pew Research survey revealed a substantial decline in Facebook usage among U.S. teens (ages 13-17), dropping from 71% in 2014-2015 to just 33%.

Interestingly, Gen Z often finds value in Facebook’s more practical features, such as Facebook Marketplace, rather than its social networking aspects.

Previous Attempts and Emerging Competition

Meta has acknowledged these difficulties and launched a Gen Z-targeted redesign of its social network in October 2024. This redesign prioritized local community information, video content, and Facebook Groups.

The company now plans to build upon these changes with a further product refresh in 2025, though its ability to effectively compete with TikTok, Gen Z’s preferred platform, remains uncertain.

Moreover, Gen Z users have demonstrated a willingness to explore alternatives to Meta’s platforms. When a potential TikTok ban was considered in the U.S., young people downloaded RedNote, a similar Chinese application, both before and during the brief enforcement of the ban.

Reattracting younger users by revisiting Facebook’s “OG” roots may prove difficult, if not impossible. A previous attempt to recreate a sense of exclusivity with the Campus feature, launched in 2020 for college and university students, was discontinued after a year and a half due to lack of traction.

Efforts to attract new users through services like online dating have also yielded limited success.

The Rise of Decentralized Social Networks

New social networks are emerging, built on the open social web and utilizing protocols like ActivityPub (used by Mastodon) and AT Protocol (used by Bluesky). These platforms empower users with greater control over their data and social connections, contrasting with the centralized platforms owned by major technology companies.

As these networks expand, they will present increased competition to initiatives like an “OG Facebook.”

Transparency and Metrics

For years, Meta has sought to mitigate investor concerns regarding Facebook’s performance.

In Q4 2019, Meta (formerly Facebook) introduced new metrics for investors, including family daily active people and family monthly active people. Later, in Q1 2024, Meta shifted away from per-app metrics, eliminating daily and monthly active users in its quarterly reports in favor of metrics encompassing its entire family of apps.

The company stated this change aimed to better illustrate engagement across all its products, not solely Facebook and Messenger. However, it likely also served to obscure Facebook’s decline within the broader “family” of Meta’s applications.