Meta's Struggle for Cultural Relevance Revealed in Emails

Meta's Internal Debate on Facebook's Future

As the initial phase of Meta’s antitrust trial concludes, documentation presented by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has revealed internal discussions regarding Meta’s efforts to maintain Facebook’s prominence.

Emails originating from 2022 demonstrate that Meta’s leadership team explored various strategies to revitalize Facebook, recognizing a decline in its cultural impact.

The Push for Renewed Relevance

Currently, in 2025, Meta continues to address this challenge. During the Q4 earnings call in January, Mark Zuckerberg articulated the company’s intention to re-establish Facebook’s cultural relevance in the current year, aiming for a return to the platform’s original essence – “OG Facebook.”

The recent introduction of a redesigned Friends tab represents a key component of this strategy.

Considering a Radical Shift in Social Structure

Evidence presented during the trial included a series of messages from April 2022. These messages detailed Zuckerberg’s anxieties about the aging “Friends” structure of Facebook.

He noted that competing platforms were increasingly prioritizing a “Following” model.

Zuckerberg even contemplated abandoning the Friends format entirely, and at one point, proposed a complete reset – removing all existing Facebook friends and prompting users to rebuild their networks.

Key Insights from Zuckerberg’s Correspondence

Below are some notable excerpts from Mark Zuckerberg’s emails, offering a glimpse into the internal deliberations at Meta.

Addressing Declining Cultural Influence of Facebook

Internal discussions reveal concerns regarding Facebook’s diminishing cultural impact. A key objective is to establish a distinct vision for the Facebook application to ensure continued, sustainable expansion.

Engagement and Future Health

While current engagement levels for the Facebook app remain stable in numerous regions, there's a growing apprehension that its cultural relevance is rapidly declining. This is viewed as a potential precursor to more significant challenges down the line.

The success of Instagram and WhatsApp is acknowledged, but it’s emphasized that the overall company’s future hinges on the revitalization of Facebook itself.

The Need for Structural Refresh

A prevailing theory suggests that a fundamental restructuring of Facebook’s underlying graph structure is necessary to restore its cultural relevance and secure its long-term viability.

This proposed refresh aims to position Facebook for sustained growth and prevent further erosion of its influence.

Strategic Alignment Between Services

A collaborative approach to service development is deemed crucial. The goal is to avoid a scenario where one platform relies on the shortcomings of another.

Prioritizing Facebook’s Revival

Currently, Instagram is perceived as maintaining stronger cultural relevance compared to Facebook. Consequently, the primary focus is directed towards identifying a viable strategy for Facebook’s long-term recovery.

Efforts are being concentrated on charting a course for Facebook that will allow it to regain its position as a culturally significant platform.

Key takeaway: Addressing Facebook’s declining cultural relevance is considered paramount to the company’s overall success.

Concerns Regarding the Current "Friending" System on Facebook

There is growing consideration that Facebook’s traditional “friending” model may be becoming obsolete in contemporary social networking.

The Need for Modernization

The core concept of "friending" is currently dominated by the Facebook application. Revitalizing this feature and aligning it with current social dynamics could prove beneficial.

Reasons for the Declining Popularity of "Friending"

• Many users find their existing friend networks on Facebook are inactive or no longer representative of their desired connections.
• The process of sending a friend request can feel overly formal and creates a barrier to establishing new connections.
• Often, individuals prefer to initially follow someone's content without the commitment of a reciprocal friendship.
• Facebook’s diminished cultural prominence adds to the hesitation of adding connections on the platform compared to other social media services.

The Importance of the Friend Graph

The structure of Facebook’s friend graph appears to be fundamentally linked to the platform’s overall cultural relevance.

Alternative Organizational Structures

Other platforms utilize different methods for connecting users, including:

• Follow graphs, similar to those found on Instagram and Twitter.
• Algorithmic feeds, as employed by TikTok.
• Community-based systems, like those seen on Groups and Reddit.

These alternative approaches offer different ways to organize and experience social connections.

Facebook’s continued success may depend on its ability to adapt its core connection mechanisms to better suit evolving user preferences.

Potential Strategies for Network Enhancement

Several approaches have been suggested to revitalize the social network experience. One key observation centers on the evolving dynamics of social connections, contrasting the current model with those of contemporary platforms.

Shifting from Friending to Following

It has been noted that many current social networks prioritize a “following” model over the traditional “friending” paradigm. The Facebook application may be perceived as outdated due to its continued reliance on the latter.

To address this, a complete transition to a following-based system is proposed. This wouldn't simply involve enabling following for public figures; it would necessitate extending this functionality to private accounts as well.

Furthermore, the concept of “liking” pages might be reconsidered as part of this broader shift. Removing page likes could streamline the user experience and reinforce the following model.

Radical Graph Reset

A more unconventional solution involves a complete reset of the existing social graph. This would require users to rebuild their connections from scratch.

However, this approach carries significant risk. There's a possibility that users might not reinvest in rebuilding their networks, potentially leading to decreased engagement.

Before implementing such a drastic change, a carefully controlled experiment would be crucial. Testing the reset in a smaller country could provide valuable data on its potential impact.

It is believed that only a substantial change of this magnitude could significantly improve network dynamics, as incremental adjustments like “spring cleaning” features are unlikely to yield substantial results. Significant change is deemed necessary.

The potential benefits of a graph reset must be weighed against the risks of user disengagement. User engagement is a critical factor in evaluating this strategy.