As many of you may have heard, Meta (Facebook/Instagram) founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a decision to remove content moderation restrictions across Meta platforms. Zuckerberg remarked, “We’ve reached a point where there are just too many mistakes and too much censorship. It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression.”
This move mimicked a change deployed by X, formerly known as Twitter. Its content will no longer be monitored or removed for concerns of misinformation. Instead, a move will be made to enlist Community Notes. These “notes” allow platform users to become content reviewers — responding if they feel there may be misinformation at play.
Key Insights
- Meta is scaling back content moderation, prioritizing free expression over proactive censorship. Automated measures will remain for severe violations like scams and terrorism.
- Community Notes, a system empowering users to review and respond to potentially misleading content, will play a central role in maintaining some content oversight.
- Questions arise for advertisers about potential impacts: increased misinformation, user disengagement, and the potential risk of brand exposure to controversial content.
Why It Matters
At Trozzolo, we pride ourselves on the ability to provide successful Meta advertising for many of our clients. As such, we believe it’s critical to explore some of the questions that may be asked:
- What do these changes mean for those of us who are advertising?
- Will we potentially see users walk away from Meta?
- Will we see an uptick in misinformation or controversial content?
- Will brands be subject to adjacent visibility alongside unsafe content?
At this point, it is too early to fully answer these questions. However, we will be continually monitoring the impact of this change as it unfolds. If we look to X as a model, it seems their new policy has had a minor effect on its user engagement. As a result of Community Notes being enabled on X, only around .5%, or 3 million of the 600+ million users have reportedly left the platform for alternative platforms.
How to Move Forward
Here are some things we are recommending to all of our clients right now.
Leverage Content Controls
Use Meta’s ad planning tools to adjust placements or set exclusions toward exposure within sensitive topics, politics, etc.
Monitor and Adjust
Stay vigilant for shifts in user engagement and sentiment. Be prepared to refine strategies based on new platform dynamics and audience behaviors.
Focus on Resilience
Approach changes as opportunities to adapt, trusting that platforms like Meta will continue evolving to balance free expression and advertiser needs.
While there may be potential brand vulnerabilities, at this point, we do not believe there will be a large impact. Like many previous ad platform changes of the past, we feel it is prudent to “weather the storm” unless we begin to see erosion in results. Meta is looking to its core principle of connecting people. We hope its users will do the same to exist in a prosperous social community.
How We Can Help
Navigating these changes can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. Trozzolo is here to guide you through these adjustments.
Have questions about how these updates might affect your campaigns? Feel free to reach out — we’re here to provide clarity and specific recommendations for your brand.
If we’re currently managing your accounts, rest assured: We’ll proactively assess and update your strategy to mitigate any potential risks.
Let’s tackle these changes together and continue to find success on Meta’s platforms.
