(CTN News) – Meta’s internal conflict to maintain Facebook’s relevance was disclosed in documents released by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) subsequent to the first week of the antitrust trial.

In 2022, Meta executives evaluated numerous strategies to enhance the company’s email performance, as they were cognizant of Facebook’s diminishing cultural influence.

Meta continues to experience difficulties with this issue as of 2025. Mark Zuckerberg stated during the company’s Q4 earnings call in January that the company’s objective is to rediscover the cultural significance of Facebook this year by returning to “OG Facebook.” They recently enhanced the Friends tab as a solution to this issue.

According to a collection of April 2022 texts that were submitted as prosecution evidence, Zuckerberg was apprehensive about the outmoded nature of Facebook’s “Friends” model and structure, as “Following” was the primary focus on all other major platforms.

He contemplated abandoning the acquaintances model and even proposed the deletion of all Facebook acquaintances in order to motivate others to begin anew.

The following are significant excerpts from Mark Zuckerberg’s email.

Facebook’s cultural influence is waning

I aim to devise a distinctive concept for the Facebook application that fosters consistent, enduring growth. Despite the fact that the Facebook application has been in existence for an extended period, its cultural significance appears to be diminishing at a rapid pace.

This poses the question of whether this indicates potential future problems. I do not believe that our business can thrive in the event of a Facebook failure, despite the possibility that WA and IG may flourish.

Consequently, it is imperative that we address this issue appropriately.I believe that the graph structure of Facebook could be revitalized to increase its cultural significance and guarantee a more optimistic future.

It is imperative that we devise a strategy to prevent either service from surpassing the other or unduly restricting the other. I am currently concentrating on developing a feasible long-term strategy for Facebook, as Instagram has a greater cultural influence than Facebook.

The outdated “Friending” mechanism on Facebook is a source of concern.

The concept of friending is a component of the Facebook program; therefore, it may be a viable option if a method were devised to revitalize this concept and make it more relevant to contemporary life in the 2020s.

There are numerous factors why befriending appears to be obsolete in the present day. Numerous individuals possess outdated friend lists that do not encompass the individuals with whom they wish to engage in conversation or interaction.

Secondly, the act of requesting friendship from an individual with whom you are unfamiliar is perceived as serious and further complicates the situation. Typically, I am inclined to pursue an individual without posing any inquiries when I first encounter them or develop an interest in them.

Thirdly, Facebook’s content sharing is considerably more permissible than that of other websites due to its diminished cultural significance.

The friend graph structure of the Facebook program appears to be closely associated with its cultural significance, in contrast to other organizational structures such as the algorithmic model of TikHub, the community-based approach of Groups and Reddit, or the follow graphs of Instagram and Twitter.

Possible Solutions

The Facebook app may become outdated as a result of its refusal to implement this critical innovation, as following, not friending, is the foundation of all modern social networks. The following can be thoroughly implemented to resolve this issue.

In my opinion, it would be insufficient to solely support followership for public accounts if we were to comply with this. Despite the fact that private accounts offer the same advantages, it is more germane to transition from friending to following, and the concept of “liking” websites should likely be abandoned entirely.

One potentially drastic alternative is to eliminate everyone’s graph and begin anew.It is a rather audacious concept to eliminate everyone’s graph and commence anew. There is a possibility that a significant number of individuals will either refrain from rebuilding their graphs or will become less engaged as a consequence.

Consequently, in order to ensure a positive outcome, it would be necessary to design and execute an experiment in a lesser nation. I believe that we should make a concerted effort to effect change, even if minor efforts such as spring cleaning procedures are not anticipated to yield significant benefits.

SOURCE: TC