Between platform bans, user moves and notable departures, January 2025 is marking a distinct change … [+]
As TikTok resumes service after its brief ban, a boycott of Meta is now underway in response to significant changes to the company’s platform. The company recently ended its third-party fact-checking program in the United States, loosened its content moderation policies around political discourse, and has faced criticism and scrutiny due to user reports of blocking or hiding its content. related to Democrats on Instagram – all moves that critics interpreted as alignment with the incoming Trump administration.
In response, REM frontman Michael Stipe announced a campaign called “Lights Out Meta” via his Instagram account. Calling for a week-long boycott of all Meta platforms from January 19-26, the protest encourages users to exit Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Messenger, WhatsApp, Giphy, Meta Quest and Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.
“Please consider doing the same so that corporations like Meta imagine there could be consequences for helping advance the far right in America and around the world,” Stipe wrote in his Instagram post. “Or are we too addicted to break even for a week?”
His question resonates at a time when Meta platforms dominate social media usage. According to a California State University study, about 10% of Americans are addicted to social media. Meta’s boycott aside, the platform still maintains a significant user base, with close to two-thirds of Americans on Facebook, roughly 170 million US Instagram accounts, and almost 100 million WhatsApp accounts.
The TikTok effect
TikTok’s turbulent week saw the platform banned for just 12 hours.
Last weekend showed the willingness of users to switch platforms when TikTok became unusable late on Saturday night. The shutdown followed a Supreme Court ruling, leaving 170 million US users unable to access the platform. Users came across a grim message – “A law banning TikTok has been passed in the U.S. Unfortunately, this means you can’t use TikTok right now.” However, by Sunday afternoon — roughly 12 hours after the initial shutdown — TikTok began restoring service.
RedNote, a Chinese lifestyle platform known as Xiaohongshu in its home market, experienced unprecedented user growth, with the platform’s US daily active users jumping from less than 700,000 to roughly 3.4 million in a single day, taking it to number one on Apple’s App Store in the US.
Other established platforms also moved quickly to capture TikTok’s audience. X’s rival Bluesky introduced a TikTok-style vertical video feature called Trending Videos while X also announced a “new comprehensive home for videos”. Instagram also launched Edits, a video editing tool positioned to compete with TikTok’s proprietary ByteDance editing app CapCut.
Meta Boycott: A Moment of Truth?
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has faced increased scrutiny from critics about the company recently … [+]
For Meta, the timing of the Lights Out boycott presents specific challenges. The company faces scrutiny from international regulators, particularly in the European Union, where officials are scrutinizing compliance with the Digital Services Act following Meta’s policy changes in the US.
Responding to criticism on Threads, Mark Zuckerberg wrote that “I’m counting on these changes to make our platforms better. I think Community Notes will be more effective than fact-checkers, reducing the number of people, accounts who are mistakenly banned is good.” He added that while “Some people may leave our platforms for virtue signaling… the vast majority and many new users will find that these changes make the best products.”
Meanwhile, prominent figures have announced their departure from the platform. Stanford law professor Mark Lemley, who is representing Meta in a copyright dispute involving artificial intelligence, posted on the platform that he would be dropping Meta as a client, writing that he was “at a loss as to how to respond Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook’s Descent into Toxic Masculinity and Neo-Nazi Madness,” as reported by NBC News.
The future of social platforms
The current period of change suggests a potential shift in how users engage with social platforms. TikTok’s brief shutdown demonstrated both the vulnerability of established networks and the ability of users to quickly adopt alternatives.
For social media platforms, success can depend on balancing user expectations with business interests while navigating regulatory requirements across different regions. As the Meta boycott unfolds and questions remain about TikTok’s long-term status in the US, the social media landscape continues to evolve. Whether these changes lead to lasting changes in user behavior or platform policies remains to be seen.
