A large part of the social media experience is wading through advertisements. They’re a blessing and a curse depending on what’s being sold to you. If you don’t like seeing ads while using Meta’s social media platforms, then you might be able to skip them. According to The New York Times (via The Verge), Meta might let you avoid ads while using its social media platforms.
Now, this is a big if, as details on this are very scarce. The report states that Meta could be planning on letting users in Europe pay a fee to stop seeing ads on Facebook and Instagram. This would be similar to how YouTube cuts the ads when you sign up for Premium.
Meta may let you avoid ads, but it’s not likely
For the time being, we don’t know what the company is planning right now. There’s not much information supporting this leak, and there’s a chance that the company won’t do it.
If Meta does decide to bring this change, we expect it to stay in Europe. That sounds like a bummer to other people around the world who’d happily pay to avoid seeing ads. However, there’s a reason.
The EU is passing some strict data regulations that compel big companies like Meta and TikTok from collecting data from their users to create targeted ads and content. This is why TikTok brought a chronological feed in Europe.
This could be Meta’s way of keeping the peace with the EU’s regulatory body. Letting people pay to eliminate ads gives them a way out of the company’s data collection vacuum.
Meta has been on the EU’s bad side for years for how adamantly it collects its users’ data. A big part of Meta’s income comes from selling advertisements to users. Collecting data on its users helps its algorithm optimally target ads at people who are more likely to click on them. The more people click on the ads, the more money Meta gets.
At this point, we’re not sure whether Meta will go through with this. Only time will tell.