Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The "Facebookification" of Instagram and other Stories

04/01/2019

One person who should be glad to see the back of 2018 is Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.

It's fair to say that last year was a catalogue of disasters for the social network with massive data leaks and privacy breaches, fake news and Russian trolls hitting both the headlines and the share price.

So where does that leave us, the users? Well first up, we in the media should be cautious. We've invested much time and effort in nurturing audiences on Facebook but audiences are losing trust, giving up and getting out. Anecdotally, and having trained thousands of journalists and other businesses over the years, I've heard of an increasing number of people shutting down their Facebook accounts. Others readily admit they don't trust it and are using it less often but can't quite #deletefacebook because friends and family are still there and if nothing else, FOMO means they still feel the need to check in from time to time.

Where are they now and which platforms are they using?

Sue Llewellyn, Social Media.

Year of reckoning The question is if people are moving away from Facebook where are they now and which platforms are they using? Well the answer depends on who you're trying to reach. Instagram has continued to see massive growth and user engagement especially with a slightly younger demographic. Instagram Stories are huge, unlike Stories on Facebook where the format just doesn't seem to be taking off no matter how hard Zuckerberg pushes it.

2018 was pretty rosy for Instagram but 2019 could be a year of reckoning for the Facebook-owned behemoth. The founders have left, reportedly unhappy with the relentless Facebookification' of the site. I tend to agree and personally believe this could mark the beginning of a slowdown as feeds and Stories become infested with adverts, quirks of the algorithm and more Snapchat-like features. I also feel that people will begin to wake up to the so-called Influencers' accounts, often with heaps of fake followers, that somehow demean the site with grossly inauthentic sponsored posts.

Social networks are both a boon and a blight Call me a cynic, it goes with the job of being a journalist, but I still love Instagram and still believe you can genuinely nurture and grow a valuable community; it's a bit like Twitter in the early days but you need to be strategic and have a clear plan. Niche and micro-niche works far better than a broad brush approach of sticking anything up there.

But the pendulum has swung from a very open use of social networks to a mass adoption of closed networks like WhatsApp and Telegram and with that comes a whole host of new problems including fake news' and even murder.

So where does that leave us journalists? I have always recommended not putting all your eggs in the Facebook basket and suggest that everyone be far more cautious about personal privacy settings and what you choose to share with any social network. For us, social networks are both a boon and a blight. It's a great way to find new voices, original stories and to reach audiences but if you do one thing this year, it's polish up your verification skills and keep your eyes open. Watch how people are using social media, how behaviour and use of technology is changing and be flexible; be prepared to adapt your strategy, try new things and don't forget to stay curious. Happy New Year!

Journalism Now Thomson Foundations Journalism Now programme is a series of CPD-accredited online interactive courses designed and led by industry experts providing the latest in digital and multimedia skills.

Popular courses

Social Media Strategy

Social Media Newsgathering

Journalism Across Multiple Platform

Sue Llewellyn Digital and social media

Sue specialises in training in digital and social media. A former BBC journalist, she has been voted one of the Top 50 female innovators in digital journalism.

We get around. Explore our project map
LINK: http://www.thomsonfoundation.org/latest/the-facebookification-of-insta...
See more stories from thompsonfoundation

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

26/08/2026

NWSL Moves Sunday Night Package to Roku, Expands Slate to 25 Matches in 2027

Roku Sports Channel will stream eight matches free beginning Aug. 30 as league shifts Sunday-night games away from Victory+...

26/08/2026

Inside Mountain Media Center's Hybrid-Cloud Architecture for Live Event Production

Evertz and Mobile TV Group detail how on-premises infrastructure and cloud resou...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Sennheiser Group to Showcase Broadcast Audio Portfolio

The Sennheiser Group will demonstrate its broadcast audio portfolio at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Booth D50), covering wireless microphone workflows, studio monitoring, a...

26/08/2026

Appear and TVTEL Deploy X20 Platform for Centralized VAR Signal Transport in Chile

Appear and Transmisiones Televisivas TVTEL Limitada have announced the deploymen...

26/08/2026

Minitech Adds Leader LPX500 and LT4670 to Rental Inventory

Leader Electronics has announced that Danish broadcast rental company Minitech has purchased a Leader LPX500 hybrid IP/SDI waveform monitor and LT4670 sync puls...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Encompass to Showcase Cloud Media Services

Encompass will demonstrate its Altitude media services at IBC2026 (IAMT Hub, Diamond Lounge, Hall 3, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14). Key products on show incl...

26/08/2026

Massillon Washington High School First to Implement Daktronics Camino Platform

Daktronics has partnered with Massillon Washington High School in Ohio to install a new LED video display and implement the Daktronics Camino show control platf...

26/08/2026

Clear-Com Appoints Venuetech as Middle East Partner

Clear-Com has appointed Dubai-based Venuetech LLC as its main partner for the Middle East. Venuetech distributes professional audiovisual solutions across the r...

26/08/2026

NBC Sports NOW Debuts Two New Shows Beginning August 31

NBC Sports NOW, NBC Sports' free 24/7 streaming channel, will launch a new weekday lineup beginning Monday, August 31, including two new shows. Not So Fast...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Calrec to Preview ImPulseV and Argo Updates

Calrec will demonstrate updates to its ImPulseV DSP software and Argo ecosystem at IBC2026 (Stand 8.C47), including previews aligned with the EBU's Dynamic ...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Imagine Communications to Showcase AI Capabilities

Imagine Communications will demonstrate AI applications across its ad tech and video infrastructure portfolios at IBC2026 (Stand 1.B73, RAI Amsterdam, September...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Dalet to Showcase AI and Workflow Automation

Dalet will demonstrate updates to Dalet Flex, Dalet Pyramid, and Dalia, its agentic AI platform, at IBC2026 (Hall 7, Stand 7.A43). The company will also partici...

26/08/2026

Nashville Predators Tap ViewLift for New DTC Service, Pairing Streaming With Scripps Sports Broadcast Deal

Team-owned platform will stream every locally carried Predators game beginning t...

26/08/2026

Little League Baseball World Series 2026: ESPN Restores RailCam Coverage at Lamade Stadium, Upscales Cameras at Volunteer Stadium

The 12-day tournament receives the broadcaster's full onsite-studio presence...

26/08/2026

SOMA Laboratory launch the Enigma

A synth with no controls? If you're into weird and wonderful instruments, then you may already be familiar with Warsaw-based SOMA Laboratory - if you...

26/08/2026

Dreamtonics unveil Instrument X

Physical modelling orchestral instrument announced Following their recent cryptic hints, Dreamtonics have officially revealed the latest addition to their s...

26/08/2026

Bertram Brossardt visits SGL Carbon in Meitingen

Discussions at the Meitingen site on competitiveness, energy supply, and fuel cell technology Bertram Brossardt, CEO of the Bavarian metal and electrical emplo...

26/08/2026

Rohde & Schwarz USA celebrates grand opening of new manufacturing center in Frederick, Maryland

Rohde & Schwarz USA celebrates grand opening of new manufacturing center in Fred...

26/08/2026

Designing Agentic Media Workflows Humans Can Trust

For large media companies, the content archive is a gold mine. There are thousands of hours of existing, high-value assets just waiting to be tapped for highlig...

26/08/2026

Major Live Sports Events Bolster Broadcast in Nielsen's Q2 2026 Ad Supported Gauge

Ad Supported Viewing Represents 71.5% of TV in Q2 Streaming Captures Over 48% o...

26/08/2026

DAZN Accelerates U.S. Expansion with Acquisition of EverPass Media

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Truthset Brings Data Rated Audiences to FreeWheel

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Broadpeak Targets CTV Shopping with Click2Cart Launch

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

SMPTE Announces 2026 Honorees

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

MediaKind Beam selected by CNBC UK for cloud-connected li...

MediaKind today announced that CNBC UK has selected Beam to modernize its contribution and distribution infrastructure, bringing greater flexibility, resilience...

26/08/2026

Telestream Unveils the Next Phase of UP at IBC2026

Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced the next evolution of Telestream UP, expanding the cloud-native platform introduced ...

26/08/2026

SMPTE Announces 2026 Honorees

SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced its 2026 Honorees, recognizing individuals and organizations whose contrib...

26/08/2026

Broadpeak launches Click2Cart to mark new era in shoppabl...

New solution bridges connected TV (CTV) and ecommerce to make shoppable performance advertising easier to scale for streaming platforms and broadcasters Broadp...

26/08/2026

Scripps Research and collaborators awarded $19.5 million to establish an open-access autonomous chemistry laboratory

LA JOLLA, CA-Recent advances in robotics, automation and artificial intelligence...

26/08/2026

How WeFX Made From's' Monsters Feel Uncomfortably Real

How WeFX Made From's' Monsters Feel Uncomfortably Real Brie Clayton August 26, 2026 0 Comments From eight-foot dolls and feathered birds to R...

26/08/2026

Eleanor Roosevelt High School Elevates Student Rallies with Blackmagic Design

Eleanor Roosevelt High School Elevates Student Rallies with Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton August 26, 2026 0 Comments Student led production team uses...

26/08/2026

Grass Valley Advances Integrated Live Production for Unif...

K-Frame and Maverik X innovations extend familiar production control into AMPP, alongside new replay, audio, commentary and communications capabilities. At IBC...

26/08/2026

Magewell Expands Director and Pro Convert IP Lines at IBC...

New products continue to enable any signal, anywhere for creators...

26/08/2026

AFP and Dalet Bring Trusted Content into Every Newsroom

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced a new integrated newsroom experience with Agence France-Presse (A...

26/08/2026

Bolin Technology and ITDev Join AIMS

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Enco to Highlight Caption, Translation Enhancements at IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

ZOO Digital Chooses Interra Systems BATON for Quality Control

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Gomez Criticizes FCC's Media Bureau on Political Advertising

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Tedial to Demo AI-Driven Media Supply Chain Solutions at IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

AIMS Welcomes Bolin Technology and ITDev as Newest Member...

PTZ Camera Manufacturer and FPGA Design Specialist Join Alliance to Advance IPMX and Open AV-over-IP Standards The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) today...

26/08/2026

ZOO Digital Selects Interra Systems BATON for File-Based...

BATON offers ZOO Digital advanced audio and video quality analysis, and scalable architecture Interra Systems, a leading provider of end-to-end quality assuran...

26/08/2026

Scottish Rugby Expands Managed Coach Communications Partn...

Riedel Communications today announced the continued expansion of its managed coach communications partnership with Scottish Rugby Union. Now entering its third ...

26/08/2026

Zixi Demonstrates Hybrid Workflows and Proven Live Video...

Zixi brings Broadcaster V19 and showcases interoperable platform on Stand 5.A76 Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, will be exhib...

26/08/2026

Scripps Research professor Jeffery Kelly elected to the European Academy of Engineering

LA JOLLA, CA-Jeffery Kelly, the H. Lutcher Brown Professor of Chemistry at Scrip...

26/08/2026

Indie Developer Launches Orty, aWindows App That Helps Freelance VideoEditors Find Better Clients

Indie Developer Launches Orty, aWindows App That Helps Freelance VideoEditors Fi...

26/08/2026

BTS on Sinners and Is God Is Shot with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro

BTS on Sinners and Is God Is Shot with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro Brie Clayton August 25, 2026 0 Comments Award winning filmmaker Travis Henry elevat...