If you often scroll through Instagram and Facebook, you’re in for an unpleasant surprise. Meta is introducing on the apps advertisements that you cannot skip.
Facebook and Instagram are two of the largest social media owned by parent company Meta. Chances are you spend quite a bit of time on them, too. Yet that could get even longer because of a new feature. And no, it’s not voluntary.
Facebook and Instagram are introducing ad blocks. You can’t skip these, unfortunately.
The new irritating Facebook and Instagram feature
When you scroll through Instagram or Facebook now, you notice something. You can’t just scroll down endlessly. Instead, you’re suddenly faced with a commercial break. It has the same effect as a television broadcast.
So you have to watch a commercial all the way through before you can continue scrolling. There is no way to get out of this for free. This feature seems to have been introduced for a reason.
(Image: WANT/Jeroen Kraak)
Meta should show less personalized ads on Facebook and Instagram unless you give permission. Perhaps you’ve already seen this question come up if you’ve installed the new update. With less personalized ads, Meta makes less money, so it has to look for other ways to pad its coffers. So now it does that with ad breaks, so you have to watch a video.
In addition, Meta is now promoting something else. It has reduced the price for the subscription for Instagram and Facebook without ads by 40 percent. The price goes from 9.99 euros to 5.99 euros per month for just the web version. If you don’t want ads in the app, the price goes from 12.99 euros to 7.99 euros. For every other account added, you have to pay 4 euros for the web version and 5 euros for the apps on Android and iOS.
Meta is furious
Meta is lashing out at the European Union over the decision to show fewer personalized ads. This decision stems from the Digital Markets Act (DMA) It would cost companies revenue, which the company says would lead to less economic growth and jobs. The company believes that personal ads are a vital component to the Internet. An assertion that, of course, has mostly to do with less revenue for Meta itself.
Maybe those ad breaks on Instagram and Facebook are actually a good thing. That way you’re more likely to close the app and spend less time on social media. Something wise to do anyway.
