Facebook’s Comeback — Have You Noticed? 📣
Social media folks and creators: time to recalibrate your trend radar. 📡 Facebook’s runway is heating up again — unexpectedly. It's almost giving golden age Facebook vibes.
🕕 Berlin greets 8 AM | 🌆 New York embraces 2am | 🌴 LA chills after work at 11 PM
Hey everyone, Daniel here — and I’ve noticed a shift in my social media habits. Lately, I’m spending more and more time on an app that’s neither new nor particularly hot among Millennials or Gen Z. Yep. I’m talking about Facebook. And it turns out: I’m not the only one.
🧵 This whole investigation started thanks to my rediscovered blogging energy.
When I shared my new posts on Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon & Co., it was no big deal to also hit publish on Facebook. To my surprise? I saw a spike in traffic — from Facebook! And not just that: the conversations were better, the comments more thoughtful. As I kept replying, I stumbled into more interesting posts.
Before I knew it… ✨ Facebook was fun again. What is going on?
What's Inside This Issue: A mini case study on one of Meta’s greatest talents:
🔄 Succeeding in exactly the area they claim to have moved on from.
1️⃣ Weekly Edit: The Unexpected Return of Facebook
— Right after Mark Zuckerberg declared: "Social Media is over."
Meta pivoted Facebook into a TikTok clone: vertical videos, "For You" feeds, content discovery at scale. Then came Zuckerberg’s remarkable appearance in Washington, where he declared the end of social media (see our Style Check further below 🧵).
But right when everyone was looking elsewhere, Facebook started flexing its old-school social strengths again. Who would have thought?
Sure, the numbers in every Social-Media-Usage-Ranking were still high for Facebook, even everyone in the Social was preaching: “Facebook is dead”. Even we just needed our Facebook-Login for the confusing Meta Business Suite to manage our Instagram- and WhatsApp-Chanels.
🚨 The Numbers Behind the Comeback
"Facebook is dead" — that’s what the entire social media scene has been saying.
Meanwhile: 📊 Facebook never actually left the charts.
Most of us just used our Facebook login for the confusing Meta Business Suite to manage Instagram or WhatsApp. But something shifted.
🧩 Staying Connected
Facebook's unique strength? Its social graph — the map of your real-world connections.
Even as trendier platforms rise and fall, Facebook remains the go-to place for keeping in touch with that broad and enduring network of friends, family, acquaintances, and old classmates.
It’s not just about nostalgia: it's about relevance through reach. Instead of fading away, Facebook continues to be actively used — especially in Germany:
🇩🇪 Instagram remains the most-used social platform with 40% reach
🟦 Facebook holds second place with 33% — its second-highest value ever (ARD-ZDF-Medienstudie 2024)
👥 Core Demographics
27% of people under 29 use Facebook at least once a week
51% among 30–49 year-olds
33% among 50–69
Even 12% of 70+ are regularly active
📰 Facebook’s Surprise Comeback for News Media
In 2025, publishers are returning — and not just quietly. 📈 Engagement is up 200% in Q1 alone, according to NewsWhip, marking one of the most surprising turnarounds in the digital publishing space in years.
What’s behind this? A strategic reversal: Facebook has shifted back toward highlighting news content in the feed — while still pushing video and visual storytelling. It’s a hybrid model, echoing early Facebook dynamics but enhanced by modern distribution mechanics.
News organizations are reaping the rewards by optimizing their content for engagement over impressions — leaning into the platform's latest preference for reactions, shares, and emotional resonance. This has allowed both large and niche publishers to expand reach and rekindle community interaction.
Key Highlights:
Fox News: +9× engagement YoY, 176M interactions by May — with political content and live event reactions performing especially well
New York Times: +3.5× boost, top posts ranged from breaking news to cultural moments like Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance
Visuals Rule: Photo-centric posts and quote cards dominate engagement, especially when paired with strong headlines or emotional storytelling
Viral Videos Return: Think heartwarming, funny, surprising — videos that evoke emotion and nostalgia are thriving, reminiscent of Facebook's 2016 vibe
🔥 Facebook's renewed focus on news content and visual storytelling has reinvigorated the platform's relevance for publishers.
This strategic pivot not only boosts engagement but also reshapes the digital news landscape, offering fresh opportunities for content creators and media outlets alike.
🪡 Why? Because Just Becoming A TikTok-Clone Isn’t Enough
Rather than "dying," Facebook is evolving. It's adapting its algorithms and features to compete with newer platforms and address changing user behaviors, such as the increased focus on video and more intimate sharing.
That’s why Facebook is De-emphasizing "Passive" Content: Facebook is moving away from simply showing you content you might passively scroll through. They want to encourage more active engagement, and personal posts tend to generate more comments and reactions.
📅 The Comeback Timeline
Oct 2 2024 — Techcrunch: Facebook says it paid content creators $2B this year
Oct 4, 2024 — Techcrunch: Facebook launches a Gen Z-focused redesign
Jan 30, 2025 — Techcrunch: Mark Zuckerberg teases a 2025 return to ‘OG Facebook’
Feb 24, 2025 — PressGazette: Facebook Channels providing small but engaged audience for publishers
Mar 27, 2025 — Techcrunch: Facebook debuts a revamped Friends tab as part of its return to ‘OG’ Facebook
Mar 30, 2025 — Techcrunch: Facebook now lets creators get paid for views on stories
Apr 8, 2025: FB: Add social links from other platforms to your professional mode profile or Page
Apr 8, 2025: Digiday: Some news publishers see resurgence of Facebook referral traffic, but aren’t sure what to make of it
🧵 Facebook has stitched old fabric into a new pattern — and creators who grab the right threads can sew their audiences back in.
🧵 Unreavling the Yarn on Facebook's Renewed Focus on Friends & Family Content
🧠 Algorithm Shift: From Broadcast to Belonging
Facebook's transformation is also deeply rooted in how its algorithm now operates. The platform no longer simply pushes content based on popularity or virality. Instead, it's about fostering deeper connections, prompting conversations, and surfacing content that matters to users — not just what entertains them for a second.
More meaningful interactions → The algorithm now favors posts that generate genuine engagement: comments, reactions (beyond just the like), and meaningful back-and-forth. Posts from friends and groups you're active in are elevated, making your feed feel more familiar and relevant again.
Creator support → Facebook is actively incentivizing creators through updated monetization tools. From Reels bonuses to in-stream ad sharing, the platform is offering clearer paths to revenue — especially when creators spark interaction.
AI-enhanced recommendations → Behind the scenes, Facebook’s AI has gotten smarter. It now recognizes not just what you watched, but what you lingered on, responded to, and saved. This helps surface more of what feels personal — whether it's a creator you love or a friend’s update you’d otherwise miss.
Video domination → Reels are the centerpiece, but not in isolation. Videos that tell stories, evoke reactions, or create shareable moments are being rewarded. Facebook isn’t just imitating TikTok; it’s trying to embed video within broader conversations — something it sees as more “social” than passive viewing.
📣 Not just any content — but content that builds connection, and keeps the thread going.
💡 What This Means for Journalistic Creators
🪡 Deeper audience connections are now rewarded — not only in theory, but via measurable results. In the new Facebook landscape, traditional broadcast-style publishing isn't enough. Content that invites dialogue, feels personal, and integrates with users’ emotional timelines tends to outperform even professionally polished output.
Reactions, comments, shares = more reach → The algorithm now favors emotional responses and conversations, so stories that trigger community reaction are amplified.
Photo + Video content = top engagement drivers → Posts with a strong visual identity — behind-the-scenes photos, short explanatory clips, even well-designed quote cards — significantly outperform link-only headlines.
Journalism is becoming social again → News orgs that speak with their audience instead of at them benefit most. Community posts, follow-up threads, embedded questions, and participatory formats are part of the playbook now.
🧷 Publishers who embrace a hybrid model of storytelling — visually immersive, emotionally resonant, and conversationally structured — are discovering that Facebook isn’t just “not dead.” It may actually be one of the most powerful platforms for public-interest journalism in 2025. The key lies in leveraging its native formats with the same creativity and intent applied to TikTok or Instagram Stories, but with deeper storytelling muscle.
Style & Stitches Trend-Alert 🧵 Sounds like 2009 is calling — trying to relive the golden age of Facebook 15 years later. But in 2025, this isn’t just a nostalgic glitch in the algorithm. It’s a calculated return to fundamentals. Instead of chasing trends blindly, Facebook is doubling down on what made it powerful in the first place: real connections, familiar formats, and emotional engagement. It’s not about going back — it’s about rethreading what always worked into a format that feels timely again.
⚔️ What Does This Mean for Threads? This pop-up newsletter has been following Threads on its journey to become the new Twitter (or fail trying).Now, Facebook is becoming a serious competitor — from inside Meta itself. Threads must now sharpen its positioning to survive:
✅ More real-time
✅ More dialogue, less broadcast
✅ More community, less feed
✅ More raw thoughts, less perfect content
Because while Facebook turned into a “Talkshow,” Threads needs to become the “Small Talk of the Internet.”
🧵 Threads, this is your reality check. To survive, you must define what you are not — and embrace what makes you different.Only then can Facebook’s resurgence become your unexpected opportunity — not your downfall.2️⃣ This Week’s Style & …
🧵 TikTok’s New Content Controls: A Stylish Step Towards Curated Feeds
While all major social platforms continue to mimic TikTok’s For You feed model, the original is already working on its next act — one that puts users more directly in charge of their experience.
TikTok has rolled out new features designed to give users more control over what they see, promoting not only personalization but also healthier digital habits.
Key Highlights:
Manage Topics → Users can now adjust how often they see certain types of content — like Current Affairs, Humor, Travel, Pets, Nature, Sports, and Creative Arts — without blocking them entirely.
Smart Keyword Filters → A powerful upgrade allows for up to 200 filter terms, intelligently catching related words and synonyms through AI. It’s content control with nuance.
Family Pairing Enhancements → Parents can limit screen time, manage visible content, and adjust keyword filters for their teens — directly encouraging safer scrolling.
Bedtime Meditation Prompts → TikTok now introduces guided meditations after 10 p.m. to promote digital winding down — especially for under-18s.
🔥Style Verdict: Letting users thread their own digital fabric? A bold, chic move. TikTok’s updates weave together tech and mindfulness, empowering users to curate their feeds — not just consume them. It’s a rare blend of control and style that sets a new standard in the era of algorithm fatigue. When will Meta follow?
3️⃣ This Week’s Stitches
🧵 Fail of the Week: Elon Musk's "No Deal" Tweet Sparks Confusion
On May 28, 2025, Elon Musk tweeted “No deal has been signed” (x.com) — throwing cold water on reports of a $300 million partnership between his AI company, xAI, and Telegram.
That tweet came after several sources had already reported plans to integrate xAI’s chatbot Grok into Telegram’s messaging platform. Musk’s sudden contradiction left observers and stakeholders puzzled. Was it a negotiation tactic? A miscommunication? Or simply Musk being Musk?.
🧷 How to Stitch It: This situation is a sharp reminder that clear and consistent communication matters — especially when you're a high-profile brand (or individual) whose words can sway markets and headlines. For creators and media alike, it’s a call to stay transparent, aligned, and in control of your own narrative.
Stay tuned for the next edition of Style & Stitches — including what we’re quilting together next.🪡 (See Open Questions further down).
4️⃣ Style-Check: Zuckerberg Calls The End of Social Media
📰 A recent in-depth profile in The New Yorker dropped a quietly explosive quote from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg:
“Social media per se doesn’t exist now in the way that it did in the twenty-tens.” — Mark Zuckerberg
What sounds like a neutral observation is actually a style-defining shift in how platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads are now positioning themselves — or rather, what they’re distancing themselves from.
🕰️ The Platform Era Is Over
In the 2010s, social media meant sharing personal updates, connecting with friends, and building digital communities. Facebook was the centerpiece of that era.
But now?
Algorithmic "For You" feeds dominate
Personal networks are replaced by interest-based content
Creators are the new gravitational center
The transformation is so complete that even Zuckerberg is naming it: the platforms we once called “social media” have evolved beyond that label.
🔍 Who’s Competing with Whom?
“By the F.T.C.’s definition, TikTok doesn’t compete with Facebook at all. Does that mean it would be O.K. for Facebook to buy TikTok?” — Benedict Evans
This razor-sharp observation by tech analyst Benedict Evans exposes how outdated platform regulation really is. If TikTok isn’t seen as competition — despite owning the same attention economy — how do we define “competitive behavior” in tech?
Zuckerberg’s quote subtly introduces a new narrative: if the definitions don’t reflect today’s reality, maybe it’s time to rewrite them.
🧨 Meta Saw It Coming
“Over time we may face antitrust regulation requiring us to spin off our other apps anyway.” — Mark Zuckerberg, internal memo, 2018
Zuck was never naive. Internally, he foresaw regulatory challenges — including the possibility of Meta being forced to break up Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
That future feels closer now. The once tightly-knit Meta ecosystem is beginning to loosen, mirroring a larger cultural shift away from one-size-fits-all digital platforms.
✂️ Style-Check Verdict:
Zuckerberg’s “end of social media” isn’t just a hot take — it’s a strategic aesthetic shift.
🔥 Hot, because:
It clearly states the move from friends & family to creators & algorithms
It reframes competition and regulatory expectations
It positions Meta as a shape-shifter — rewriting the rulebook while still playing the game
💡 If you’re still thinking of social media like it’s 2015, you’re stylistically stuck.
The new aesthetic is algorithmic, anonymous, attention-driven — and Meta is dressing accordingly.
5️⃣ Pattern of the Week: Our Starter-Pack To Weave Your Perfect RSS-Feed
Last week, I introduced my first app: The Good Old Reader. It’s designed to fill the gap left by Google Reader, offering a minimalist, algorithm-free reading experience reminiscent of the original. By letting users subscribe directly to their favorite RSS feeds, it puts you—not the algorithm—in control of what you read.
This week, I’m adding the resources to supercharge your Reader: I’ve curated a list of 19 blogs, podcasts, newsletters, and news sites that are all tracking the future of social media and emerging trends.
Starter Pack: The Style & Stitches Fabrics Wall
With just one click, you can add them to your existing—or brand new—The Good Old Reader account.
Enjoy!
#SharingIsCaring
🔍 Open Question for the Next Issue of Style & Stitches: Elon Musk managed to win a round in the ongoing battle of the social platforms: by strategically using X to give his AI project Grok a fast-track into relevance. (But as our Stitch of the Week shows, that win might already be slipping away — if the deal with Telegram collapses into chaos. The responses from other players in the market are telling: their AI ambitions also depend on a strong symbiosis with a social platform. Even OpenAI is reportedly considering launching its own Twitter-like network. 🧵 So here’s the big question: Is the future of social media not just decentralized — but inherently intertwined with AI platforms? 👉 We’ll break it down in next week’s edition.