Without News Facebook Lost User Time, Fewer Posts and Declining Ad Revenue Across Australia

New U-Michigan study: When Facebook blocked news in Australia, user engagement dropped 11% and non-news posts fell 9%. The platform also lost 4.3% in ad revenue—highlighting how real journalism boosts social media profits. Published in Marketing Science.

Without News Facebook Lost User Time, Fewer Posts and Declining Ad Revenue Across Australia

When Facebook stripped news content from its Australian feed in 2021, the social media giant may not have expected to spark a full-scale ripple through its own digital ecosystem. But that’s exactly what happened. In a move meant to push back against new legislation, the platform temporarily blacked out journalism, only to find that the silence carried weight. A new study has turned that blackout into a magnifying lens, capturing the hidden depen…