My Complicated Relationship with Meta (That You Probably Have, Too)

I can’t believe Meta has conspired against me.

In 2023, I took the time to get Meta verified.

Blue checkmarks used to be given to celebrities and people with a lot of content and high engagement. Of course, it’s based on Meta’s requirements, which were not fully specified.

Having a blue badge beside your name was so exclusive back then. I remembered applying for it, and getting rejected right away. (Just so you know, there’s a difference between requesting a verified badge and paying for a Meta verification. Check out this link.

I took the time to get my Meta verification as soon as it was available in the Philippines.

My Facebook account has been verified with the blue checkmark. Then I saw the blue verification badge on my Instagram account. My Threads had the blue check, too.

I dreamt of having blue checks beside my social media profiles.

Having my Meta accounts verified with the blue check was really cool! I felt like the popular kid in high school who excelled in singing, dancing, and acting, and was also the teacher’s favorite. (Note: I was one of the average kids back then.)

It didn’t matter even if I paid monthly for the verification badges. The checks gave me a smile on my face.

Until Facebook flagged a few of my posts.

First was a post about how I almost got phished.

The second were my posts about an offer that I created for my audience.

Facebook did not restrict my account. (Whew. Because I have friends who spend time in “Facebook jail”.)

Even so, it was my first time experiencing having flagged down posts.

I also noticed that my post engagements went down.

I could not believe what was happening. I am being treated like I was an enemy.

This is what I would get after being on Facebook since 2009 and studying about Facebook, so I can help business owners on how to use it as a social media marketing tool for their business.

Like I was doing something wrong.

Could help but think that there are other people who do worse things on Facebook, and some get away with it.

This wasn’t the only time I felt Meta was against me.

I experienced almost getting hacked.

I have had conversations (both in chat and email) with Meta Support about concerns in Meta ads for my clients and for myself. Meta ends up providing general and vague responses. (Seriously.)

And won’t you forget the occasional bugs?

And how Meta can give you a heart attack when it’s down? Tell me, where were you when the March 5, 2024 Meta outage happened? (I was already sleeping. To say it was quite uneventful for me was an understatement.)

Meta, then Facebook, invented the relationship status, “It’s Complicated.”

That is how I describe my relationship with it.

You may not admit it, but you may have the same association with Meta, too. You’re just not admitting it because you are already used to it, or like me, you will always find good about Meta.

I sat down and asked myself if the blue checks were still worth it.

After consideration, I canceled the Meta verifications of my Facebook and Instagram a few months later.

I slowly saw my Facebook post engagements going back to their former numbers.

Do I miss the blue checks beside my name?

After what Meta did to me, not really.

So, tell me, how would you describe your relationship with Meta?

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