Facebook and Instagram users found themselves grappling with widespread outages on March 5, 2024. Millions of accounts were inaccessible amid malfunctioning features. While the blackout lasted for a relatively brief period, several users have not been silent.
In fact, they are worried. Among their major concerns is whether there is a need for Plan B for these digital spaces.
Emeka Nobis expressed his concern about potential data loss, remarking, “In my head when it happened… ‘So that’s how I lost all the work I’ve been doing here over the years, including all these followers?'” The frustration was palpable, as users like Ibe Nnamdi confirmed the widespread nature of the issue.
Ibe Nnamdi’s response was, “Ah, it’s like a general thing.”
Today’s incident is not the first of its kind. On October 4, 2021, the broader Facebook ecosystem, including Messenger, WhatsApp, Mapillary, and Oculus, experienced a global unavailability lasting six to seven hours. The ramifications extended to third-party sites employing “Log in with Facebook,” rendering them inaccessible for the duration of the outage.
In Tuesday’s blackout, which affected only Instagram and Facebook, users shared mixed reactions.
Fon Noel III, took a more critical stance, pointing out the irony of those who advocate for life beyond social media struggling even with a short downtime. He quipped, “Those who said there’s life outside social media couldn’t even handle 15 minutes outside Facebook. Involuntary ousting, that’s the frustration the media wants you to be in.”
Amid the frustration, Emenike Emmanue raised a poignant question, pondering the consequences if such outages resulted in permanent data loss. He urged users to consider building their own platforms that afford greater control, stating, “What would have happened if it went off completely and all the accounts were lost and you don’t have a platform of your own? This is a reminder that you should build your own platform that you can control to some extent.”
This outage serves as a stark reminder that, for many, social media isn’t merely a pastime but a significant source of income. It also prompts contemplation on the necessity of having a backup plan.
