Facebook’s new ad campaign admits the social network has lost its way

Following the current Cambridge Analytica scandal and questions about its ability to have an impact on elections, Facebook has been trying to reassure both users and governments that it takes its responsibilities seriously.

The last remedy that the company has launched to try to deal with its public image problem comes in the form of a new video, which fondly recalls what made the platform so successful in its earlier days, and analyzes in a self-critical way The factors have caused it to fall downhill from.

Apart from some rather vague "we need to do better" statements from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the new announcement is as close as the company has come to admit that it has a serious image problem and that it has deviated substantially from its intentions initials.

"We came here for friends", begins the voiceover of the video, before going through a series of examples of simpler online interactions that apparently made us feel "A little less alone ".

"But then something happened," he continues, before explaining that the problems began when "we had to deal with spam, clickbait, false news and misuse of data".

However, "de n continues," the video says, "Facebook will do more to keep you safe and protect your privacy."

The crux of the announcement is that the company will at least try to refocus on the "friends and family" aspects of the service, and in doing so, move away from current events and the whirlwind of political news content that has become .

Network Repair

The video appears to run on TV, online and in movie theaters until July, and is part of a massive campaign the company is undertaking to restore its image in the wake of recent scandals.

Physical ads that discuss fake news, spam and clickbait have also been seen in several major US cities. UU in the last month and they are expected to start reaching more places while the campaign continues.

People and their pockets

Despite the current crisis facing the company, the reported earnings of Facebook for the first quarter of 2018 have exceeded Wall Street estimates, although ugh are still down from the previous quarter .

After having consistently raised between $ 1-2 billion each quarter during 2017, the first three months of 2018 saw profits fall from $ 12.97 to $ 11.97 billion. The company's quarterly report reveals that 98.5 percent of that came from advertising revenue.

Despite the fall in profits, the number of daily and monthly active users also continues to increase, with a jump of 50 and 70 million users, respectively. in fourth. This brings the numbers to 1.45 billion daily users and 2.2 billion active users.

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