Creators are enjoying the robust monetization ecosystem on Facebook, and Mark Zuckerberg believes that a return to the platform’s roots can bring earnings even higher. A star-studded episode of The Colin and Samir Show featured both Zuckerberg and MrBeast as guests: Zuckerberg discussed his company’s focus on reviving “O.G.” Facebook experiences, while MrBeast revealed that monetization for his short-form videos is two times higher on Facebook than it is on any other platform.
Midway through the episode, Zuckerberg asked MrBeast how his short-form uploads are performing on Facebook. The North Carolina-based creator said his results are “over twice as high” on the Meta-owned hub as they are anywhere else. “That’s not that abnormal of a result,” Zuckerberg added.
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Meta’s united revenue streams have ushered in a prosperous era for Facebook’s top creators, but most of Zuckerberg’s conversation with Colin and Samir focused on other aspects of his business. In particular, Zuckerberg remarked on Meta’s recent revival of classic features. Instagram, for example, is rolling out upgrades for its long-popular DMs.
Zuckerberg has spoke about his desire to revive the vibe that defined Facebook in his early years, and he used his Colin and Samir Show appearance to announce an update that will advance that mission. The Friends feed, once the primary form of connection on Facbeook, is getting a makeover.
The new Friends feed will isolate uploads from personal acquaintances, sequestering them from algorithmically-sorted content. Users can find that feed by looking for the “Friends” label on the navigation bar in the Facebook app.
Zuckerberg explained that, although interactions with friends made Facebook a cultural force, that utility was eventually “outscaled” by the platform’s news feed. Facebook wasn’t the only platform that steered its focus away from interpersonal elements; Zuckerberg argued that shift is an industry-wide phenomenon
“A lot of the other fun and useful parts of the original experience we didn’t focus on as much…I look around the internet today and I realize that no one else actually recreated a lot of these things that used to be pretty magical about Facebook either,” Zuckerberg said. “So I actually think that there’s this whole opportunity that I think is going to be pretty fun to go after and build, which is to go one by one and build up a bunch of these things that used to be joyful experiences that people had as part of Facebook that don’t exist on the internet today.”
Meta is not the only company trying to bring back the vibe that characterized social media interactions during the industry’s early years. Nostalgia is as big as its always been on the internet, and cultural artifacts from Facebook’s heyday are currently en vogue. BuzzFeed has made a notable bet on a 2000s revival with an upcoming platform that will prioritize positive experiences.
Bringing back O.G. Facebook is more than just a nostalgia trip — it’s a move that’s related to the increased earnings creators like MrBeast are seeing. On The Colin and Samir Show, Zuckerberg drew a link between old-school, interpersonal communications (like Messenger threads and DMs) and audience engagement. He argued that creators who reach fans via humble text posts can then convert them to more lucrative destinations. “Businesses always want to be where people are organically,” Zuckerberg said. “If youre a creator i think it’s similar.”
The Meta CEO remarked that the ongoing developments are only “phase one” of the return to Facebook’s roots. More changes are coming, and MrBeast has a few ideas about some features that could be added. On The Colin and Samir Show, he cited overhauled language dubbing and frictionless purchases as two potential areas of improvement for Facebook.
