Over the past few weeks, many Facebook users have reported seeing strange glitches on the platform. Posts are disappearing, comments are vanishing, and feeds are not refreshing properly. With over 2 billion monthly active users, any issues on Facebook are bound to affect a large number of people and cause significant frustration.
What are the glitches Facebook users are seeing?
Some of the most commonly reported Facebook glitches include:
- News feed not refreshing – The news feed seems frozen and does not show new posts or updates.
- Disappearing posts and comments – Posts and comments made by users abruptly disappear.
- Problems posting content – Images, videos, and statuses posted by users fail to show up.
- Chat issues – New messages are not coming through in Facebook messaging.
- Notifications not working – Notification alerts such as friend requests and new comments are not coming through.
- Login and connectivity problems – Some users are having trouble logging into Facebook or staying connected.
The nature and severity of the glitches can vary from user to user. While some may notice just occasional blips, for others the problems are persistent and make the platform nearly unusable.
When did the glitches start happening?
Reports of glitches on Facebook began surfacing around the third week of September 2022. The issues initially seemed intermittent, but quickly began accelerating toward the end of the month. Throughout October so far, complaints about Facebook glitches have reached an all-time high and do not appear to be going away anytime soon.
What is causing the glitches?
The exact cause of the widespread glitches remains unclear. Here are some of the potential culprits that have been suggested:
- Technical issues – Facebook engineers may be struggling to fix bugs related to news feed functionality, servers, databases, or other key technical elements behind the scenes.
- Traffic overload – The enormous amount of data and traffic Facebook handles daily may be overloading its systems and capacity in certain ways, triggering the glitches.
- Software updates – As with any large online platform, software updates rolled out by Facebook could unintentionally be introducing new bugs.
- Hacking activity – Some security experts speculate that increased hacking attempts toward Facebook could partially explain the glitches.
- Staffing problems – Following recent layoffs at Facebook’s parent company Meta, some posit that a lack of staff has impacted Facebook’s ability to maintain its complex systems.
Facebook engineering teams are doubtless working hard behind the scenes to determine the reason for the glitches. Until the specific cause is uncovered, the possibilities above remain speculative.
How widespread are the glitches?
Facebook has acknowledged that the glitches are indeed real and causing issues for many users globally. Though the exact number affected is unknown, the problems appear widespread rather than impacting only a small subset of users.
User reports indicate the glitches are occurring across Facebook’s mobile apps and desktop site, spanning geographic regions as well. No area seems unaffected. Users in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and South America have all reported experiencing glitches.
How has Facebook responded?
Facebook’s official responses to the glitch epidemic have been limited. In a brief statement on Twitter on October 4th, 2022, the company acknowledged some users may be “having trouble accessing Facebook’s family of apps,” and said engineers were “working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Other than the short tweet, Facebook has yet to issue any detailed explanations or updates about the glitches. The lack of transparency has left many users frustrated.
What are users saying about the glitches?
Across social media, users have voiced growing anger and annoyance over the unreliability of Facebook in recent weeks. Here is a sampling of feedback:
- “This is ridiculous, Facebook needs to get its act together.”
- “Fix the glitchy mess that Facebook has become, please!”
- “Between posts disappearing and my feeds not loading, Facebook has been unusable for me lately.”
- “Constant glitches top the list of things I hate about Facebook right now.”
- “The amount of glitches lately shows how little Facebook cares about its users.”
Critics point out that for a company of Facebook’s scale and resources, persistent site-wide glitches are unacceptable. Users feel the lack of detailed acknowledgment and repair plans from Facebook show a lack of respect for the time they spend on the platform.
What impact are the glitches having on businesses?
The Facebook glitches are not only frustrating general users but also significantly impacting businesses and advertisers that rely on the platform. Facebook advertising sales comprise the bulk of Meta’s revenue.
Businesses are reporting problems managing Facebook Pages and ad campaigns during the glitches. Ad performance has declined as clicks and conversions drop. Some advertisers pause campaigns entirely when results seem unreliable.
With over 10 million businesses worldwide advertising on Facebook, the ripple effects of the glitches on commerce and sales are substantial.
Social media managers see their efforts disrupted
The work of social media managers who oversee company Facebook Pages is also hindered. Glitches make it impossible to consistently post content, read analytics, and respond to customers in a timely manner.
Decreased returns from Facebook advertising spend
For ads running during the glitches, businesses measure lower returns on their Facebook advertising investment. Money spent on rarely-seen ads is wasted.
Lost revenue due to less traffic from Facebook
Sites relying on traffic referrals from Facebook to boost sales have found visits from Facebook sources down significantly during the glitches.
Should users leave Facebook because of the glitches?
For some fed up users, abandoning Facebook altogether seems like the solution. But leaving the platform may not make sense for everyone. Here are a few key considerations:
- Loss of connections – For many, Facebook facilitates friendships and connections that would be hard to maintain elsewhere.
- Photos and memories – Years of photos, videos, messages, and memories are stored on Facebook and could be lost in a deletion.
- Events and groups – Facebook remains vital for organizing and tracking events as well as participating in special interest groups.
- Uncertain alternatives – Other social media platforms come with their own pros and cons, without guarantee of less glitching.
Users should weigh the frustrations of glitches against what they stand to lose in leaving Facebook entirely. Seeking alternative platforms while still maintaining a Facebook account may be the best approach for some.
Will Facebook fix the glitches soon?
With user patience wearing thin, Facebook is no doubt urgently working to correct the glitches. However, the site’s complexity means resolution may not be swift or simple.
Given the scale of Facebook’s systems, any engineering troubleshooting and solutions will likely take significant development time. And if the root cause proves complex, quick fixes could prove elusive.
Hopefully Facebook can identify and address the glitch triggers rapidly. But users may have to brace themselves for further inconsistencies and interruptions in the coming weeks before permanent solutions take hold.
Can users get compensation for the glitches?
As Facebook provides its services for free to users, there are no clear avenues for users to claim direct compensation for problems caused by glitches. Lawsuits seeking financial restitution would face an uphill legal battle.
That said, vigorously voicing feedback to Facebook when service degrades and limiting use of the platform are ways users can indirectly pressure the company to prioritize repairs.
Businesses running ads, on the other hand, may have justification to seek account credits or refunds for demonstrably ineffective ads during glitch periods. Documenting poor performance and losses tied specifically to the glitches will strengthen the case for compensation.
What can users do if the glitches persist?
Until Facebook resolves the glitches, users do have some options to enhance their experience:
- Access Facebook less frequently, which lowers chances of encountering glitches.
- Use Facebook’s mobile apps, which some find less glitchy than the desktop site.
- Adjust notifications settings to reduce notification errors.
- Refresh and reload Pages to retrieve missing content.
- Double-check important posts reached recipients.
- Submit bug reports detailing issues encountered.
Avoiding Facebook use during peak times when traffic and glitches spike is also wise. Remaining patient and limiting criticism of beleaguered Facebook employees assists progress.
And of course, voicing feedback and frustrations directly to Facebook through all available channels urges the company to make the issue a priority for its engineering teams.
Conclusion
In summary, widespread glitches on Facebook are creating major headaches for users around the world. The reasons behind the glitches remain uncertain, and Facebook has so far offered minimal comment or solutions. Persistent site problems risk damaging users’ faith in the platform as well as harming businesses that rely on Facebook services. While abandoning Facebook outright presents its own challenges, feeing up time spent on the platform could be advisable if glitches continue. Facebook teams are likely working diligently to pinpoint causes and restore normal function, but lasting remedies may still take significant time and effort to achieve. With user confidence and patience wearing thin, Facebook would be wise to increase communication and compensate businesses for provable losses. In the meantime, users have little choice but to adjust behaviours, voice concerns, and hope restored stability comes soon.