Meta’s main man just admitted it—Facebook isn’t about friendships anymore. Here’s why that matters (and what you’re doing about it, whether you realize it or not).

You remember when Facebook was the digital block party—reconnecting with high school classmates, checking out your college ex’s new girlfriend, and stalking your cousin’s latest DIY project? Yeah… that’s over.

Mark Zuckerberg just told a federal courtroom what many of us have suspected for years: Facebook is no longer about friends. Yup, the very mission the platform was built on has been quietly dropped like your middle school bestie after she borrowed your favorite lip gloss and ghosted.

Welcome to the new reality—one where the algorithm knows more about you than your own group chat.

[Zuckerberg Tells Court That Facebook Is No Longer About Connecting With Friends]

From Friendships to Feeds: The Algorithm Has Entered the Chat

Zuckerberg’s confession came out during a recent antitrust hearing, where he was basically grilled like a sad veggie burger. Under oath, he stated that Facebook has shifted focus away from connecting people with friends, toward promoting what he calls “more engaging” content.

Translation? Facebook wants your eyeballs, not your emotions. The warm fuzzies of tagging your BFF in a throwback photo have been replaced by rage-clicking political hot takes and watching endless clips of people power-washing their driveways.

This isn’t just some side update. It’s the final nail in the coffin of Facebook’s OG identity. If you’ve been feeling like your feed’s been hijacked by chaos—ads, strangers, and reels about catfishing scams—you’re not imagining things. You’ve officially been algorithm’d.

So What Is Facebook Now?

Great question. Short answer? Facebook is a content engine. A video scroll pit. A never-ending Black Mirror episode disguised as a timeline.

Instead of you seeing updates from your friends, the algorithm decides what might keep you scrolling the longest. It’s not about people—it’s about performance. Engagement. Virality. If your cousin’s new baby isn’t getting clicks, that photo’s getting buried beneath an autoplay video about conspiracy theories and cake decorating.

That group for perimenopausal Black women you joined last month? That’s the new Facebook vibe. Zuckerberg wants niche, sticky communities you get sucked into like a Bravo marathon.

Why Xennials and Millennials Should Care

This hits different if you remember dial-up. We saw the evolution in real-time—from AIM away messages to Facebook pokes to Instagram filters. So, hearing the platform that pioneered digital connection has officially ghosted its roots? That’s a cultural shift.

It’s not just about nostalgia. It’s about ownership. Facebook used to feel like ours. Now it feels like it’s mining us.

We gave it our baby pics, breakup rants, and 3 a.m. playlists. In return, we got a Franken-algorithm that serves us 15-second dance tutorials and ads for shoes we talked about near our phones.

What This Means For You, Fierce One:

1. Stop Expecting Intimacy From a Platform Built for Data Mining. If your Facebook feed feels like a chaotic tabloid—it is. It’s not malfunctioning. It’s doing exactly what it was redesigned to do

2. Reclaim Your Digital Experience. Want actual connection? Group chats, newsletters, niche Discord servers, or even—brace yourself—texting. The revolution is personalized and private.

3. Curate Intentionally. Join or create spaces that serve you. Facebook groups can still be powerful hubs, especially for marginalized communities. But if it doesn’t uplift, inform, or entertain—you don’t need it.

4. Audit Your Scroll. Are you watching a reel of someone frying cheese at midnight, or are you laughing at inside jokes in a private group? Reclaim your attention span like it owes you rent.

5. Control Your Algorithm, Before It Controls You. That means muting trash, unfollowing chaos, and setting digital boundaries like your mental health depends on it—because it does.

Where Does Meta Go From Here?

Zuckerberg is already neck-deep in the metaverse. While most of us are still trying to figure out why we need an Oculus headset to attend a virtual concert in a floating dome, Zuck is building what he believes is the next frontier.

But if Meta’s history is any indication, we should expect more of the same: less about community, more about consumption. Less friend-focused, more revenue-focused.That’s not inherently evil—it’s just business. But let’s not pretend it’s still the “connecting people” party we were all invited to in 2008.

The Bottom Line: Facebook’s Not Dead. It’s Just… Rebranded Without Telling Us.

Facebook’s not going away. It’s just not your emotional support platform anymore. It’s a digital Times Square—flashy, overwhelming, full of noise. You might find gems, but you’ll have to dodge a lot of LED billboards and street performers screaming for clicks.

So if you’re still expecting it to show up like it did in 2010, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. That Facebook is gone. What’s left is a tool. Use it wisely—or don’t use it at all.

Either way, know this: connection is still possible. Just not where you’re used to finding it.