A widespread technical glitch severely impacted Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, leaving countless users stranded without access to their accounts, messages, or the ability to view updates from their social circles. The outage reverberated through Meta, the parent company led by one of Facebook’s co-founders, resulting in a staggering £14 billion decline in market value.
The disruption, termed a “technical issue” by a Meta representative, caused upheaval among the platforms’ combined 3.98 billion users worldwide. As the outage persisted, Meta’s shares plummeted by 1.5%, translating to a loss of approximately £14 billion.
“We resolved the issue as swiftly as possible for everyone impacted, and we express regret for any inconvenience caused,” reassured the spokesperson on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a characteristic move, the proprietor of X seized the opportunity to jest at his billionaire counterpart, using the outage to poke fun at Meta’s predicament.
Throughout the ordeal, users encountered various issues. Facebook users found themselves unable to log in, Instagram users were faced with feeds that would not refresh, and Messenger users were unable to send or receive messages, as well as make audio or video calls.
Meta promptly acknowledged the widespread disruptions, with its status dashboard flooded with reports of “unknown” issues and “major disruptions.” Internal systems within Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram were reportedly affected as well.
“We’re aware that users are encountering difficulties accessing our services. We are actively addressing this matter,” the spokesperson assured in a message posted on X.
Interestingly, WhatsApp, another entity under the Meta umbrella, remained unaffected by the outage, prompting speculation about the nature of the technical glitch that besieged its sister platforms.
Despite Meta’s efforts to mitigate the crisis, the full extent and cause of the outage remain unclear. It is uncertain whether Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram were afflicted by a common internal glitch or separate malfunctions.
Independent monitoring site Down Detector recorded a surge in outage reports, with over 150,000 complaints from disgruntled users in the UK alone. In the United States, the number skyrocketed to over 500,000 reports, underscoring the global scale of the disruption.
Instagram and Messenger also grappled with outages, with tens of thousands of reports pouring in from both sides of the Atlantic.
The outage not only left users frustrated but also disrupted critical communication channels for many small businesses across the UK, underscoring the societal impact of the digital blackout.
As users eagerly anticipate the full restoration of services, questions linger regarding the reliability and resilience of Meta’s extensive social media empire. Will this incident prompt a reassessment of the platform’s infrastructure, or is it merely a blip in its colossal trajectory?
For now, the fallout from this unprecedented outage serves as a stark reminder of the precarious nature of our digital dependencies and the far-reaching implications of technological disruptions in the modern age.
