In Africa, Facebook is the Internet. Companies and individuals are very dependent on it, because access to the app and the site is free on many African telecommunications networks: in other words, no need to have purchased top-ups to use it.
In 2015, Facebook launched Free Basics, a service that provides access to the platform even without data credit. Designed to work on rudimentary mobile phones, which make up the vast majority of devices used on the continent, Free Basics provides access to limited content, without sound, image or video.
For five years, Free Basics has been deployed in 32 African countries. And Facebook’s ambition does not stop there. When there is no telecom provider to create a partnership, or when the infrastructure is insufficient, the giant develops satellites that can deploy Internet access in remote areas. But this project suffered a setback in 2016, when a rocket from SpaceX, the company of Elon Musk, exploded and destroyed the Amos-6 satellite on board, which Facebook wanted to put into orbit to rent Internet connections in partnership with Eutelsat, a French satellite manufacturer.
In Africa, Internet access almost always takes place on a mobile phone; about 8% of African households have a computer, while 50% have a mobile. Half of mobiles have an Internet connection, but not thanks to subscription packages. The majority of mobile data users buy top-ups and sometimes switch between several SIM cards to take advantage of the most advantageous offers. When their mobile data plan is up, they keep their access to Facebook.
In the West, Internet users delete their Facebook account for a variety of reasons, including privacy issues, heightened political instability due to its algorithms that favor disagreement and tension, and the corny nature of browsing. the platform. Younger people prefer shorter and more ephemeral content, such as on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.
According to whistleblower Frances Haugen, who testified in the United States Senate, the company knows its growth is stalling in certain regions and with certain audiences. “Facebook understands that in order to continue to grow, you have to find new users”, she told senators. An internal Facebook document refers to the decline in the number of young users in the “most developed economies”.
Just as the tobacco industry has turned its efforts to emerging markets when its growth elsewhere has been undermined by major lawsuits, regulations and awareness campaigns, Facebook is looking to new regions.
In 2020, at the start of the pandemic [de Covid-19], my movements on the African continent have been restricted for months at a time – for example in Egypt, during an airport closure and a strict curfew. My Facebook account – a remnant of my youth and old online habits – has become an essential tool for contacting businesses, finding phone numbers, ordering food and even knowing the best tips for finding a vaccine. The links I looked at consistently took me to a page “Join Facebook to comment or write a message”. I ended up reactivating my bad account.