According to a study conducted at Science by MIT Sloan, “Rumors spread faster and wider than authentic news.” The research revealed that false news is 70% more likely to be retweeted than the truth.
Facebook has also received its fair share of false news and rumors throughout the years. From privacy concerns to bug issues, it has dealt with all the misinformation adeptly.
Earlier this year, certain claims surfaced that got Facebook users wondering, “Is Facebook charging 4.99 a month?” I, too, was shocked to learn this until I realized that it was all baseless. Yes, you heard that correctly.
So, if you were previously worried about this, you can be assured that these are false claims, meaning that users won’t be charged for creating their Facebook profiles.
At this point, you or your Facebook friends might be puzzled about the whole situation. But you need not worry because I’ll be spilling out all the information about this fiasco below.
Is Facebook Charging 4.99 a Month?
At the start of February 2023, Meta announced that Instagram and Facebook users will have the chance to pay for verification badges. However, this did not imply that users would have to pay for using the app itself.
That’s when the rumors started spreading. In the same month, a rumor spread over multiple social media platforms that got users thinking, “Is Facebook charging 4.99 a month for using its services.”
The first post making the false claim was tweeted by Dylan Goodin on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A few days later, this post was retweeted and reposted to Facebook as copypasta (when users repeatedly post something by copying and pasting the original post).
The reason behind posting the Copypasta post was to prevent Facebook from charging their accounts, as the tweet had stated that if people copy-pasted the tweet and shared it on their profiles, their accounts would not be charged by Facebook.
From Facebook to Tiktok, the Confusion Remains
After the Copypasta posts spread across Facebook like wildfire, users started expressing their concerns through TikTok videos in an attempt to get to the bottom of the whole “Is Facebook charging 4.99 a month” debacle.
A TikTok user from the account Timtrails posted a TikTok video with a noncopy pasta video, stating that she does not permit Facebook to charge $4.99 a month from her account.
This video continued to leave Facebook users with uncertainty as they continued using their favorite platform!
Facebook Puts an End to the Rumors
The first time this rumor started surfacing on the internet was in 2009. The rumor had been debunked, as Meta disclosed that it would not utilize any unknown charges from Facebook.
While it is true that Meta announced installing service charges for their Facebook and Instagram users, that rule was only limited to verified accounts.
Recently, in Feb 2023, a Facebook spokesperson revealed that Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger will remain accessible for their non-verified users and that the users will also be able to access the features that were previously available without having to buy paid service packages.
This was enough to bury the “Is Facebook charging 4.99 a month” rumor once and for all.
Recalling the Protest Page Trap
When talking about the huge “Is Facebook charging 4.99 a month” fiasco, I cannot miss recalling the protest page trap that was made to misguide Facebook users.
In December 2009, similar rumors about Facebook and Instagram charging its users gained the attention of its consumers. In this ordeal, Facebook users were told that Facebook would start charging them from the following year, i.e., 2010.
In addition, users were asked to join a specific page to protest against the unfair Facebook price grid decision. This information was perceived as a threat by the users and caused them to join the page in large numbers to protest against this verdict.
But the protest was a trap set up by certain hackers. The moment people visited the protest page and clicked on certain areas, the click initiated a script that took over people’s computers.
It led to the user’s devices being completely hijacked and enabled hackers to steal their critical data.
Facebook Breaks the Silence
Even before users began asking, “Is Facebook charging 4.99 a month?” Facebook had already faced similar concerns before.
Facebook’s chief operating officer spoke for the Business Week interview in April 2009 in response to the claims of Facebook charging its users.
“No, we will not be charging our users for our services. I know this question arises due to the fact that people know we’re growing so quickly that they are speculating that we may be running out of money. But the truth is that we can finance our growth.
Therefore, we will not be charging for our basic services.
Facebook Help Centre Joins the Band Wagon
After Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer at Facebook spoke up about the ongoing rumors of charging users, the help center was next to get updated on this regard to spread the right word on this matter.
When the help center was asked about Facebook charging for its services, it replied, “No, at Facebook, our services are free for everyone.”
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Conclusion
To sum it all up, rumors inquiring if is Facebook charging 4.99 a month are all false. However, Facebook is not a newbie to any such rumors and has always responded to clear out any misinformation that could affect their user’s experience.
This article was a roundup of all the issues that came up because of the misinformation circulating on the internet and serves as a reminder not to believe everything you read on the web.
If you’re concerned about any other flying rumor and are wondering about its legitimacy, drop your queries below, and we’ll unravel the truth together. Until next time!
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