The metrics are headed in a different direction from the usual, but the social network claims that’s all part of a plan to make Facebook a better place.
The news: We collectively spent 50 million fewer hours per day on Facebook in the fourth quarter of 2017 than the third, which translates to about a 2.4 minutes per day less per user. The number of daily active users in North America also fell for the first time ever.
By design: Zuck says this was expected as the firm builds out a more “meaningful” news feed. He points to a clampdown on viral videos as the main driver of the change. The news will cheer some Facebook critics, who believe the network is too addictive.
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