Facebook says platform changes are reducing passive video consumption

Last quarter, Facebook said it was focusing its platform going forward on more meaningful interactions, changes that would reduce the time users spend on the service. Today, during its first-quarter earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said changes that emphasize those kinds of connections have resulted in a decline of passive consumption of video.

“We’ve observed increases in some types of [content] sharing,” Zuckerberg said. “Overall, these changes are doing what we expected they’d do: helping people connect more and increasing meaningful connections. We think that this is going in the direction of building a stronger community.”

However, when pressed on the question, Facebook executives wouldn’t reveal any usage or engagement numbers, or data about users’ time spent on the platform.

A report issued (May 11, 2018) suggested that user engagement has increased in the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but concluded that most of the increase was likely due to users reviewing their privacy and security settings.

Today, Facebook reported its first-quarter earnings, saying it had brought in $11.97 billion in revenue and earnings per share of $1.69, both of which handily beat expectations.