Latest News: Facebook Is in Trouble
Facebook is in trouble — or is that just another misleading news report that is circulating on Facebook? “Misinformation is more popular now than in 2016,” the New York Times reported, citing new research from the German Marshall Fund Digital. And for the record, Facebook is not in trouble.
Facebook relies on viral content, but much of the “misinformation” is viral. Social media companies have hired people to monitor and used electronic means to cut down on the misinformation, yet it still pervades the platform.
In spite of all the misinformation, Facebook is the mobile app Americans can’t live without. Facebook-owned Instagram is growing, but so is Google-owned social media giant, YouTube. More than 8 in 10 Americans use YouTube and Facebook.
So despite all the fake news and misleading information, the Facebook app is not in trouble. It will continue to wrestle with eliminating misleading and misinformation campaigns, but it is a powerful source of news for people of all ages — and a powerful advertising tool.
Mark Mathis III is chief creative & strategy officer, partner and cofounder of AMPERAGE Marketing & Fundraising.
Mark Mathis
Mark wrote his first direct-mail fundraising letter in 1981 for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. The effort raised a few million dollars in undiscovered wills and legacy gifts. From that day forward Mark discovered a love of the big idea that moves the needle. After 12 years at KWWL, Mark became a business owner as a co-founder of ME&V — rebranded as AMPERAGE in 2015. After 25 years of leading creative teams in video production, graphic design, PR, writing and web development, Mark transitioned out of ownership in 2021. Today he serves in an employee role as special projects consultant. He is creatively ambidextrous — son of an artist and engineer — and famous for distilling complex ideas down to a few words and a few visuals. Mark is a writer. When he found that many nonprofits struggled with complex branding puzzles, he wrote the book, “NonProfit-NonMarketing .” He also wrote a novel called “Reenactment.” Mark is an active blogger OneMinuteMarketer® with nearly 1,000 readers each week on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. One of his most popular YouTube videos is on “How to Look Good on Zoom.” One of Mark’s fondest business memories was being named to INC 500 two times and attending the INC 500 conference with other winners. Mark is considered by some a Civil War expert (and that explains his novel). Mark also served as an adjunct professor in the business and in the communications departments at Wartburg College. Mark is a graduate of the University of Iowa and is currently vice president of the University of Iowa Journalism and Mass Communications Advisory Board. Mark is married to state Sen. Liz Mathis, and the two love to travel, even when it means being trapped by a volcano in the Czech Republic for three weeks.
