On Tuesday night, Meta-owned platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Messenger, and some WhatsApp users experienced major outages. Users couldn’t load content and faced problems with the app, login, and uploading content. Many turned to ‘X’ for confirmation and made memes about it.
MetaMeta, Facebook’s and Instagram’s parent company, announced on Wednesday that services were fully restored after the global outage. The outage disrupted millions of users’ ability to access and use both platforms. Andy Stone, Meta’s Communications Director, apologized for the inconvenience and assured users that the technical issue was resolved quickly.
Meta Director Apologizes for the Outage
The director at Meta apologized for the inconvenience caused by the outage. They acknowledged the technical problem and assured users it was fixed as fast as they could.
Earlier today, a technical issue caused people to have difficulty accessing some of our services. We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted, and we apologize for any inconvenience. https://t.co/ybyyAZNAMn
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) March 5, 2024
The outage affected users globally, with people worldwide experiencing difficulties accessing Facebook and Instagram. This sudden disruption led to frustration among users who depend on the platforms for communication, networking, and entertainment.
Users Relieved as Meta Restores Services
After services were restored, users felt relieved and thankful for the quick fix. Many went on social media to talk about their experiences and thank Meta for fixing the problem on time.
Users had different issues, like getting logged out of Facebook and being unable to log back in. Instagram users also had trouble refreshing their feeds, and some couldn’t see stories or comments. Threads, which are made by Meta, also stopped working completely and showed an error message when opened.
When the issue started, reports on DownDetector, a website that tracks internet service outages, quickly increased for all three platforms. Even though many users complained, Meta hasn’t officially recognized the problem yet.
A tweet responded to many reports from users having trouble accessing Meta-owned platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. The disruption left many users unable to log in or refresh their feeds, making them frustrated and concerned.
Meta Outage Sparks Viral Memes, Elon Musk Takes a Jibe
The Meta outage quickly became a viral topic on Elon Musk’s ‘X’ as many users reported sudden logouts from Meta-owned social media platforms. Trending topics like “Cyberattack,” “Mark Zuckerberg,” and “Instagram Facebook Down” surged to the top.
Elon Musk took the chance to flaunt the “superiority” of his platform, teasing the outage with posts like
If you’re reading this post, it’s because our servers are working
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2024
But the memes didn’t stop there. The memefest continued, keeping people entertained as they waited for services to be restored, with a barrage of humour and jokes.
Everyone checking if Instagram is down.#instagramdown pic.twitter.com/HEyLfMoHfF
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) March 5, 2024
Bhai teri vacation khatam ho gayi ho toh dhande pe dhyaan dede. Instagram aur Facebook down hai. pic.twitter.com/NAhBz57K3l
— Lok 🥦🥝🥑 (@wtfflok) March 5, 2024
Facebook and Instagram Outages Impact Millions Worldwide
Downdetector, the outage-tracking website, recorded over 300,000 Facebook outages and more than 47,000 reports of Instagram downtime globally.
Andy Stone from Meta addressed concerns on ‘X,’ reassuring users that solutions were underway. The outage lasted about an hour, after which all apps resumed normal operation. They issued a statement apologizing for any inconvenience caused and confirming that they fixed the problem quickly for everyone affected. They said, “We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone impacted, and we apologize for any inconvenience.”
The financial aftermath of this widespread disruption was significant, as experts noted. It disconnected billions of users and dealt a blow to the company. Meta’s share price initially dropped by 1.5% as issue reports flooded in, later sliding further by 1.6%. Experts shared that Zuckerberg suffered a huge financial loss because of this major downtime.
Wedbush Securities’ managing director, Dan Ives, disclosed that Mark Zuckerberg lost about $100 million in income on Tuesday due to the global outage of his platforms.
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