On October 4, 2021, users found themselves aimlessly refreshing their Instagram and Facebook feeds. For more than five hours, Facebook and its coinciding app servers faced their biggest media blackout in history.

The outage stirred up countless conspiracies – with one of the most popular being its timing. The event immediately followed the reveal of Facebook’s whistleblower, Frances Haugen, who revealed concerning insights about the company. With news emerging every day, there is still a lot to learn about how we got here and what to do next.

So, what did this social media outage teach us? Here are five helpful breakthroughs from the Social Stamina team.

It is Important to Download and Backup Your Social Media Content

If you're usually the type to post to Facebook and then delete it off your phone, now may be a smart time to re-download your content.

How to Download Your Photos & Videos from Facebook

Login to your account and click the down arrow in the top right corner

Select “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings”
In the left-hand column select “Your Facebook Information”
Next to “Download Your Information” click view
Scroll down to “Activity Across Facebook” and click “Deselect all”
Select “Photos and Videos” then hit “Create File” up top

When dealing with your Facebook albums, it’s even easier! Just go to the album you would like to download, click the three dots in the upper right-hand corner, and hit download.

Don’t be Afraid to Join Other Social Media Platforms

With the shutdown came a resurgence of activity on competing platforms – even a tweet from Facebook itself! Tik Tok, Twitter, and SnapChat took over the reins, with Reddit not too far behind. It is critical for your business to join these other platforms ASAP to broaden your reach and social expertise.

Though you don’t want to spread yourself too thin, it is beneficial to branch onto different sites that benefit your brand. Unsure of what those platforms may be? Don’t worry we can help you!

Be Aware of What Companies Own Which Social Media Platforms

Not only did Facebook take the heat, but so did the other owned platforms under its belt. Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Oculus VR all experienced shutdowns. With some of the top communication apps in the world down, many brands didn’t know what to do.

Prevent that from happening to your business! Research who owns your most-used apps, their data track record, and alternative options to have as backups. It is better to have this information now to see how changes amongst these apps can overlap and hinder your marketing strategy in the future.

Social Media isn’t Always a Competition

For a moment in time, all social media-loving brands were in the same place. Unable to post an Instagram of our newest product, create a story of our night out, or promote our website on Facebook. Some felt relieved while others felt they had failed – it’s weird what an international shutdown can do to you!

This pause made us realize (and hopefully others too) that social media isn’t always a competition. No matter the company or individual, your online brand can never fully en capture you. Be sure to remind yourself of that and try not to be so hard on yourself the next time you post.

Remember, Social Media is NOT Permanent

We know. As a social media marketing company, it’s shocking to hear us say this. But, as these recent events showed, it’s true!

Although social media is a remarkable tool to boost your brand, it shouldn’t be the end all be all of your success. Make sure to have other marketing strategies in place to prepare for other potential app downfalls. Contact us for a FREE consultation to create a social marketing media plan that promotes these external services as well!

Five Lessons We Learned From The Social Media Outage of October 2021