As we enter a new decade, social media continues to change the way we connect and interact online. While platforms like TikTok and Instagram are growing rapidly, Facebook remains an important part of the digital landscape. In this article, I’ll explore some key reasons why maintaining a Facebook presence in 2024 and beyond can be beneficial both personally and professionally.
Gaining Visibility and Growing Your Network
With over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide, Facebook offers unmatched exposure and networking potential. Even if you’re not overly active on the platform yourself, the people in your network are likely still using Facebook regularly to stay connected. Maintaining a professional profile makes it easy for clients, colleagues, and opportunities to find you online. You never know when an old connection may see your profile and get in touch about an interesting project or opportunity that could benefit your work or business.
Facebook also makes it simple to follow brands, public figures, organizations, and even potential employers you may want to learn more about. By liking their pages, you open yourself up to seeing their latest updates in your feed. This enhanced visibility through your engagement and connections helps ensure your online presence stays top-of-mind with your network and beyond.
Generating Alternative Income Streams
Did you know that as of 2024, it’s possible to earn money directly through Facebook? While ads will always be central to Facebook’s business model, they’ve introduced creative new ways for users to support and engage with their favorite pages in a way that provides income opportunities.
One such example is Facebook Stars. When you like and comment on posts from public figures or fan pages, you have the option to purchase and send digital “stars” as a way of showing your appreciation or support. The creators behind those pages then receive a portion of the money spent on stars by their followers. With a large enough fanbase, it’s possible for influencers or even the average Facebook user to earn a meaningful side income through stars.
All it takes is consistently engaging communities around your interests or area of expertise to grow your own audience over time. So always protect your Facebook account
Staying in Touch with Friends and Family
Even as younger generations gravitate towards newer platforms, Facebook still reigns supreme as a way to reliably keep up with friends and family. Its user-friendly features, like the news feed, events, and groups, make it incredibly easy to see updates from people in your personal network and coordinate get-togethers.
Whether you want to share photos from a weekend trip, get recommendations for a local restaurant, or find others attending an upcoming concert, Facebook is a great central hub for community and conversation among people you know in real life. Maintaining connections on Facebook ensures the important relationships in your life can always find you online.
Accessing Important Community and Interest Groups
From parenting tips to hobby discussions to help in times of crisis, Facebook is home to a huge number of active interest groups around virtually any topic. Being a part of relevant communities allows you to learn from others, get questions answered, and provide your own expertise on subjects you’re passionate about.
It’s also a great way to stay updated on local events and find both online and offline communities you may want to get involved with. The groups feature has proven invaluable for organizing relief efforts during disasters, sharing breaking news, and bringing together groups that may have otherwise never connected in the physical world.
Keeping Up with News and Updates
Many businesses, non-profits, celebrities, artists and other public figures continue to use Facebook as a primary distribution channel for their latest announcements, projects, and news.
Following pages in your areas of interest ensures you’ll be among the first to find out about new initiatives, products, sales and more from the brands, causes and creators you support most. News outlets also heavily utilize Facebook to share their reporting, making it a convenient one-stop shop to stay informed on current events from the outlets, topics and geographical locations you care about.
In summary, while Facebook may not dominate the social media landscape forever, it remains an important online tool for both personal and professional networking, community involvement, and staying up-to-date in 2024. Maintaining an active presence sets you up for new opportunities through visibility and alternative income streams like Facebook Stars.
It also allows you to reliably keep in touch with friends and family for years to come. For most users, Facebook will continue evolving as a digital home base of sorts well into the next decade.