Overview

• In 2022, Mark Zuckerberg proposed a radical idea to delete all Facebook friend connections to address the platform's declining cultural relevance, but the plan was ultimately abandoned.
• The proposal aimed to encourage users to rebuild their social networks and reinvigorate engagement, but it faced skepticism from executives, including Facebook head Tom Alison.
• Facebook has since shifted its strategy, focusing on reviving personal connections rather than implementing drastic resets of user relationships.
• The newly launched Friends tab centralizes content from users' actual friends, including posts, stories, reels, and birthdays, reflecting a strategic pivot back to Facebook's original mission.
• This move comes as Facebook seeks to regain cultural relevance and compete with platforms like TikTok, while addressing user nostalgia for its earlier focus on social connectivity.