Leaders | Online media

The end of the social network

As Facebook turns 20, social apps are being transformed

Illustration: Daniel Liévano

Editor’s note, February 2nd 2024: This article was updated after Meta announced earnings results for 2023.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The end of the social network”

From the February 3rd 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

A man waves the Lebanese flag from a car as displaced people return home, in Sidon, Lebanon on November 27th 2024

Peace in Lebanon is just a start

Donald Trump must build on Joe Biden’s belated success

A group of protesters burn pictures Donald Trump and Joe Biden in 2020

From Nixon to China, to Trump to Tehran

Iran is weak. For America’s next president that creates an opportunity


This illustration shows a graduation cap (mortarboard) with a small pile of coins inside its circular top. The background is green, and the cap's tassel is yellow.

Too many master’s courses are expensive and flaky

Governments should help postgraduates get a better deal


Elon Musk is Donald Trump’s disrupter-in-chief

The entrepreneur will be let loose on America’s government

Why British MPs should vote for assisted dying

A long-awaited liberal reform is in jeopardy