![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/017a1f49f844404255f10a09717bfe5247-Screentime-210125.rhorizontal.w1100.jpg\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Instagram\n <\/p>\n
The basic bargain accepted by planet Earth\u2019s few billion social media users for the last few decades has been that, in exchange for use of a free product, they will be monetized, mostly through the sale of ads. Meta has made the most of anyone out of this deal, starting with Facebook and extending the concept with Instagram. Soon, it will probably become the largest digital advertising company<\/a> in the world, finally unseating Google.<\/p>\n In recent years, though, social media companies have been wondering if they might adjust that bargain a bit. Taking a cue from omni-monetized platforms like LinkedIn, Elon Musk\u2019s X shifted to a subscription model that limits messaging and posting visibility for people who don\u2019t pay; meanwhile, purer messaging apps, like WhatsApp, have been experimenting with ways to charge people<\/a>, too. After building one of the largest businesses in the world by giving away its core product, Meta has started fiddling with subscription plans as well, with plans to test them on almost every service it offers. From TechCrunch<\/a>:<\/p>\n WhatsApp is testing a new subscription tier, similar to Instagram Plus and Snapchat+, that lets users pay for customized icons, themes, ringtones, and more. The paid plan\u2019s features are largely cosmetic; users don\u2019t get many additional functional features.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatsApp is testing a new, optional subscription called WhatsApp Plus, designed for users who want more ways to organize and personalize their experience,\u201d a Meta spokesperson said. \u201cPremium features include expanded pinned chats, custom lists, new chat themes, and more. We\u2019re starting with a small test to gather feedback and ensure we\u2019re building something people find genuinely valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n WhatsApp\u2019s subscription service most closely resembles paid features<\/a> on apps like Telegram, or ornamental in-app-purchases in games\u00a0\u2014\u00a0there\u2019s no sign here that existing features will be put behind a paywall, X-style, or that people won\u2019t be able to use WhatsApp in the ways they\u2019ve taken for granted since 2016. Some of the paid features Meta is testing in Instagram, on the other hand, are sort of funny, offering users a bit of asymmetric control and data access<\/a>:<\/p>\n Among the premium features on Instagram is the ability to view a Story \u2014 a photo or video post that disappears after 24 hours \u2014 without the poster knowing you viewed it. Subscribers can also see how many people have rewatched their own Stories, [the company said.]<\/p>\n Facebook is up next, but Meta hasn\u2019t revealed its plan for that platform yet, which has been focusing more on Groups<\/a> and Marketplace<\/a> lately (the company did briefly experiment with charging to send messages to strangers way back in 2012, which users regarded<\/a> as ridiculous at the time). In any case, the seal has been broken. Meta \u2014\u00a0alongside every other free social platform \u2014\u00a0is trying to see what, if anything, its users will pay for. Fewer ads? More access to other people? Stickers? Doodads? AI? God-like surveillance abilities? Nothing?<\/p>\n One can assume this is happening mainly because, well, why not? Most of these platforms are relatively well entrenched, held together by network effects and years of user habits. Consumers have accumulated a pile of subscriptions elsewhere \u2014\u00a0to streamers, productivity apps, cloud providers \u2014\u00a0the thinking goes, so why not bid for one more? But there\u2019s a trace of angst here, too. In its journey to advertising dominance, and its pursuit of TikTok, Meta has made its products more engaging but not always more essential<\/a>; among other things, they\u2019ve become less obviously social<\/a>, favoring content recommendations over connection. Prodding users to see what they\u2019ll pay for now might be a good way to make a few extra dollars in the short term. It could also help them what users \u2014\u00a0and professional influencers \u2014 actually still value on their platforms, as people increasingly use them to consume the same sorts of video clips<\/a> they can find elsewhere, too.<\/p>\n Sign Up for John Herrman column alerts<\/p>\n Get an email alert as soon as a new article publishes.<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n