The UK has officially approved the creation of a social media class system. The data regulator’s decision to allow Meta’s paid subscription service gives rise to a two-tier structure for Facebook and Instagram, dividing users into a paying premium class and a non-paying standard class.
The premium class will pay up to £3.99 a month for the privilege of an ad-free experience and a greater degree of privacy. The standard class will continue to use the service for free, but in return, they will be subject to personalised advertising and the data collection that powers it.
This new class system has been endorsed by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a legitimate model for providing user choice, in line with UK law. This “pro-business” stance accepts a stratified system as a valid outcome of market-based regulation.
This is a stark contrast to the egalitarian approach favoured by the EU. European regulators fined Meta €200m over the model, arguing that it illegally creates a system where fundamental rights are dependent on a user’s ability to pay, a concept they firmly reject.
The introduction of this premium tier marks a new era for social media in the UK. The once-uniform experience will now be fragmented, with a user’s bank balance directly determining the quality and privacy of their digital social life.
