Frustration as Facebook and Instagram Go Offline

On Tuesday, March 5, widespread disruptions hit users of Facebook and Instagram, platforms under the umbrella of Meta, leading to significant outages. The disturbances affected various services, including the inability to post photos on Instagram, access WhatsApp, or navigate through Facebook. This event left a significant number of users frustrated, with some expressing their dissatisfaction over recurring errors across these platforms.

The outage, which began around 3 PM, was promptly reported by thousands, with DownDetector receiving over 50,000 complaints regarding the issue. The analytics provided by DownDetector highlighted a surge in problem reports, significantly above the usual volume observed at this time of day. Users experiencing these issues shared their grievances online, with many reporting being forcibly logged out of their accounts and facing messages indicating that the page was unavailable or that their session had expired.

Reports of the outage were not limited to one region, with users from the UK and other parts of the world noting similar issues. Social media was abuzz with people checking whether the problem was a global one, using hashtags like #facebookdown to share updates and find solace in the fact that they were not alone in facing these disruptions.

The outage impacted not just the personal use of these platforms but also affected businesses and individuals who rely on Meta’s services for communication and marketing. As of now, the cause of the outage has not been specified, and users are awaiting further updates from Meta regarding the resolution of these issues and steps being taken to prevent future outages.