With the entire Facebook network of social media sites down for most of the day Monday, social media users have scrambled to get their news, information, and laughs. The cause of the outages remained unknown as of Monday afternoon. But the impact could be felt as individuals and companies alike were rethinking contingency plans for moments like this.  

Facebook’s several-hour outage could also be an opening for other social networking sites. Entertainment journalist Gary Hamilton tweeted that while all the other sites were struggling, BlackPlanet was still going strong.  

I know Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp are down, and people are saying Gmail is now acting up (mine seems to currently be ok)…but y’all will be glad to know my Black Planet page is still going strong and standing up to the test of time… #2002andStillGoing pic.twitter.com/69KYXWLxjg

— Gary G. Hamilton (@GaryGHamilton) October 4, 2021

BlackPlanet also took the opportunity to remind social media users that it’s still around.  

Head on over to https://t.co/T6TcYoPv7s We tryna see sumn… #BlackPlanetBack pic.twitter.com/hiqYnaQk8z

— #BlackPlanetBack (@blackplanet) October 4, 2021

A part of the Urban One family of digital sites, BlackPlanet is scheduled for an official relaunch. But the site tweeted Monday that it is ready for new users and old friends to come hang out online. 

#WeReady#BlackPlanetBack https://t.co/T6TcYoPv7s pic.twitter.com/Pi62YYCcRd

— #BlackPlanetBack (@blackplanet) October 4, 2021

“BlackPlanet is rebooting because we recognize that this moment is an opportunity to come together,” reads the site. “Amid our society’s unveiling, this is a space for you to catch your wave and tap into opportunities.” 

Some Twitter users wondered if their old BlackPlanet accounts were recoverable. Media and technology advocacy organization Media Justice also got in on the BlackPlanet fun Monday afternoon.

https://t.co/rPoD5Ftscn pic.twitter.com/CCgDNCSm4Z

— MediaJustice (@mediajustice) October 4, 2021

Media Justice is one of several organizations participating in a mass log out of Facebook on November 10, driving home the message that the social media giant needs to take heed of valid concerns raised over the platform’s governance. 

The group also encouraged followers to watch the hearing Tuesday at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Along with Media Justice, several accountability organizations used Facebook’s extended Monday outage to drive home the necessity of independent oversight.  

Less than 24 hours after a whistleblower revealed her identity during a 60 Minutes interview and the day before her testimony before Congress, Facebook suddenly lost access to its DNS servers.  

Even Mercury is sick of @Facebook‘s bs. https://t.co/c0LF0TCaEk pic.twitter.com/1bAosJnrW1

— MediaJustice (@mediajustice) October 4, 2021

 

Nora Benavidez,  senior counsel and director for digital justice & civil rights at Free Press, echoed the sentiments and said this is the time for the White House and Congress to prioritize meaningful oversight.  

“While Facebook is down, it feels like a nice moment to say: hey, the platforms can’t really fix themselves,” tweeted Benavidez. “And we need Congress, the @WhiteHouse, and others to take action on *all this*. Let’s reel in the mess.” 

While Facebook is down, it feels like a nice moment to say: hey, the platforms can’t really fix themselves and we need Congress, the @WhiteHouse and others to take action on *all this*. Let’s reel in the mess. Check out my interview with @afp https://t.co/QEEBKH9jlL

— Nora Benavidez (@AttorneyNora) October 4, 2021

Whether social media users move to other sites like a revitalized BlackPlanet, it is clear that social sites like Facebook cannot continue to go unchecked for much longer.

See Also:

White Editor Goes Viral For Twitter Thread About Media Racism Black Journalists Face

Twitter Finally Pulls The Plug On Trump’s Account

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