Reactions to Facebook’s news pullout in Australia have been mixed as users take in what this means for journalism, Australian democracy and their favourite cartoonists.
Here are some of the big reactions to Facebook’s big move.
The initial shock
The first reaction was plain shock that Facebook had actually followed through on what many had thought was a bluff, and had left the Australian platform a news desert.
The shock took on an edge of disbelief as people quickly worked out just how many things Facebook counted as news.
Goodbye and good riddance!
Of course there were those who were happy to say goodbye to the tech giant.
‘I told you so’
And many, many people who saw it coming (including some of our own).
The demise of democracy
Unsurprisingly, many held Facebook’s actions up as the next step in the demise of democracy in Australia and around the world. Reactions to this were mixed, from comments on the fact that Rupert Murdoch has got exactly what he wanted, to calls for new, free tech platforms.
The very real impact
The true gravity of the situation didn’t go unnoticed. Removing a key source of public information during a global pandemic, in a country that frequently experiences natural disasters, will have very real impacts for communities across the country.
The real winners
And of course, everyone is aware who the real winners are.
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