TV Midtvest is back using Facebook two weeks after deciding not to use the social media platform to publicise its stories.
More news sites, but definitely missing something
The regional television service, which is part of the TV2 network, wasn’t the only one to take a sabbatical, as five of its users also took a break.
According to Michael Morthensen, 26, it was pretty easy despite an email from Facebook telling him he had 76 unopened notifications.
Morthensen, who normally uses Facebook for “several hours a day”, found he visited more news websites, although he did concede he was probably “missing something” by not using the platform, reports TV Midtvest.
Left a hole in entrepreneur’s life
Meanwhile, Rasmus Johnsen, 45, who returned to find 64 notifications, contends that his life is richer as a result of Facebook.
Johnsen, who uses Facebook less than he did a few years ago, initially thought it would be easy to take a break, but quickly realised it left a vacuum.
The entrepreneur from Klitmøller is an advocate that he controls his Facebook post – so not the other way round – by carefully constructing a profile that services his needs: from his choice of movies in his profile to his rejection of certain types of ads.
Voyage of discovery over
Two weeks ago, TV Midtvest’s chief executive Lone Sunesen said the experiment would be a voyage of discovery.
“There is so much talk about Facebook’s dominant position in our society, and we need to see how far the addiction goes and whether our users would find our content by other channels.
“Do we need to continue providing large portions of our product free of charge to the US company. If not, it would free up our journalists to concentrate on producing better journalism.”
Heavy traffic via social media
According to a Reuters survey, social media is the primary source of news to 10 percent of Danes, and 53 percent access news via Facebook every week.
TV Midtvest typically shares 8-15 posts on its Facebook pages every day. It estimates 40 percent of its website traffic comes from social media, with Facebook accounting for the majority.
