The end of an era for social media research: Meta shuts down CrowdTangle

The closure of the analytics tool CrowdTangle, announced by Meta, marks the end of an era for social media research. For many years, CrowdTangle was an indispensable resource for researchers, journalists, and civil society groups, helping them understand how information spreads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This move is a significant blow to those who sought transparency in how these platforms operate.

Why was CrowdTangle so important?

CrowdTangle provided access to data that allowed for the study of public health, misinformation, elections, and media. Its data was cited in thousands of academic articles, and journalists used the tool to trace the origins of viral misinformation and other issues on the platform. Meta, which acquired CrowdTangle in 2016, even conducted training sessions for journalists and researchers, encouraging them to use the tool for their studies.

Meta’s shift in strategy

However, things began to change in 2020. During this period, a Twitter bot called “Facebook Top Ten” was created, using CrowdTangle data to showcase the most popular pages on Facebook based on user engagement. These data revealed that right-wing political figures and news outlets often dominated the top spots, sparking debates about political polarization on the platform.

Meta responded by arguing that engagement is not an accurate reflection of content reach on social networks and began publishing its own reports on the most viewed content. However, researchers raised doubts about the credibility of these reports.

CrowdTangle vs. Meta content library

In place of CrowdTangle, Meta introduced the Meta Content Library, a new tool for researchers. Unlike CrowdTangle, however, access to the Meta Content Library is limited and tightly controlled. Only a few hundred researchers have been granted access to the data, and journalists—unless working in non-profit newsrooms or in partnership with research institutions—are not eligible to apply.

Impact on the research community

The closure of CrowdTangle has raised concerns among researchers, particularly in the run-up to the U.S. presidential elections. CrowdTangle offered unique capabilities for monitoring election-related content, and its absence creates a significant gap in information access. Moreover, this decision reflects a broader trend of restricting access to social media data, which poses significant challenges for researchers.

Conclusion

CrowdTangle never provided a complete picture of what happens on Facebook, but it did open an important window into the social network used by billions of people worldwide. The closing of this window leaves researchers and human rights advocates in a difficult position, affecting not just this election cycle but long-term access to information.

This article available in Ukrainian.