Meta’s Global Outage on December 11, 2024: What Happened and How It Affects Businesses
Overview of the Outage
Hey everyone, it’s Josh Iverson here. If you are like us and were wondering what was happing on some of your managed Facebook pages and posts then it’s likely connected to bigger Meta issues. Let’s talk about the Meta outage that had a lot of us scratching our heads on December 11, 2024. Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—three of the biggest social platforms—went dark for millions of users worldwide. This all kicked off around 12:50 p.m. Eastern Time. People reported issues accessing the apps, sending messages, and even just viewing content.
According to Downdetector.com, which tracks outages like this, over 96,000 Facebook users and more than 69,000 Instagram users flagged issues at the peak of the disruption. WhatsApp users weren’t spared either, with over 12,000 reports coming in about problems.
Regional Impact
The outage hit users around the world, from the U.S. to Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. Some people couldn’t even load the apps, while others were stuck waiting on sluggish load times or couldn’t post anything.
Kinda funny Meta addressed the situation publicly. On X (formerly Twitter), they said:
“We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience.”
Service Restoration
By later that afternoon, things started getting back to normal for most people. But for some, especially Instagram users, there were still issues with posting content. If this whole scenario feels familiar, it’s because we’ve seen it before. Remember back in October 2021 when all of Meta’s apps went down for six hours? Billions of people were affected that day. It’s another reminder of just how much the world relies on these platforms to stay connected.
Impact on Small Businesses and iMedia’s Response
Here’s the part that’s close to home for us at iMedia. We’ve seen Facebook deliver some of the strongest lead performance for small businesses recently. Their ad platform is still one of the most powerful ways to drive growth, raise awareness, and keep customers engaged.
While a brief outage like this is frustrating, it’s a good reminder of why having a multi-channel marketing strategy is so important. If you’re an iMedia client and you’re wondering if this affected your campaign, just reach out. Talk to your iMediaSalesTeam agent or your support assistant, and we’ll make sure you’re covered. We’re here to help you stay on track.
Cause of the Outage
So, what caused all this? Well, Meta hasn’t spilled the details just yet. They’ve said they’re investigating the issue and will work to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Let’s hope they’re right.
How to Stay Updated
For those of you looking to stay in the know during outages like this, sites like Downdetector.com and Meta’s official social media channels are your best bet. They’ll give you real-time updates so you’re not left guessing.