If you‘re a regular Facebook user, you‘ve probably noticed a major change recently: the ability to edit posts after publishing seems to have disappeared. That‘s right – Facebook has quietly removed the "Edit Post" option that let users clean up typos, update information, or backpedal on ill-advised rants.
The change occurred back in August 2022 and affected Facebook‘s apps and website on all devices. Confused and frustrated Facebook users quickly noticed the missing feature. Complaints poured in across social media:
"Has Facebook removed the ability to edit posts? I can‘t find the edit option anymore 😕"
"FACEBOOK EDITING IS GONE??? I HATE IT HERE"
"PSA: you can‘t edit Facebook posts anymore. Guess I‘ll die 🙃"
For many of us, it felt like Facebook had removed a critical feature with no warning or explanation. As an avid Facebook user and a technology writer who‘s covered Facebook since its early days, I was perplexed. What could have motivated Facebook to make post editing impossible? Was it a glitch or a deliberate change? How were Facebook users supposed to deal with this?
After digging into the story and reflecting on the bigger picture of Facebook‘s role in our digital lives, I have some thoughts. In this post, I‘ll explore why I think Facebook made this change, the potential upsides and downsides, and what it means for the future of the world‘s biggest social network. I‘ll also share some workarounds and tips for folks who are still struggling with the missing edit option.
Facebook‘s Reasoning: Fighting Fake News?
So why did Facebook take away such a useful feature? The company has been characteristically tight-lipped about the whole thing. Unlike some other recent Facebook changes like the pivot to video content or the addition of shopping features, the death of post editing was rolled out with no fanfare or official communication.
However, many social media experts believe it‘s part of Facebook‘s broader battle against misinformation and fake news on the platform. By preventing users from editing posts after they‘ve been published and shared, Facebook closes a loophole that bad actors have used to spread false or misleading content.
Here‘s how the exploit worked: a user could share a post with a shocking or controversial claim, racking up thousands of views, likes, comments and shares. Then, after the post had gone viral, the original poster could go back and substantially edit the content – removing the false claims and replacing them with something totally different. This bait-and-switch tactic allowed inaccurate information to circulate widely on Facebook, even if the original post was later corrected.
Imagine, for example, a Facebook page posting something with an alarming headline like "Breaking: Scientists Confirm COVID-19 Vaccines Contain Microchips". The post could rapidly spread across Facebook as users express their outrage. But then a few hours later, the page owner could change the post to something innocuous like "10 Adorable Puppy Pictures to Brighten Your Day". The "microchip" claim would be erased, but the viral post would continue to rack up engagement.
For a platform that has struggled to get a handle on the "infodemic" of COVID-19 conspiracy theories and election misinformation, closing the post-editing loophole may have seemed like a necessary step, even if it meant removing a feature that many users loved. A Facebook spokesperson hinted at this rationale in a rare comment on the edit post change:
"We‘re always looking for ways to improve the integrity and security of our platform. We know that being able to edit posts is a useful feature for many users, but we also recognize that it can be abused to alter the record of what was shared. We‘re working on finding the right balance that continues to give people control of their content while protecting against misuse."
By the Numbers: Facebook‘s Fake News Problem
Facebook‘s struggle with misinformation is well-documented. A 2019 Oxford University study found that Facebook was the worst offender among social media sites when it came to spreading "junk news", with users over 65 especially susceptible. Another report from Avaaz, a non-profit advocacy group, found that the top 100 fake news stories about the 2020 U.S. election were viewed over 1.6 billion times on Facebook.
But just how prevalent is fake news on Facebook? It can be tricky to measure, since viral misinformation often comes from sketchy websites with no offline footprint. However, some researchers have tried to quantify the problem:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| % of American adults who get news from Facebook | 43% |
| % of Facebook news consumers who say they‘ve seen fake news on the site | 57% |
| Engagements generated by top 100 fake news stories in 2020 (likes, comments, shares) | 8.7 billion |
| Average engagement per fake news story | 86.9 million |
| % of Facebook users who say they‘ve accidentally shared false info | 14% |
Sources: Pew Research Center, Avaaz, Stanford University
As you can see, misinformation has an enormous reach on Facebook thanks to the platform‘s world-spanning user base of almost 3 billion monthly active users. And false content doesn‘t just spread organically – it‘s also been weaponized by foreign intelligence services and unscrupulous political campaigns to influence elections and sow discord.
Facebook has tried numerous tactics to combat fake news over the years: partnering with third-party fact checkers, adding content warnings to disputed posts, improving its AI systems for detecting false content, and even going so far as banning political ads in the week before the 2020 U.S. election. But many critics argue Facebook is fighting an uphill battle against human nature and the attention-driven incentives of its own algorithm.
"The fundamental problem is that Facebook‘s product, its business model, is based on engagement and ads," says Whitney Phillips, an assistant professor of communication and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University. "That means that the most inflammatory, emotional, shocking content is what goes to the top of people‘s newsfeeds. It‘s a disaster for public discourse, and Facebook has not been willing to make the fundamental changes needed to fix it."
The Pros and Cons of Post Editing
So if preventing misinformation is Facebook‘s goal, does removing the edit post feature actually help? The answer is complicated.
On the plus side, there‘s no question that the ability to stealth edit viral posts enabled some really egregious abuses in the past. One infamous example from 2016 involved the conservative "news" site Gateway Pundit publishing a false story claiming that an FBI agent suspected in Hillary Clinton email leaks had been found dead. The post was edited after going viral to remove the inaccurate info, but not before it racked up thousands of shares and likely influenced voters‘ opinions.
Putting a stop to these kind of last minute switcheroos helps maintain some accountability – if you‘re going to make an inflammatory claim on Facebook, you have to stand by your words. It essentially forces people to think a bit more carefully before publishing, knowing they won‘t be able to backtrack later.
However, the cons of axing post editing are significant. For the vast majority of Facebook users, editing posts was an essential tool for tidying up typos, adding additional info, or reflecting changing circumstances. It offered the flexibility to refine your writing or correct honest mistakes. Some real-world examples of perfectly legitimate ways people used post editing:
- Adding an update to a community post about a missing pet: "Update: Fluffy was found safe!"
- Correcting a misspelled name in a birthday greeting
- Providing additional context to clarify a vague post
- Changing details on an event page after plans shift
There were also more subtle benefits to post editing. The ability to fix sloppy posts likely encouraged some users to share more freely, knowing they had a safety net. I know I personally felt more comfortable dashing off quick thoughts or hot takes, secure in the knowledge that I could polish them up later. Post editing also had the side benefit of keeping your feed looking clean, since your connections could quietly fix their mistakes without having to dirty up your timeline with a correction comment.
Moreover, removing such a heavily used feature with no warning or input from users generated understandable frustration and backlash. For a company that regularly touts its commitment to "building community", Facebook often makes sweeping changes that leave users feeling disempowered and disrespected.
"So let me get this straight," one viral tweet read. "Facebook axed a super useful feature that everyone loved using…in order to solve a problem caused entirely by Facebook‘s own piss-poor handling of disinformation? Seems legit 🙄"
Facebook‘s Flawed Approach
In my opinion, preventing all 2 billion Facebook users from editing their posts is an overly blunt approach that creates far more problems than it solves. The bad actors who have weaponized post editing to spread fake news are vastly outnumbered by normal users who simply want to be able to clean up their writing. Removing the feature altogether feels like a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Facebook already has a robust reporting system in place for posts that violate its community standards. With a bit more development, they could build an edit-tracking system that flags substantive post changes for review if a post has reached a certain viral threshold. That would allow the average user to continue making small edits and additions, while still catching major changes designed to spread misinformation.
Facebook could also simply add an "Edited" indicator to altered posts along with a detailed revision history, like most blogging platforms and wikis already have. That would maintain full transparency when a viral post has been changed after the fact.
At the very least, Facebook could compromise by allowing post editing for a short window – perhaps an hour after publishing. That would give users the chance to quickly fix mistakes, while still preventing most long con editing switcheroos.
But by unilaterally removing post editing completely, Facebook has once again eroded user trust and shown it cares more about its own PR battles than the experience of its user base. As a platform that many of us rely on daily to connect with friends, family, and colleagues, that‘s incredibly disappointing.
Tips for Posting Without Edits
So what can frustrated Facebook users do in the meantime, now that post editing is no more? Your best bet is to treat the "Post" button with greater weight and use the preview window to triple-check your work before publishing. Some tips:
- Write out longer posts in a separate text editor or word processor so you can carefully review them for typos, formatting and clarity
- Make use of Facebook‘s existing "Save Draft" feature if you need to step away from a post before it‘s ready
- Have a trusted friend or family member read important posts before you hit publish
- If you notice a significant mistake after posting, consider deleting and reposting rather than living with the error
- Don‘t stress too much over inconsequential typos – your real friends don‘t care about a misplaced comma!
Ultimately, we may need to accept that social media sharing in the 2020s simply comes with higher stakes than the more freewheeling early days of Web 2.0. As Facebook and other platforms reckon with their impact on elections, public health, and more, we‘ll likely continue to see reduced flexibility for users in the name of fighting abuse.
But as the world‘s biggest social network, Facebook still has an obligation to balance its noble efforts to fight misinformation with respect for the experience of its users. I hope Facebook keeps listening to feedback and working to empower users while cracking down on false content – though their track record doesn‘t inspire a ton of confidence.
In the meantime, let‘s all embrace the art of the carefully-considered post and support each other through this brave new world of uneditable Facebook updates. And if you find yourself pining for the good old days, just remember: at least we still have the ability to edit our comments!
