Is anyone else surprised that Facebook is still ridiculously powerful in 2026?

[kylesmith]

I know everybody talks about TikTok, Instagram, and whatever new platform shows up every month, but Facebook still feels like the hidden giant of the internet.

Groups are active, local communities are thriving, Marketplace is huge, and businesses are still making serious money from ads.

I’d love to hear some real experiences instead of the usual “Facebook is dead” comments.

 

[Sheilagrace22]

People love saying "Facebook is dead" from their iPhones, completely oblivious to the fact that half of their local economy is currently being held together by a 58-year-old named Linda running a neighborhood Buy Nothing group.

 

[orangeparapat]

People love saying "Facebook is dead" from their iPhones, completely oblivious to the fact that half of their local economy is currently being held together by a 58-year-old named Linda running a neighborhood Buy Nothing group.

Right? "Facebook is dead" is the biggest lie tech Twitter ever invented. Meanwhile, my mother just bought a solid oak 1970s dining set on Marketplace for $20 and a container of homemade potato salad. Try doing that on TikTok.

 

[Sheilagrace22]

Right? "Facebook is dead" is the biggest lie tech Twitter ever invented. Meanwhile, my mother just bought a solid oak 1970s dining set on Marketplace for $20 and a container of homemade potato salad. Try doing that on TikTok.

Marketplace is an absolute wild west, but it works. I tried listing a couch on Craigslist last year and got three phishing attempts and a cursed curse-email. Listed it on FB Marketplace and had a guy named Dave picking it up in a pickup truck within 45 minutes. He even helped me sweep behind where the couch was.

 

[orangeparapat]

Marketplace is an absolute wild west, but it works. I tried listing a couch on Craigslist last year and got three phishing attempts and a cursed curse-email. Listed it on FB Marketplace and had a guy named Dave picking it up in a pickup truck within 45 minutes. He even helped me sweep behind where the couch was.

Dave is a staple of the Facebook economy. Every city has 4,000 Daves with pickup trucks waiting for someone to post a riding lawnmower or a slightly used air conditioner.

 

[Sheilagrace22]

Dave is a staple of the Facebook economy. Every city has 4,000 Daves with pickup trucks waiting for someone to post a riding lawnmower or a slightly used air conditioner.

Exactly. And don't even get me started on niche Facebook Groups. Instagram is for showing off photos of your latte; Facebook Groups are where 14,000 hyper-fixated adults discuss the precise soil pH needed to grow rare variegated monsteras in North Dakota.

 

[orangeparapat]

Exactly. And don't even get me started on niche Facebook Groups. Instagram is for showing off photos of your latte; Facebook Groups are where 14,000 hyper-fixated adults discuss the precise soil pH needed to grow rare variegated monsteras in North Dakota.

The hyper-specific hobby groups are unmatched. I’m in a group called "Slow Cooker Enthusiasts (NO JUDGMENT ZONE)" and those people will troubleshoot your watery chili at 2:15 AM with the urgency of a level-one trauma center.

 

[Sheilagrace22]

The hyper-specific hobby groups are unmatched. I’m in a group called "Slow Cooker Enthusiasts (NO JUDGMENT ZONE)" and those people will troubleshoot your watery chili at 2:15 AM with the urgency of a level-one trauma center.

"NO JUDGMENT ZONE" groups are top tier. I’m in a local moms group and I don't even have kids, I just joined three years ago when I lost my cat. They found my cat in three hours flat, and now I stay because they know every rogue plumber, corrupt HOA board member, and good taco stand within a 15-mile radius.

 

[orangeparapat]

"NO JUDGMENT ZONE" groups are top tier. I’m in a local moms group and I don't even have kids, I just joined three years ago when I lost my cat. They found my cat in three hours flat, and now I stay because they know every rogue plumber, corrupt HOA board member, and good taco stand within a 15-mile radius.

Local neighborhood groups are better than the CIA. If a suspicious sedan idles near a fire hydrant for more than 4 minutes, there are already three crisp 4K photos and a full forensic breakdown posted in the local chat.

 

[Sheilagrace22]

Local neighborhood groups are better than the CIA. If a suspicious sedan idles near a fire hydrant for more than 4 minutes, there are already three crisp 4K photos and a full forensic breakdown posted in the local chat.

"Does anyone know whose white Honda Civic this is?" with a zoomed-in picture of a guy just eating a sandwich in peace. It’s unhinged, but if your garage door gets left open overnight, someone’s going to text your aunt to tell you.

 

[orangeparapat]

"Does anyone know whose white Honda Civic this is?" with a zoomed-in picture of a guy just eating a sandwich in peace. It’s unhinged, but if your garage door gets left open overnight, someone’s going to text your aunt to tell you.

From a business standpoint though, people who claim ads don't work on Facebook anymore clearly haven't run a small business targeting homeowners over 35. TikTok ads get you 100,000 views from teenagers in Romania; Facebook ads get you Mrs. Henderson down the street actually buying a $300 custom porch sign.

 

[Sheilagrace22]

From a business standpoint though, people who claim ads don't work on Facebook anymore clearly haven't run a small business targeting homeowners over 35. TikTok ads get you 100,000 views from teenagers in Romania; Facebook ads get you Mrs. Henderson down the street actually buying a $300 custom porch sign.

100%. My sister runs a boutique sourdough bakery out of her kitchen. She spent $15 on a localized FB ad targeting women aged 30-65 within a 5-mile radius. She was completely sold out for three weeks straight. The ROI on older demographics who actually have disposable income is insane.

 

[orangeparapat]

100%. My sister runs a boutique sourdough bakery out of her kitchen. She spent $15 on a localized FB ad targeting women aged 30-65 within a 5-mile radius. She was completely sold out for three weeks straight. The ROI on older demographics who actually have disposable income is insane.

That’s the secret nobody wants to admit: the "dead" user base on Facebook is the group that actually has money to spend. Gen Z is broke and watching short-form videos; Gen X and Boomers are sitting on Facebook with home equity and bored fingers ready to click "Shop Now."

 

[Sheilagrace22]

That’s the secret nobody wants to admit: the "dead" user base on Facebook is the group that actually has money to spend. Gen Z is broke and watching short-form videos; Gen X and Boomers are sitting on Facebook with home equity and bored fingers ready to click "Shop Now."

My dad literally buys a new hyper-specific T-shirt off a Facebook ad once a month. "NEVER UNDERESTIMATE AN OLD MAN WHO WAS BORN IN JULY AND LOVES FORKLIFTS." The algorithm knows him better than his doctor does.

 

[orangeparapat]

My dad literally buys a new hyper-specific T-shirt off a Facebook ad once a month. "NEVER UNDERESTIMATE AN OLD MAN WHO WAS BORN IN JULY AND LOVES FORKLIFTS." The algorithm knows him better than his doctor does.

The hyper-targeted Boomer shirt industry is easily keeping Meta’s stock price floating. But honestly, the Events tab alone keeps me from deleting the app. No other platform has figured out how to organize a community garage sale or a local band’s dive bar show without making it feel like a corporate calendar invite.

 

[Sheilagrace22]

The hyper-targeted Boomer shirt industry is easily keeping Meta’s stock price floating. But honestly, the Events tab alone keeps me from deleting the app. No other platform has figured out how to organize a community garage sale or a local band’s dive bar show without making it feel like a corporate calendar invite.

Yes! You try organizing a neighborhood block party on Instagram. What are you gonna do, put the date in a Reel with a trending audio track and hope your neighbors' algorithms serve it to them before the event happens?

 

[orangeparapat]

Yes! You try organizing a neighborhood block party on Instagram. What are you gonna do, put the date in a Reel with a trending audio track and hope your neighbors' algorithms serve it to them before the event happens?

"Hey guys, use this custom audio to RSVP to my nephew’s birthday party!" It just doesn't work. Facebook is built on utility, not clout. That’s why it endures.

 

[Sheilagrace22]

"Hey guys, use this custom audio to RSVP to my nephew’s birthday party!" It just doesn't work. Facebook is built on utility, not clout. That’s why it endures.

Utility is the exact word. It’s like the digital equivalent of a town square or a physical bulletin board at a local diner. Is it pretty? No. Is it full of strange people arguing about roundabouts? Absolutely. But it gets stuff done.

 

[orangeparapat]

Utility is the exact word. It’s like the digital equivalent of a town square or a physical bulletin board at a local diner. Is it pretty? No. Is it full of strange people arguing about roundabouts? Absolutely. But it gets stuff done.

The roundabout arguments are art forms. I watched two retirees debate the physics of merging for 114 comments last Tuesday. Neither changed their mind, but both agreed that the county commissioner should be fired.

 

[Sheilagrace22]

The roundabout arguments are art forms. I watched two retirees debate the physics of merging for 114 comments last Tuesday. Neither changed their mind, but both agreed that the county commissioner should be fired.

That’s peak Facebook right there. Also, let’s talk about Marketplace interactions again, because for every Dave with a truck, there is an interaction that belongs in an art museum. "Is this still available?" followed by immediate ghosting.