evidence: Why social media companies picked a very tricky time to start charging users Facebook and Instagram are the latest to start charging users for features that used to be free, as consumers’ budgets are being squeezed from all directions. [...] But now, Meta, parent of Facebook and Instagram, is the latest to try to change that dynamic. With its gargantuan ad business slipping lately, Meta has announced it will test a subscription service, charging $11.99 a month (or nearly $24 for both platforms) for access to certain advanced features and customer support, a verified-identity digital badge, and "extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you," as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg put it. This, of course, follows Elon Musk rolling out a paid version of its familiar verification checkmarks as part of the $8-a-month Twitter Blue service.