All three of Facebook’s owned apps – Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp – stopped working just before 5pm yesterday, leaving the people of Salford with mixed opinions.

Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp could not be accessed through desktop or smartphone apps creating issues for people all around the world. Other related apps such as Messenger and Workplace had also stopped working.

Many people were able to access some of their Facebook widgets, but some were unable to access the app at all. Users were met with ‘try again’ a window saying to reload, or to check their connection.

These problems continuing for hours indicated that there is an issue with the technology underpinning Facebook’s services.

A variety of jokes and memes have flooded Twitter and Reddit.

FacebookDown tweeted: “It’s not you it’s me” – Facebook, letting users know that it was not just their internet that is down.

@BearGrylls recorded a funny skit and posted onto Twitter to lift spirits due to public panic of the three apps being down with the hashtag #facebookdown and #instagramdown, which is trending on Twitter.

However some users were explaining the importance of how much teenagers and young people rely on social media to function, and that maybe, having downtime isn’t a bad thing.

Marie Murphy said: “I quite enjoyed it. I spend enough time on it is. I watched a movie instead and I felt better for it.”

Anna Thompson said: ” It was frustrating but only for five hours.

“I thought it was my Wi-Fi, so I rebooted everything. But then, once I realised it was everywhere, I just turned it all off and watched TV. I’m so glad it came back on this morning as my man is overseas and it’s the only way we can speak- panic over! It shows how much we all rely on Internet and how lonely many of us are since Covid hit us.”

Facebook and Instagram began working for users again around 11pm, while WhatsApp was still down.

At the time of publication, all apps now seem to be up and running again as normal.

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