Does paid-for Facebook and Instagram signal end of free-access orthodoxy?

Creators and influencers on Meta's platforms are an obvious market for verified users' monthly fees

Mark Zuckerberg's social media empire is built on billions of users - and the advertisers who pay vast sums to grab their attention.

But that business model is under pressure on several fronts. It is against this backdrop that Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, said on Sunday it is trialling subscriptions for both social media platforms.