Worries Grow That Facebook Is Overdoing It With Ads

All Web companies strive for an appropriate balance of advertising and content. In Facebook’s case, the mix is closely watched because of its users’ early aversion to marketing.

However, Facebook is now as much a marketing machine as it is a social destination. “There used to be some reservation about too many ads, and now there are none,” said an ad exchange exec, who added that users could start to tune out ads, rendering them less effective.

A number of ad industry executives expressed similar sentiments—that Facebook may be nearing an ad threshold, threatening engagement—but declined to go on the record for fear of ruffling Facebook’s feathers.