This was the "feature phone" solution. It was a stripped-down, XHTML-based portal designed for flip phones, BlackBerrys, and early touchscreen devices. It had no JavaScript bloat, no auto-playing videos, and no infinite scroll. It was, in essence, a text-based social network.
This is "dark pattern" design. By making the mobile web just good enough to function, but not good enough to enjoy, Facebook gently nudges you toward the installation of the native app. For years, tech pundits have predicted the death of the mobile web. "Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) will replace it," they said. "AMP will kill it," they said. Neither happened. https m facebook com
However, there is a dark pattern here. If you log into m.facebook.com on a shared public computer at a hostel or library, you are gambling. The "Keep me logged in" checkbox is a siren song. Because the mobile web version lacks the biometric authentication (FaceID/Fingerprint) of the native app, a forgotten session on m.facebook.com is a backdoor into your digital identity. User experience designers often cringe at m.facebook.com . The buttons are too small. The chat window doesn't float. To send a message, you usually have to navigate away from your feed. This was the "feature phone" solution
Facebook, the company, wants you to use the native app. The native app allows for more tracking (background location, contact uploads, app usage monitoring). The mobile web is a walled garden that Facebook cannot fully control. It was, in essence, a text-based social network