Technology
Danish Kapoor
Danish Kapoor

Facebook aims to take users out of their social bubbles with new updates

Facebook announced new updates that will make radical changes to the platform and make users’ content experiences more diverse. These updates are aimed at allowing users to not only be limited to content from their circle of friends but to access a wider social ecosystem. The social media giant aims to attract users’ attention with new tabs, personalized content streams and locally focused features.

Facebook is reshaping its platform in parallel with the change in social media habits. Facebook, which has been offering content focused on friends and family for years, now highlights different types of content by offering new ways of discovery that will attract the attention of users. In this regard, the company plans to offer both local and more comprehensive content to users by adding new tabs to the platform.

New tabs and video experience

One of the highlights among the updates is the introduction of the “Local” tab, which will allow users to more easily follow local content around them. This tab brings together the platform’s existing features, such as Marketplace, local groups, and events. In this way, users will be able to see recommended content, shopping opportunities and social events according to their region. This feature has started to be tested in 10 leading cities in the USA, such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Austin. The local tab is part of Facebook’s strategy to highlight local communities.

In addition, another tab called “Discover” is being added to the Facebook platform. Inspired by a similar feature on Instagram, this tab will allow users to find personalized photos, videos and other content based on their interests. According to the company’s statement, this tab will allow users to explore travel recommendations, DIY projects or content from expert communities. With this tab, Facebook aims to enable users to interact with new content creators and communities.

Facebook is also expanding its strategy around video content, introducing a new video tab to rival TikTok’s short video format. The platform’s new video stream will work similar to TikTok’s “Special for You” page. In this tab, users will be able to find short videos, long videos and live broadcast content in a single stream. Emphasizing that video content is increasingly consumed on the platform, Facebook states that it will support the new video stream with a powerful algorithm that will provide personalized recommendations. In this way, it is aimed for especially young users to spend more time on the platform.

New community-focused feature for Messenger

Messenger also gets its share of these updates. The new feature called “Messenger Communities” allows users to create multiple chat rooms under one roof. This feature is designed similar to Slack and Discord platforms. Users will be able to create small groups within larger communities by combining chat rooms dedicated to different topics. For example, in a university group, a separate chat room can be created for announcements and another room for club events. This can be done without having to create a Facebook group. Messenger Communities aims to facilitate interaction, especially among large groups, by enabling users to have more organized and topic-focused conversations.

Over the last few years, the rise of TikTok has changed the types of content social media platforms display to the user. Facebook has also started offering more algorithmic content recommendations to adapt to this trend. It is now becoming more common for users to encounter different types of content that may interest them, rather than just posts from friends and family. Facebook’s new updates also stand out as part of this strategy and aim to provide the platform with a more dynamic social experience.

Danish Kapoor