Facebook continues to copy TikTok. In order to attract the youngest, the social network is preparing a major overhaul of its news feed.
Meta plans to bring the operation of Facebook closer to that of TikTok. According to an internal memo obtained by The Verge, Facebook app manager Tom Alison has instructed his employees to work towards this.
Concretely, the main flow of the Facebook application will only give more priority to the publications of your friends or pages you follow. The social network will show posts from all over the place, including accounts you don’t know.
This initiative brings Facebook closer to the recommendation system proposed on TikTok. Asked by The Verge, Tom Alison assures that the group’s new objective is to develop “a discovery engine”. Unlike a search engine, this system recommends content to the user to discover.
Messenger will return to the Facebook application
Above all, Facebook intends to rejoin Messenger, his instant messenger, directly in the mobile application of the social network. For the record, Meta split the messaging platform in 2015. To use Messenger, you must absolutely install a separate application on your smartphone.
Concretely, Facebook’s news feed will now consist of Stories ephemera of your loved ones, Reels (those short videos like TikTok or Snapchat) and content recommended by the discovery engine. Unsurprisingly, the Silicon Valley giant will focus on videos, always with a view to getting closer to the competition. The Messenger inbox will be visible at the top right of the app.
The official says that Facebook perceives TikTok as a “competitive threat”. He feels that Meta did not understand quickly enough how the Chinese social network poses a threat for its development. “I think the thing that we probably haven’t fully understood or seen is how social this format could be,” says Tom Alison of how TikTok works.
Meta is applying similar changes to the Instagram app. The social network has gradually mutated to integrate the main features of its rival TikTok. Like Facebook, Instagram now highlights Reels. The application has also been enriched with several TikTok-inspired video creation tools. These include the Sound Sync option which automatically synchronizes clips and songs.
Facebook reacts to the erosion of its user base
By copying TikTok, Facebook seeks to stem the loss of its users. Half a million internet users have indeed deserted the platform in the last three months of 2021. The announcement sent Meta’s stock price plummeting.
This phenomenon, unique in the history of the social network, is notably due to the aging user base. As young people shift from Facebook to Instagram and TikTok, the average age of members has risen dramatically. According to a study conducted by Diplomeo, only 28% of 16-18 year olds still use Facebook.
Source :
The Verge