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In an internal document obtained by The Verge, Tom Ellison, Meta's CEO in charge of Facebook, outlined two key priorities of the company. The first is that the network recommends users more posts coming from different sides, not just from the profiles and pages they follow.
Recommendations will include Reels of short videos, and the system itself will be reminiscent of the For you section on Tiktok. The idea is to switch the entire homepage system to the so-called Discovery Engine which should recommend new content every time a user enters the app.
Facebook has pioneered technology that teaches user habits and recommends posts from profiles and pages to which the user actually responds. TikTok went a step further and started recommending posts from profiles that users don't follow, a model that has proven to be extremely successful.
In this way, users find new content all the time, and the network appreciates what users like even better. With this move, TikTok also leveled the field for authors and influencers, giving them the opportunity to go viral overnight with a few followers.
When the redesign is complete, the homepage will be a mix of stories and reels at the top, followed by a mix of friend posts and posts recommended by the new Discovery Engine. The company's second priority is to merge Facebook and Messenger into one mobile app.
At the top right, there will only be a message icon that guides the user to messages without leaving the app. The goal is to simplify communication for users and correct the wrong decision to split apps made almost a decade ago.
Tom Ellison told Verge that the company "slowly saw Tiktok's competitive threat" and added that "it has become quite clear that short videos are the most popular format on social networks, and that people want to connect through content.
Meta expands monetization support for Reels
Creators on Instagram and Facebook can now explore new ways to earn money, according to a news release from Meta. In the ongoing battle for creator content, social media platforms are continuing to increase monetization opportunities.
Just this week, TikTok announced they’re exploring an advertising share revenue program with creators, and now Meta has announced they’re updating the Reels Play bonus program and launching a “Challenges” program on Facebook.
“We believe that creators who do the hard work of crafting and promoting original content should be rewarded in distribution, growth and monetization”