As TikTok increases in popularity, other social platforms have looked to their model and are updating their platforms in a similar way. This is a change we have seen with Instagram in recent weeks, and Facebook is beginning to adopt the same standard.
What this means is Facebook is becoming less of a platform for social connection, and more of a platform for entertainment. Facebook is hoping that with this change they will see an increase in user engagement, given they have observed a massive usage decrease as TikTok is increasingly the go-to app.
Additionally, Facebook is making these changes in an enhanced effort to protect user privacy. Facebook is the leader in social connection across all platforms and, as such, acquired tons of data on each individual user, which has now become a liability. Sara Fischer, author of Axios Media Trends, shared how “that shift will help Facebook lean more heavily into shopping and intent-based search advertising, which is less vulnerable to privacy regulation.”
“The shift is happening in part due to regulatory pressure on social media networks to prioritize data privacy and take more responsibility for misinformation on their platforms, a source told Axios.”
As Facebook rolls out these updates, users will soon experience changes to their app paving the way for a new layout and structure. The mobile app changes are happening now, with changes being implemented on web browsers before the end of the year.
What this means for you as a Facebook user is that Facebook is proactively taking steps to protect the privacy of its users in order to be a safer and more secure platform. It is also reshaping the face of Facebook to be something that is more entertainment based – something social users have indicated they are looking for. Your posts from friends and family, as well as pages you follow or groups you are apart of, will still be available, but they will be in a new location. When you open the app, you will see a thread of videos that are available to the public, and you will have to toggle to a different tab to see what your friends are posting.
As social media platforms evolve, the need for increased privacy is pertinent, and Facebook is taking steps to do both.
So why is LT.digital sharing all of this info with you? Simple, we’re here to be a digital resource for you. As platforms continue to change we work to stay on top of those trends in order to keep you informed and focused on building your business through digital platforms.
Article source; https://www.axios.com/2022/07/21/facebook-tiktok-feed-changes
