Facebook’s New Look: Friends, Photos & Marketplace Take Center Stage
▼ Summary
– Meta is revamping its Facebook app to refocus on connecting friends, including design changes and prominently featuring Facebook Marketplace.
– This shift follows reports of Meta scaling back its metaverse investments, as the core Facebook app still reaches billions of users despite aging demographics.
– A key strategy is appealing to younger users (Gen Z), with Facebook Marketplace being a major draw, so it is being moved to the app’s main navigation bar.
– The update introduces several Instagram-like features, such as double-tapping to like photos, an immersive grid layout for search, and streamlined commenting tools.
– Facebook is also updating user profiles to encourage sharing personal interests and giving users more control over whether profile updates are shared to their Feed.
Meta is giving its flagship Facebook app a significant visual and functional overhaul, shifting focus back to core social features and a surprisingly popular marketplace. This redesign prioritizes connections between friends, enhances photo sharing, and finally gives Facebook Marketplace a prominent spot on the main navigation bar. The update signals a strategic pivot towards strengthening the platform’s existing strengths, particularly among younger users who have embraced the app for buying and selling.
The company is moving Marketplace from its previous hiding place in the “More” menu to a central position on the app’s bottom bar. This change directly responds to data showing the feature’s strong traction, especially with Gen Z. Recent reports indicate that over half of U.S. Gen Z Facebook users engage with Marketplace, and it’s used daily by one in four young adults across the U.S. and Canada. Elevating its accessibility is a clear play to boost engagement with this demographic.
Alongside this, the navigation experience is being streamlined. The Profile tab remains, but users gain more customization options. The overall design philosophy mirrors recent Instagram tests, centering the mobile experience around key social actions. A new double-tap to like feature for photos in the Feed, similar to Instagram’s functionality, is being introduced. Photos will also be displayed in a clean, standardized grid that users can expand to full-screen with a simple click.
Search is receiving a major upgrade to become more visual and immersive. Results will appear in a grid layout supporting all content types, and Meta is testing a new full-screen viewer. This allows for seamless exploration of photo and video results without losing your place in the search.
The tools for creating content are becoming simpler and less cluttered. Posting Stories or regular updates will be easier, with more visible options for adding music or tagging friends. Settings for choosing your audience and cross-posting will also be displayed more prominently. The commenting system across Feed, Groups, and Reels is getting refined with streamlined replies, more visible badges, and new pinning tools for users. Expanded controls will help creators and group administrators manage conversations, while a new anonymous flagging option lets anyone report irrelevant or disruptive comments.
Perhaps the most telling shift is Facebook’s attempt to reclaim its original identity as a hub for personal connections. The platform is introducing updated user profiles that encourage sharing detailed interests, hobbies, and travel plans. Users can list their favorite TV shows, music, and travel destinations. While this type of personal data sharing became less common over the years, Meta is adding a social incentive: sharing an interest like baking or a planned trip will proactively connect you with friends who have similar hobbies or can offer recommendations.
Acknowledging past user complaints, Meta is also changing how profile updates are broadcast. Historically, actions like changing a profile picture would generate automatic Feed posts, which many found intrusive. With this update, users will have direct control over whether such updates are shared, giving them more discretion and potentially making the feature more appealing.
These comprehensive changes are expected to influence how content is ranked and displayed in users’ personalized Feeds. The suite of updates, including the new navigation, search, comments, double-tap liking, and content composer redesign, will begin rolling out globally in the coming weeks, with many features exclusive to the mobile app experience.
(Source: TechCrunch)
