Facebook becomes associated with young adults with new community, video features

(MENAFN) Facebook, once the go-to social media platform for young adults, has increasingly become associated with parents and grandparents, while younger generations gravitate toward apps like Instagram and TikTok for photo and video sharing. In a bid to regain its relevance among younger users, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is shifting its focus. According to Tom Alison, head of Facebook at Meta, the platform's future will be about helping users broaden their networks and forge new connections, aligning with the ways younger generations utilize the service.

Alison noted that young adults often turn to Facebook during significant life transitions, such as relocating to a new city or becoming parents. For instance, when moving, they utilize the Marketplace feature to furnish their apartments, and when they start families, they join parenting groups. To facilitate these connections, Facebook has announced the testing of two new tabs, Local and Explore, in select cities and markets. The Local tab will provide users with information on nearby events, community groups, and local items for sale, while the Explore tab will offer personalized content recommendations based on user interests.

To attract new users amid fierce competition, particularly from TikTok, which boasts 150 million users in the U.S. and is immensely popular among Gen Z, Facebook is emphasizing its video features. Young adults on the platform spend about 60 percent of their time watching videos, with more than half engaging with Reels daily—a feature that was introduced by Meta as a direct competitor to TikTok. To further enhance the video experience, the company plans to roll out an updated video tab that will curate short-form, live, and longer videos in one central location.

Additionally, Facebook's dating feature, launched in 2019, has seen positive engagement, with a reported 24 percent year-over-year increase in conversations initiated among young adults in the U.S. and Canada. During a recent event in Austin, a small booklet captured the platform's renewed positioning with the provocative title: “Not your mom’s (Facebook).” This tagline reflects Meta's strategy to rebrand and rejuvenate Facebook, aiming to attract a younger audience and redefine its role in users' social lives.

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