• by Colin Kirkland , 4 hours ago

Although it is the most-used social media platform in the world, touting 3 billion users globally, usage has remained somewhat flat in key markets like the United States, and the American teens' engagement in the app has plummeted over the past decade, according to Pew Research Center.

With Meta's investment priorities changing -- having recently planned to cut 30% of its metaverse Reality Labs budget -- the company is undergoing its largest app revamp in years, attempting to “help cut through the clutter” and make the app easier to use, according to a Meta blog post.

First, Meta is working on revitalizing Facebook for younger audiences via major updates to the platform’s home feed.

Marketplace -- used by one in four young adult daily active Facebook users across North America -- will soon be moved from the “More” option and placed “front-and-center” in the tab bar alongside the Reels, Friends, and Profile hubs, making it more accessible upon opening the app.

Taking notes from the Instagram interface, Facebook's home feed will soon arrange user-posted photos in a standardized grid, allowing users to like each photo by double-tapping the image. Photos will also appear full-screen when clicked.

Search results on the home feed will now show content in a grid layout as well.

Meta's announcement says the company is also testing a full-screen viewer that invites users to explore photo and video results without losing their place in search.

The company also writes that it will allow users to leave feedback on what Facebook content they do not want to see on their feeds, while planning to introduce new ways users can personalize and customize their feeds in the coming months.

Through revamped user profiles, Meta is allowing users to select which profile updates -- such as profile and background photo changes -- they wish to be included (and not included) in their feed.

The profile revamp also includes algorithmic updates that reflect the original goal of Facebook: making friends. Meta writes that Facebook will help users discover friends who share the same passions and interests, while giving users the opportunity to enter more personal information into their profiles, including where they work, live and what shows they watch. 

Finally, Meta wants to make it easier for Facebook creators to make and share content, showcasing the most popular tools, such as adding music and tagging friends to Stories and feed posts. Audience and cross-posting settings will also be prominently displayed in the Facebook content composer.

These changes come after Meta’s fourth-quarter earnings call last January, when Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg first hinted at making Facebook feel like it did “back in the day” by becoming “way more culturally influential than it is today.”