Facebook Announces ‘Significant Changes’ to Increase Number of Gen Z Users
By Movieguide® Contributor
Facebook is hoping to lure younger users back to the social media platform with new features, including improved AI and opportunities for influencers.
“Facebook is still for everyone, but in order to build for the next generation of social media consumers, we’ve made significant changes with young adults in mind,” Tom Alison, head of Facebook, wrote in a post for Meta’s blog.
The first of these changes is expanding the capabilities of its AI.
“We upgraded our Reels and Feed ranking technologies to more effectively deliver recommendations,” Alison wrote. “We invented a new model architecture – that can learn from large datasets very efficiently — and it drove significant improvements in our pilot with Facebook Reels. Over the next year or so, this advanced recommendations technology will power more products, including our entire video ecosystem, and our Feed recommendations.”
Facebook also improved components of their videos, making it easier for users to send videos to others on the platform.
Alison said they have also made it “easier for anyone to become a creator and earn money on Facebook.”
“We introduced a simplified product called Professional Mode designed for people who want to post publicly and grow a following, and it’s grown to over 100 million daily active users in 18 months,” he explained.
Alison previously spoke about these changes at an event in New York, telling attendees, “We’re still for everyone, but we also recognize that in order to stay relevant, we have to build for…Gen Z.”
Facebook and Meta have an uphill battle when it comes to increasing Gen Z’s attendance on the social media platform.
According to a 2023 Pew Research study, just 33% of teens use Facebook.
Facebook isn’t the only social media platform Gen Zers are turning away from. Movieguide® previously reported:
According to a handful of recent surveys, Gen Z is turning their back on major social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
A Fall 2021 survey conducted by investment bank Piper Sandler revealed that only 22% of those surveyed—between the ages of 7 and 22—named Instagram their favorite app.
In Spring 2020, that same number was up at 31%.
More and more young users are ditching social media as its negative effect on mental health becomes more evident.
A recent Tallo survey found that 56% of Gen Zers said “social media has led them to feel left out by their peers.”
The survey also noted that younger generations are more interested in TikTok. However, even as the most popular video-sharing app on the market, users are starting to question the benefits of addicting platforms.
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