Meta Revamps Facebook to Attract Gen Z with New Features and Trends

Meta is working to make Facebook more attractive to Gen Z users, aiming to expand its audience. Tom Alison, Facebook's head, is promoting the platform as a space for young adults aged 18 to 29 to connect, shop, and follow trends.

"To stay relevant, we must create for the next generation of social media users... Gen Z," Alison said at an event in New York City. "Our product plans are focused on the needs of young adults."

Despite its 20-year history, Facebook, which played a crucial role in building Meta into a tech giant, isn’t as popular with teens compared to Instagram, its sister app. A recent Piper Sandler survey reveals that only 32% of teens use Facebook monthly, while 80% use Instagram and 72% use TikTok.

However, Alison believes Facebook is well-suited for users in their late teens and twenties experiencing major life changes.

"Our research shows that when young people move into their first apartments, they use [Facebook] Marketplace. They also join groups at their new colleges to meet people," Alison said.

"We discovered that a lot of this activity is already happening on Facebook. We just need to make it more cohesive."

To draw in more creators, Facebook has been enhancing its platform, particularly its short-form video feature, Reels, and its search capabilities.

This approach appears to be successful. According to Alison, Facebook has seen growth among young adults in the US for several quarters. Moreover, users spend 60% of their time on Facebook watching videos.

In Q2 2022, Facebook experienced a slight decline, with monthly active users dropping from 2.936 billion to 2.934 billion. This led to predictions of a downward trend. However, the platform has grown each quarter from Q3 2022 to Q4 2023. The latest report did not include monthly active user numbers.

Alison’s team initially worried that the updates might drive away older users who have been with Facebook for a long time.

However, these users and Millennials who joined when Facebook launched in 2004 have embraced the new features.

"Facebook has lasting power because we are always willing to change," Alison said.

Meta’s ongoing efforts demonstrate a strategic shift to keep Facebook relevant for younger generations while continuing to serve its broad and diverse user base.

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