Facebook Made A Bad Decision With Messenger 7 Years Ago And Is Finally Reversing Course

Meta is looking at bringing back its messaging capability to its primary Facebook app. The decision comes seven years after the company made the decision to separate the two.

In a recent blog post, Meta insists Facebook is not dying, in fact, it claims it is flourishing with 2 billion daily active users. With that in mind, the company says it is looking at ways to "deliver the best Facebook experience to people using AI and the opportunities we're creating for creators." That includes merging the Messenger app back with the Facebook app, which many felt was a bad decision to separate in the first place.

The company states that it is currently testing the merger of the Messenger and Facebook apps. It added that it plans to expand that testing soon and will also be looking at ways to integrate more features into the messaging experience. This could be vital if Facebook wants to attract more creators to the platform, as many would want an easy way of sharing features such as Reels with their followers. The Reels feature was added last year and provides a way for content creators to earn some money.

Another facet of messaging is community chats, which were added to some Facebook Groups last year as a means of people connecting "more deeply with their online communities in real time around the topics they care about." Meta noted that community chats increased by 50% in December 2022, but did not elaborate on why.

Along with AI, Meta seems to be trying to focus on the creator side of things. It recognizes that creators have a lot of options these days and that Facebook is not always the creator's first choice to share content. However, it still believes Facebook is a vital component for creators who are wanting to extend their reach. The blog post indicates that the company is heavily invested in creating more tools for creators, providing tools that will aid in growth and the ability to manage communities, and ultimately more ways to earn income as a creator on the platform. All of these moves are an effort to make Facebook a stronger contender against other content creation platforms, such as TikTok.

Meta concluded its recent blog post by stating, "As our world-class Meta AI research teams continue to make advancements in AI, particularly generative AI, Facebook—and Meta more broadly—will look to bring this transformative technology to billions of people and allow them to create and share in new ways. Stay tuned."