Facebook has announced some new updates to boost Reels engagement, including indicators on posts that your friends have liked, and algorithm improvements, designed to surface newer videos faster.
Which should help Facebook get more people spending more time watching, and with over 3.5 billion Reels shared on Facebook and IG every day, it makes sense for Facebook to double down on the format.
I mean, maybe not so good for users, who spend hours per day scrolling, but good for Facebook, and Meta overall, in capturing attention.
First off, Facebook’s rolling out “friend bubbles” on Reels and feed posts, which will highlight content that your friends have liked.
So now, as you scroll through your feed, you’ll essentially see recommended posts from people you know.
Instagram added the same earlier this year, and if you use IG, this won’t be new. But for Facebook users, you’ll now get additional pointers on what your friends are engaging with. Which also means that if you’re going to like something on Facebook, you need to be aware that your friends and family will also see that you’ve liked it.
Facebook’s also adding TikTok-style topic search links to the bottom of the Reels display, so you can easily find more content on that subject.
As you can see in this example, Facebook will now append AI-recommended topic matches for videos (lie “soup dumpling recipes”) that you can tap on to go straight into a search for that topic.
So the first update is like IG, the second is like TikTok, and if you’re familiar with these other apps, you’ll know what to expect.
Facebook also says that it’s improving its Reels recommendation algorithm, with a focus on highlighting new content.
As per Facebook:
“Facebook continues to be the home for all types of video, and our recommendations will help ensure you see fresher content in the formats you enjoy most, regardless of length. If you prefer longer videos, you’re in luck – reels over a minute make up a quarter of reels produced by creators with over 10,000 followers and over 50% of watch time on Facebook. Our recommendation engine is also now surfacing 50% more reels from creators published that day, so you see the newest content faster.”
Facebook also notes that it’s looking to improve its recommendations engine so that it “understands your interests faster.”
Which sounds like it’s trying to match up to TikTok, and the uncanny ability of TikTok’s algorithm to re-align itself around your preferences as you scroll. Whether it’s as good in practice is another question.
Finally, Facebook’s added a new explicit indicator that will enable users to tell Facebook’s recommendation algorithm that a post or comment is not for them, while it’s also weighing saves more heavily in its ranking:
“You can tap ‘Not Interested’ on a reel or flag a comment that doesn’t fit the spirit of the conversation and the recommendations engine will respond to these signals, making your reels even more personalized. Plus, we’ve made updates to the Save feature to make it simpler to collect your favorite reels and posts in one place. You’ll help Facebook fine-tune your recommendations with each save, resulting in a more tailored experience that we’ve seen lead to increased watch time globally.”
So improved recommendations, faster learning of your preferences, and new ways to influence the algorithm about your interests.
Yeah, this all sounds very much like TikTok, and kind of like Facebook had maybe expected TikTok to be removed from the U.S. So it’s sought to replicate TikTok’s features for the Facebook audience, but then again, a lot of people who use Facebook probably don’t use TikTok anyway, so to them, at least some of these elements are likely new.
In terms of broader impact, the changes reflect Meta’s broader focus on video content, and getting more engagement out of its video uploads. Which, again, is where it’s now seeing most of its growth, and while Facebook does note that it’s trying to keep users connected by showing them Reels that their friends have liked, really, this is more about keeping people in the app for as long as possible, as opposed to any connective benefits.
But given the popularity of Reels, these could be of benefit.
