Trends in social media are especially volatile, and content that is effective this year may easily become outdated the next. However, this has not (yet) happened with video, a dynamic format that has remained the dominant force on platforms for years and which Facebook intends to further strengthen. To achieve this, Meta’s social network has improved its recommendations algorithm, and incorporated new features for Reels.
Facebook states that the amount of time its users dedicate to watching videos on the platform has increased by 20% year over year in the United States. Interest in this type of content is not waning, so improving the user experience in this regard is essential.
The social network has updated its recommendations engine so that it can learn from users’ interests at a faster rate and display newer, more relevant reels in line with their preferences. Furthermore, Facebook recommendations now show 50% more reels published on the same day, prioritizing the most current content so that users remain up-to-date with the latest developments.
As an additional point, Facebook has highlighted the importance of longer videos: “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.”
If Facebook presents you with a reel that does not align with your interests, you may select the “Not interested” option and the algorithm will take this feedback into account to refine its recommendations further.
In addition, the social network has updated its “Save” function to facilitate users in gathering their favorite reels and posts in one central location. Similar to the previous case, the content you save will provide valuable cues to the recommendation engine.
The next new feature may already seem familiar, as it is already available on Instagram: friend bubbles. These are small circles that appear at the bottom of a reel or post and indicate which of your friends liked that content.
“When you see a reel with a friend bubble in the corner, you can tap that bubble to jump into a private chat with your friends. So far, we’ve seen people enjoy bubbles as a way to discover what their friends are into, catch up over shared interests, and maybe even learn something new,” explains the social network.
Meta’s platform has also sought to take advantage of artificial intelligence to enhance the experience with Reels, and has therefore integrated AI-powered suggested search. Select videos will begin displaying AI-generated suggestions based on your interests, guiding users to a new view in which they may discover content aligned with their search.
Photo: Meta
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