Sweeping changes remake Facebook app in TikTok's image – Axios

Meta announced major changes Thursday to the Facebook app that will transform its experience into a more TikTok-like selection of algorithmically chosen videos — and shunt off content posted by family, friends and groups into a separate side feed.Why it matters: The move shifts Facebook further from a social network and toward an entertainment and shopping platform like TikTok, which has increasingly challenged Facebook’s dominance in user engagement and mobile advertising.Be smart: The shift is happening in part due to regulatory pressure on social media networks to prioritize data privacy and to take more responsibility for misinformation on their platforms, a source told Axios. Policymakers have already introduced a bill that would require tech firms to let users opt out of having algorithms recommend their content to them.The company noted in a statement that the changes are meant to give users more control over what they see and discover on the app.Facebook feed updatesDetails: Beginning Thursday, Facebook’s main Home screen will begin to look and feel a lot more like TikTok. The feed will include a vertical display of public posts — mostly video — that are suggested to a user algorithmically based on the type of content Facebook thinks…
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