Meta has unveiled a new ‘Friends’ tab on Facebook — rather counterintuitive statement considering what the platform was originally meant to be. The new ‘Friends’ tab is aimed at reviving the platform’s original purpose of connecting people with their personal social circles. CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the development on Thursday, and is a part of the social media company’s effort to bring back what he refers to as “OG Facebook”, or the earlier version of the platform that prioritized direct interactions between friends. The feature is now available in the US and Canada.
“We’re introducing a new Facebook Friends tab that makes it easier to connect with your friends,” the social media company said in an official statement. “Connecting with friends has been a part of Facebook since it launched. Over the years, Facebook evolved to meet changing needs and created best-in-class experiences across Groups, Video, Marketplace and more, but the magic of friends has fallen away. We’ll be adding several “OG” Facebook experiences throughout the year, beginning with the revamped Friends tab,” it added.
Over the past few years, Facebook has mostly steered away from a social network primarily centered on friends and family to a platform where algorithmically recommended content dominates. This has seen the introduction of AI-powered recommendations in users’ feeds, surfacing posts from strangers, trending videos, and content from influencers rather than personal connections. While this approach has helped drive engagement, it has also led to criticism from longtime Facebook users, many of whom have expressed frustration over their feeds being inundated with viral content, advertisements, and recommended posts at the expense of updates from friends. Now, Meta is seemingly going back to its roots.
The Friends tab is not the first attempt by Meta to reintroduce a more personalized user experience. In 2022, Zuckerberg introduced a dedicated “friends” feed, which allowed users to view posts from personal connections in reverse chronological order. However, this feature was not prominently placed in the app, making it difficult for users to access and utilize effectively. It remains to be seen whether Meta can leverage this to retain younger users, especially since many of them have migrated to TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram. Facebook, once the go-to platform for social networking, has seen a decline in engagement from Gen Z users, who often perceive the platform as outdated or too focused on older demographics.
The Friends tab replaces what was previously a section dedicated solely to friend requests and “People You May Know” suggestions. With the latest update, this tab has been transformed into a dedicated feed exclusively featuring content from users’ Facebook friends. Unlike the main feed, which remains heavily influenced by Meta’s content algorithms, this section removes posts from groups, pages, and recommended sources, ensuring that users only see updates from their direct connections.
The content displayed in the Friends tab includes status updates, posts, Stories, Reels, birthday reminders, and friend requests, making it a one-stop destination for friend-related interactions. Additionally, Meta has provided users with the option to pin the Friends tab to their main navigation bar, allowing for quick and easy access. This feature can be customized through Settings & Privacy, then they need to go to Settings and click on the Tab Bar.
