Facebook users will soon see more content from strangers

One of the new updates on Facebook, announced by Meta on October 4, is the addition of tabs to show users more content, including suggestions based on their location.

Local will aggregate content from other sections like Marketplace, groups, and events around users. The feature is being tested in 10 US cities.

Facebook is also testing an Instagram-like Explore section that will personalize photos, videos, and other content for users. The company says the section is based on users' interests and will feature content from "real people and a community of experts."

Facebook also added a full-screen video feed, which consolidates video and livestream formats into one place, similar to TikTok’s For You page. Meta said that young users are spending 60% of their time on Facebook watching videos, and pledged to significantly change the algorithm that recommends content in this section.

The Messenger messaging app is also getting an upgrade with Messenger Communities, a feature that's similar to Discord and Slack. It allows users to create multiple chat rooms based on different topics within a large group, so a college class could create multiple chat rooms to broadcast announcements and news.

The rise of TikTok has prompted many social media platforms to reduce the display of content posted by users' family, friends and existing relationships, shifting to content from unfamiliar accounts that the algorithm thinks users might like.

Meta recently announced that it would implement this measure for both Facebook and Instagram, in which the amount of suggested content is increasing.