Meta is trying to make Facebook a little bit easier by making things a little easier

Somewhere along with its constant quest to increase engagement, meta realized that giving Facebook users more of what they want can make them stick around more. The company announced a number of updates designed to help improve the feed and overall Facebook experience by making it easier to find, create and share interesting content. (Because basically showing updates from your friends via an AD ad or a Meme is probably too complicated.)

It’s made easier to concentrate more of these variables. First, the Facebook feed will be more optimized. Whenever you post multiple photos, Facebook will arrange them in a regular grid. If you click on any feed, you will be able to see it in full screen view. And there’s a very welcome change to what you’ll be able to double-tap to like an image. Just be aware that when swiping through pictures of your ex or crush.

Search results now “Show more content with an immersive grid layout that supports all content types,” according to Meta. The company is testing a new full-screen viewer for Facebook that “allows you to explore different image and video results without losing your place in the search,” which it plans to expand to “more content in the coming months.”

In addition, the company says you’ll be able to provide feedback via a Facebook post or reel to help make future recommendations more relevant. More ways to “shape your ways” and give feedback on what algorithms serve are coming soon.

The Facebook feed sucks, and it’s good that the meta knows it sucks. There have been many times over the past few years where I’ve just looked at an infinite number of posts from pages and creators I’ve never heard of before seeing something from a friend. The glut of spam and ai slop doesn’t help (things are worse for creators who used to deal with pirated content).

There was a spell of a few months last year when, I would open Facebook, I would see an AI-generated image of an AI ‘small house,’ which is said to be a fried place where there is not much of anything (three TVs in the living room with chattering signs of AI grew). I always provide an answer that I do not want to see any post on that page again. But the next day there will be another rotten image of a “small house” from a different page in my administration.

Here’s hoping that Meta will take the feedback related to the recommendations on the Board and act on it. If the company does, it may actually be willing to poke around to get through it again.

Elsewhere, Facebook will put the most used features of the tab – such as reels, friends, market and profile – in front and inside the tab bar for easy and quick access. Meta also promises a refreshing look for the menu and “cleaning” tab notifications.

Facebook makes it easy to access popular news and feed creation tools like Music and Friend Making by giving them prominent placement. Advanced options like text background colors will be an extra tap or two away. The post creator and story creator include audience and Cross-Post settings prominently, so you can control who can see what you share. Meta has revamped how comments work across feeds, groups and reels and made things more organized and easy to follow.

On top of all that, when you make a change to your profile, you can start seeing suggestions of friends with shared interests. Meta suggested, “If you update your profile to show you’re into sourdough baking or planning a trip to Nashville, Facebook will show you friends who can offer sourdough starter tips or offer suggestions for the best local spots.” As always, however, you can decide who sees what on your profile or simply choose to share this personal information with Facebook at all, especially if you feel that the meta already knows too much about you.