Meta has a new app on the App Store, and it looks like Reddit.
Called Forum, the app is “a dedicated space created for deeper discussions, real answers, and communities of interest.” App Store page.
In practice, it’s just a standalone app version of Facebook’s existing Groups feature, and Facebook users can join groups and participate in discussions. In the new standalone app, the feed is focused entirely on conversations happening in groups you’re already a part of on your existing Facebook account. The Forum and Facebook are still linked, meaning you can access the Forum with your Facebook login and anything you post there will also appear in your groups in the Facebook app.
Some readers may be getting deja vu, and rightfully so, as this is Meta’s second attempt at launching a standalone Facebook Groups app. The company, then known as Facebook, launched a similar, dedicated app in 2014. stopped In 2017.
Perhaps to spice things up a bit, this time Meta is also adding a dedicated AI assistant to the app. The “Ask” feature in the app will be based on information posted on group pages to respond to users seeking “feedback, advice or recommendations,” Meta said. There is also an additional AI assistant for group admins that will help them with tasks such as content moderation.
Some financial analysts have reviewed the program A direct threat to Redditcausing the company’s stock to drop more than 5% on the day, but the apps have very different existing user bases. Either way, it’s too early to tell if there will be significant user migration from Reddit to the Forum.
This isn’t Meta’s first attempt at creating its own version of an already successful app or feature. The company released a rival app to Twitter Topics In 2023 and debuted the latest MomentsAn Instagram app that aims to replicate the success of Snapchat and BeReal with instant, disappearing photos.
Interestingly, this time Meta released this program with little fanfare. There was no big announcement or press release that we could find. The app only appeared on the App Store and then some eagle eyed users noted that. Which begs the question, could this be the start of the flood of new AI-powered apps that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has promised employees?
Late last month The Wall Street Journal published a piece detailing a company-wide meeting where Zuckerberg spoke Overhaul of Meta AI used to acquit a brutal round of layoffs. According to the report, Zuckerberg noted the efficiencies gained from incorporating artificial intelligence into workflows, and because of this, the company can now “develop more new projects.” According to the report, these new projects include the creation of more applications.
“So Chris (Meta’s Chief Product Officer) and I said, ‘Okay, okay, can we create 50 new apps?’ Yes, probably,” as I was talking about,” Zuckerberg was quoted as saying in the article. “But we should probably start with a few before we try to get to 50 at once.”
