Facebook's Neighborhood will be shutting down this October, as Meta announced Thursday. This section was built to connect with the users' neighbors as they pass on important information and local news through the platform, according to a report by TechCrunch.
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A picture taken on November 20, 2017 shows logos of US online social media and social networking service Facebook. / AFP PHOTO / LOIC VENANCE
Meta stated that the idea of making this section is rooted in the popularity of sharing local content within the platform. However, Facebook realized one year later that this section offers the same features as some of the existing ones, such as Facebook Groups and Pages.
Facebook will now focus on directing users to groups where they can discover their local communities and neighborhoods based on their interests and the location that was given within the platform.
An email from Meta was sent to CNet, and it said, "Our mission was to bring local communities closer together." Meta's Spokesperson Leah Luchetti also thanks the communities who have used and maximized this feature.
This was used in different cities across the United States, which are Charlotte, North Carolina; San Diego, California; Baton Rouge, Louisiana' and Newark, New Jersey. Some of the cities in Canada were also active in using this feature.
Meta's focus right now is its shift to becoming a discovery engine as the company competes with TikTok. This will make the users' news feed full of content from public communities and other creators whom they still do not follow.
Meanwhile, Nextdoor, a platform that was specifically made for communicating with your neighbors, has continued to strive in the market for the past few years. It has the same features and functionalities as Facebook-based Neighborhoods to this.
Plans on Removing Facebook Gaming App
Alongside the discontinuing of Neighborhoods, Facebook might also shut down the Facebook Gaming app this upcoming October, which was launched back in 2018 as gaming communities on different platforms were increasing.
This application provided gamers and users who frequently watch gaming streams to make contents that connect them to one another. Communities were built through this app.
However, the app store was flooded with several complaints as the application ran features that were buggy. Adding to this is the interface and control that were very faulty during usage.
The announcement of the Facebook Gaming Team stated that the application will no longer be available starting October 28, both for iOS and Android. The team also stated, "We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you for everything that you've done to build a thriving community for gamers and fans since the app first launched. This was truly a community-led effort to bring new gaming features to Facebook."
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Written by Inno Flores
