Facebook is also getting into audio. The company announced several products on Monday that emphasize voice content over text, images or video.
The new products will be released in the coming months and in some cases, will start with a limited number of people.
In particular, Facebook is preparing a competitor to the successful social clubhouse application with a feature called Live Audio Rooms, which will be available this summer.
It will first be released to groups and individuals for testing, but will eventually reach Messenger so that all users can hang out with friends. Users will be able to record their conversations and distribute them, and eventually, they will be able to charge for access to these rooms either by subscription or by a one-time fee.
To get users involved, Facebook says it will create an Audio Creator Fund to "support emerging audio creators." All of these conversations can also be turned into "Soundbites", an imminent feature that will allow users to create and share short audio clips along with an algorithmic feed to promote them.
Consider TikTok, but with sound clips.
The Soundbite creation tool will allow users to add effects to their voices.
Soundbites will appear in the wider News Feed. Users will be able to record audio with a separate tool within Facebook, which the company describes as "audio studios in your pocket".
Facebook also plans to play a bigger role in podcasting. The company states that it will start suggesting shows and episodes based on your interests and that you will be able to comment on them or recommend them to friends.
George is still wondering what he is doing here….
