F8 2018: All changes coming in 2018
F8 2018 Conference means changes, innovations and fresh food for thought for every digital mind out there! Despite the unpleasant events that took place over the past few months with Facebook’s platform and the impact it received with the scandal that broke out with the leak of Cambridge Analytica and how it manages user data, the show had to go on!
At a seemingly strange moment, Mark Zuckerberg convened the established F8 Conference with only purpose to keep developers, enterpreneurs and marketers excited by announcing new features that only aim to keep the world on his platform with the forefront and to keep it an integral and indispensable part of everyday life.
What is the F8 Conference?
The F8 is a conference organized by Facebook and is aimed primarily at businessmen who use this platform to promote their products and services. This conference focuses on very specific issues and is also used as a podium from which new features and changes are being announced for Facebook. The F8 Conference took place for the first time in 2007, but from 2014 until now, it takes place steadily every year, bringing every time more and more surprises with it.
F8 Conferences over the years
Quickly freshening our memory, we remember last year’s most important feature of 2017, which is no other than the importance that Facebook would give to Augmented Reality. AR was meant to connect us even more with family, with friends and perhaps even with brands. Facebook continues to surprise us at the annual F8 Conference, with announcements and new features that bring the user in the spotlight.
From Instant Articles, which offer the users a load of their favorite articles at 1/10 of the time, to AR investmens, every year they are expected with icreasing interest. All the impressive camera features added by Facebook, were the first act of the plan to integrate the Augmented Reality into social media. AR is essentially the Next Big Thing for 2018, with more and more businesses investing in it.
Changes due to… Cambridge Analytica and GDPR
As Mark Zuckerberg himself had announced that there will be changes to personal data collection, we are now practically seeing it happen. The ‘’Clear History’’ was officially announced at the F8 2018. This feature will allow us to see websites and apps that send information to Facebook when we use them. We will be able to delete this information from our account and disable the ability to store this personal data associated with our account. So basically the ball is in our hands for whether and what we will allow to leave exposed by our personal data.
Sharing to Stories
Stories are very popular in social networks and that’s why in the F8 Conference, some changes were announced with only aim to further improve user experience, making it faster, easier and even more creative. Now you can share stories directly, for example, stickers with the song you are currently listening to Spotify, up to action shots from your GoPro camera while you are downhill or ripping the waves.
In general, the purpose is to be able to share your stories directly from other applications and make the user experience even more attractive.
Crisis Response
Last year, Crisis Response was announced, a Facebook Center where people can be informed about recent crises and have access to Safety Check, Community Help and fundraisers. The aim was to find new ways to help people and to support each other during a crisis.
The new feature that comes to add, is that all this help can be done in real time with photos and videos such as road closure or an accident.
Instagram: Incoming new and impressive changes
Following the news on the gradual global rollout of Shopping on Instagram in April, even more innovative and impressive changes are coming to the favorite social platform of 40 and under as announced on the F8 2018. Features that will enhance user experience, while creating room for enlargement and in the promotional part for businesses that want to be one step ahead of the competition.
AR camera effects for Instagram
In last year’s F8 as mentioned before, the addition of AR was announced. Now we see it apply not only on Facebook but also on Instagram. Using AR Studio, users will be able to design unique and interactive moments with their camera.
Video Chat
One of the most anticipated features for Instagram, was officially announced. Users can now use real time video chat! Video Chat will be available at Instagram Direct and will enhance conversations one by one and group chats. Of course, this is no accident at all, as Instagram is moving to the already successful footsteps of Facebook and Insta Chatting ads will be here soon.
Changes are coming also to Messenger
Of course it could not be unaffected, the constantly evolving Messenger, but it also gains some very interesting changes.
AR and Messenger
As announced in the F8 2018, it is now possible for brands to incorporate AR camera effects into user experience via Messenger. This feature will start in a trial version (beta) and is destined to help users get instant and valuable shopping information and many more. This will allow brands to experiment, play with their audiences and create interesting and attractive content that will lead to sales and other goals.
M Translations
It was also announced that buyers and sellers on the Facebook Marketplace, the part of Facebook where stuff can be bought and sold locally, will now be able to communicate with each other with proposed automatic translations of messages. Essentially when users who connect Marketplace will be connected via Messenger, then M Translator will ask the user if he wants to translate the message. This is currently available in Marketplace discussions in the USA, with the aim of extending it to other countries on a gradual basis.
Summary
Great and interesting changes are coming in the next period and these are definitely a very small percentage of what will happen in the future. Changes to more transparent data collection, feature additions to Facebook and Instagram, more intense Messenger and Marketplace exploitation, all having in common the aim to optimize user experience and keep him on the platform, turning it into a necessary part of everyday life.
