In an effort to revive user growth, Facebook is testing a feature that allows users to create several accounts from a single account.
According to Leonard Lam, a representative for Facebook (FB), the function aims to “tailor their experience based on interests and relationships.”
The feature would allow users to create up to five profiles under their account to interact with other themes or groups of people, even though Facebook restricts users from having more than one account. This could involve creating profiles (and corresponding Facebook feeds) for connecting with close friends as opposed to colleagues, or creating a profile just for a pastime like gaming. The new feature test was initially reported by Bloomberg on Thursday.
The test comes as TikTok and other rivals are fiercely competing for users’ time and attention, and Facebook parent firm Meta (FB) is seeing slowing profit growth. Investors were stunned by Meta’s uncommon quarterly user growth stopping report in February, whose trend somewhat improved in the first three months of this year.
The transition from a social media firm to one focused on a “metaverse” powered by augmented and virtual reality is now underway at Meta. But in order to finance investments into that vision, it must continue to reap money from its current platforms. By, for instance, displaying Instagram Reels in the Facebook feed, the business has recently been working to further connect Facebook and Instagram, making it simpler for users to discover content and engage with communities across both platforms.
According to Lam, users of the new multiple-profile functionality would have the option to give each profile a different name, but they will still be bound by Facebook’s rules against misrepresentation and impersonating famous persons. The platform still requires users to use their regular name in their main profiles. There will also be some Facebook features that will only be accessible through users’ primary profiles, like Facebook Dating and the capacity to build a page.
A user’s entire account may be suspended if they violate the community rules of the platform even in one profile.
“Anyone who uses Facebook must continue to follow our rules,” Lam said.
According to Lam, the business is testing the new service with consumers in a few different nations, though he did not say when or in which countries it would be generally accessible.