Meta says Facebook is testing a way for users to create up to five profiles linked to one account and that switching between profiles will require only two taps
Meta had already made multi-account switching available on Instagram through its five-account switching feature and had tested Facebook account switching on desktop in 2017. The Facebook test moves that convenience into multiple profiles tied to a single account.
Facebook users in the test can maintain up to five linked profiles and move among them in two taps rather than treating each profile as a separate login.
Meta gains a way to accommodate multiple Facebook presences under one account, extending a switching pattern it had already deployed on Instagram.
Second-order effects
Facebook’s profile model becomes closer to Meta’s existing Instagram account-switching experience, increasing pressure to make identity-management flows consistent across the two services.
A linked-profile system concentrates profile management in Facebook’s account layer, making the later cross-service account-management interface more consequential for users with multiple presences.
Third-order effects
If Meta continues joining profile creation and switching to a common account layer, its products may increasingly treat one login as a container for several audience-specific identities rather than one public presence.
The later rollout of extra Facebook profiles indicates that lightweight profile switching became an enduring product direction, though the related coverage notes not all features were available across profiles.
The trend: Meta is reducing the login and switching friction that separates multiple social identities, first within Facebook and then across its account-management surfaces.
Curious how/if this will interact with the increasing need for KYC... i.e. if you use Facebook Connect to sign in elsewhere, can you choose which profile you assert? https://twitter.com/...
@kurtwagner8
Kurt Wagner on x
New: Facebook will start letting some users have up to 5 separate profiles all tied to one master account. Imagine a separate profile for friends, another for work, another for your gardening club, etc. Just a test for now.
@missanabeem
Annalisa Merelli on x
I know nothing about social media startups, and even I can tell this plan means they are desperate https://twitter.com/...
@thatchristinag
Christina Garnett on x
Users: Can you fix the ad platform and make sure I see more content from my friends? Product: You want more accounts? https://twitter.com/...
@corinne_podger
Corinne Podger on x
I can see many folks welcoming the opportunity to have a work & personal account (rather than a moribund Page that gets little / no traffic) but this does sound like it'll make whack-a-mole fact-checking even harder. https://twitter.com/...
@joelfeder
Joel Feder on x
Yeah, because this won't compound any issues. https://twitter.com/...
@newsynick
Nick Turner on x
Facebook will let people have as many as FIVE profiles as part of a new test https://www.bloomberg.com/... via @KurtWagner8
@thejenweg
@thejenweg on x
What @facebook NEEDS is the ability to separate “work” as a social manager for brands from personal profiles. I hated tying my personal account to a company I worked for. This stuff...just fluff. https://twitter.com/...
@wongmjane
Jane Manchun Wong on x
@KurtWagner8 Good for my stalkers I guess :(
@thegarance
Garance Franke-Ruta on x
Exponential new opportunities for harassment and disinfo. https://twitter.com/...
@karissabe
Karissa Bell on x
“each one won't need to include a person's real name or identity.” This would be a major reversal of Facebook's longstanding (and controversial!) “real name” policy that Mark Zuckerberg spent years defending https://www.bloomberg.com/...
What do you do when Twitter is being questioned about bot numbers, and you've been throwing out crazy user numbers for years? You make sure users can make more & more accounts -somone's going to be asking questions soon... 🙄 https://twitter.com/...
@news_by_nick
Nicholas Brown on x
(Bloomberg) - Meta Platforms Inc. will start letting more users create multiple profiles with their Facebook accounts, the company's latest attempt to encourage posting and sharing on its social network. (via @business) $META https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@aerocles
David J Teicher on x
People barely want the one account they already have... https://twitter.com/...
@kenwheaton
Ken Wheaton on x
Facebook just “invented” Google+ cc @simondumenco https://twitter.com/...
@noahmallin
@noahmallin on x
Already the case on Instagram. https://twitter.com/...
@wonky_donky
Chris Owen on x
Or imagine centralising five different trolling accounts https://twitter.com/...
@scottnover
Scott Nover on x
I already have one more Facebook account than I need. https://twitter.com/...
@andst7
Andrea Stroppa on x
The same strategy as Twitter. As growth slows and people go on TikTok, $TWTR and $META try to exploit the industry's lack of rules and standards. Create your own rules and win the game. It is worrisome...but..but... Media: OMG Elon posted a meme and an emoji!!! https://twitter.co…
@bullyesq
@bullyesq on x
Wells Fargo like “what the heck?!” https://twitter.com/...
@zerohedge
@zerohedge on x
*META TO START LETTING FACEBOOK USERS HAVE UP TO FIVE PROFILES Musk to fake buy Facebook next?
@deitaone
@deitaone on x
*META TO START LETTING FACEBOOK USERS HAVE UP TO FIVE PROFILES $META