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7 years after Facebook famously “unbundled” messaging into a standalone “Messenger” app, the “big blue app” may be reintegrating DMs. The move aims to make it easier for users to connect across all Facebook-owned platforms, providing a more streamlined and cohesive experience.

As detailed in a “Facebook Today and Tomorrow” article from Head of Facebook Tom Alison, and reported in Social Media Today, the change follows the growing trend of users prefering and sharing through private and semi-private social media spaces. Accoriding to Allison’s article, the prevelance of Reels being shared in DMs is a particular motivating factor:

“On Instagram, people already reshare Reels nearly 1 billion times daily through DMs and on Facebook we see private sharing of Reels growing strongly as well.”

— Tom Allison, Head of Facebook

The update is expected to roll out gradually in the coming months, giving users the option to turn off the integrated messaging feature if they prefer to use Messenger or Instagram separately.

Why it Matters

We have discussed the rise of private social media spaces for years, including groups and direct messaging. This change confirms that this trend isn’t likely to go away anytime soon.

If your social media strategy is only following a broadcast model, it’s a good time to look into adding tactics that will take advantage of opportunities provided by Groups and DMs—especially on Meta’s apps.

It’s crucial to ensure you’re providing consistent messaging and experiences across these channels.