Facebook has done it again!

The social media website has now merged various messaging platforms. So now, Messenger and Instagram can be used to message one another, app to app! Apart from this, Instagram is also getting a huge overhaul of its DM feature; various features from Messenger will be added.

The new tools added to the DM system of Instagram include vanishing messages, selfie stickers, customer emoji, new ways to block, chat colors, and Watch Together option that allows users to watch videos with friends.

It’s also up to the users to reject and accept the updates, but Facebook seems optimistic. Another interesting update is that users can search profiles on both Instagram and Messenger apps simultaneously.

We’re not exactly sure when the update will be confirmed but CNN has revealed that it is currently being tested on select markets; after a few months, it will be available for everyone. Facebook also hasn't confirmed when the integration of Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp will take place.

This plan of integration was outlined by CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2019 as he aspires to create a social media empire that focuses on private communication.

To explain his vision he said: “private messaging, ephemeral stories and small groups are by far the fastest-growing areas of online communication.”

The aim is to capture the interest of a larger market. By combining the users of the various integrating apps, Facebook can manage to generate a 1 billion market.

It’s essential to realize that combining all these apps will be a huge infrastructure challenge and the biggest hurdle will be in the form of regulators, as they fear that one day Facebook will take over mobile messaging.

Many people have not taken this integration lightly. They fear that the forced integration contributes to social media monopoly, as a result of which, most users are unable to switch to other viable competitors. The opposition has interestingly come from Facebook’s Co-Founder Chris Hughes and US Presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Currently, Facebook has a lot on its hands– it’s battling anti-trust investigations in both EU and US for which Zuckerberg also testified before the FTC. Let’s see whether or not these integration efforts will churn out fruitful results.