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.