Facebook to become “video-first” on mobile

Facebook on mobile is apparently going to become a “video-first” experience in the near future. During a third-quarter earnings call with analysts yesterday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg briefly discussed his vision of shifting the Facebook mobile app experience away from the “text box” and on to the camera instead.

“In most social apps today, a text box is still the default way we share,” Zuckerberg said. “Soon, we believe a camera will be the main way that we share.”

According to Zuckerberg, within five years or so, most of online entertainment, and content in general, will come in the form of video, not text or still images. With this vision in mind, the company is now pushing toward a “video-first” future for the mobile Facebook experience.

Zuckerberg also said that his company will eventually prioritize putting video first across its entire family of apps and will take steps to make it “easier for people to express themselves in richer ways.”

The Facebook Messenger app will likely see a UI redesign that will put the camera at the center of the user experience. Zuckerberg envisions something similar to Snapchat’s interface, putting video calls “a swipe away” at any time.

The transition has already begun, as in the last two months Facebook introduced a live streaming feature into its mobile Messenger app, as well as an Instagram Stories-like feature for ephemeral content called Messenger Day.