People Tell Us That Messages Matter More Than Ever
Earlier today we introduced the new Messenger. To help inform the new look and feel of the app, we wanted to share some research we conducted on what messaging means to people and how it impacts their daily lives. Understanding how people communicate on apps like Messenger helps us build a better product that can make a difference – and what people told us surprised even us.
Messages Can Change Lives
72 percent of respondents who use messaging apps feel that digital communication is changing for the better, with 30 percent saying that messaging has led them to a life changing moment, from meeting a future spouse to getting a new job 1.
Messaging Creates Connection
62 percent of respondents who have increased their messaging say it makes them feel closer to their friends, with over half revealing that messaging helps them create more authentic relationships 2. Real-time communication through messaging has become a way to let someone know you’re there for them or to make sure you don’t miss a special moment, no matter where in the world you are. We built the new Messenger with this in mind, so conversations are even easier to access and navigate and closer to IRL, so you can focus on being in the moment when sharing the videos and photos that matter.
Messaging Should Make the Complicated Life a Little Bit Easier
Search for the term “life hack” and it’s clear from the results that consumers are always looking for helpful hints to make their busy lifestyles easier. When we asked people what parts of life they wish were simpler, over half said “a top five wish” would be staying connected with friends and family, right up there with cleaning their home and paying their bills 2. Decluttering the home screen of Messenger from nine tabs to three was an important step in ensuring we put the focus back on conversations and making sure Messenger remains the easiest and most stress-free way to communicate. And while we can’t help with all aspects of life, you can use Messenger to simplify paying those bills with in-app peer-to-peer payments, available in the US, France and the UK 😃.
Messages are Better When They’re Custom and Creative
People love personalizing, from custom sneakers to curating the perfect collection of laptop stickers – and it’s no different for messaging. Nearly half of group chats in Messenger are given unique nicknames, which is the most popular way for people to personalize their chats 3. The fun features found in Messenger give you tons of options to make your group and 1:1 chats more personal. Our new color gradients give you multiple options for customizing chat bubbles, bringing your conversations a new texture and personality.
Messenger has always centered around making connections with the people you care about easy and enjoyable. And with the new Messenger, we still want to help you continue to share those messages that matter, whether you’re across the room or in another corner of the world. We hope Messenger continues to be the place you choose for connecting in your daily life and we’ll strive to help make things simpler, better and easier for you to do just that.
1 Facebook-commissioned research by Greenberg Strategy; n=6003, aged 13-65 in US, Canada, France, Germany, UK and Australia. July-August 2018
2Facebook-commissioned research by Kelton Global; n=5,012, aged 18+ in the US, Australia, Canada, France, and the UK. August 2018.
3Methodology – the Messenger data is reflective of January 2018 through October 2018.