facebook.com
What facebook.com is today
facebook.com is the main website for Facebook, the social network owned by Meta. It’s still built around the same core idea: you have an account, you add friends, and you see a mix of updates from people you know plus content Facebook recommends. But the product has shifted a lot in the last few years. Video (especially Reels), Groups, and Marketplace sit much closer to the center than they used to, and Meta keeps adjusting the app to make those areas easier to reach.
If you haven’t used Facebook in a while, the biggest change is that the “feed” is less about chronological updates from friends and more about discovery. That’s intentional. Meta has been improving the way you find content through Feed and search, and also simplifying navigation so things like profiles, photos, and Marketplace don’t feel buried.
The main parts most people actually use
Feed + Reels. Reels is Meta’s short-form video format that runs across Facebook and Instagram. It’s not a side feature anymore; it’s one of the biggest engagement and revenue drivers. The Wall Street Journal reported Meta saying Reels reached a $50B annual revenue run rate, which tells you how strategic it is inside the company.
Friends and sharing. Facebook still does well at lightweight “keep up with people” stuff: life updates, photos, events, community posts. Meta has been explicitly trying to make it easier to update your profile and share photos and videos without extra friction.
Groups. Groups are where a lot of Facebook’s value sits now: neighborhood info, hobby communities, school parents, local buy/sell, niche professional groups. It’s also where moderation and spam can be a pain, because high-activity groups attract low-effort scams and engagement bait.
Marketplace. Marketplace is one of Facebook’s stickiest features, especially for younger users in some regions. Meta has been pushing it harder and recently announced new Marketplace features like “collections” (shared lists of saved items) and testing AI-driven prompts and insights to help buyers ask better questions and evaluate listings.
Privacy controls that matter in real life
Facebook’s privacy story is basically: there are a lot of controls, but you have to actually use them. The good news is Meta has consolidated more settings into clearer hubs like the Privacy Center and “Your information” areas. Facebook’s Help Center points people to tools like Activity Log, “Access your information,” and export options, which are useful if you want to audit what you’ve shared over the years.
One setting worth knowing about even if you don’t want to become a settings expert is Off-Facebook Activity. This is the feature that lets you review and manage data Facebook receives from other apps and websites that use Meta tools (like Meta Pixel). You can see the activity, clear it from your account, and manage future activity controls through Accounts Center flows.
If you use Facebook mostly through your phone, the path to these controls changes sometimes, but the concept stays stable: you’re trying to limit what gets tied back to your profile and what gets used for ad targeting and personalization.
Rules, enforcement, and why creators care
Facebook’s content rules are governed by Meta’s Community Standards, published in the Transparency Center. These standards apply across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Threads, and they outline what gets removed and what gets limited in reach.
What’s tricky is enforcement isn’t just about obvious illegal content. It’s also about nudity, harassment, hateful conduct, misinformation policies, scams, impersonation, and a bunch of edge cases. Meta has said it’s been working on reducing enforcement errors, and published updates tied to its enforcement reporting.
If you’re a creator or you run a page for an organization, this matters because a mistaken takedown can break momentum fast. The practical advice is boring but helpful: keep backups of key assets, avoid risky impersonation-adjacent branding, and make sure admins/moderators are not all on one account.
Scams and ad safety: the part people don’t want to think about
Facebook is huge, which makes it a target-rich environment for scams: fake Marketplace listings, hacked accounts, scam ads, impersonation pages, and shady “support” accounts in comments. This isn’t just user-to-user; advertising can be involved too.
A Reuters investigation published December 31, 2025 described internal Meta efforts to manage regulatory pressure about scam ads, including tactics aimed at reducing visible scam volume in ways that looked good to regulators, while resisting broader advertiser verification that could be costly.
That reporting doesn’t mean every ad is unsafe. It does mean you should treat Facebook the way you treat email: assume someone is trying something. For everyday use, the habits that help most are simple:
- Turn on stronger login protection (2FA) and keep recovery options updated.
- Don’t move Marketplace chats off-platform early unless you trust the person.
- Be cautious with “too good” deals, urgent payment requests, or links in comments.
- If you manage a page, lock down admin roles and use trusted devices.
Facebook for businesses and developers
For businesses, Facebook is still one of the most efficient ways to reach targeted audiences at scale, especially when it’s paired with Instagram. Meta’s own tooling emphasizes central management of presence and ads through Meta Business Suite.
For developers, the big picture is the same: Facebook is also a platform, not just an app. Meta for Developers provides APIs, login integrations, and marketing tools used by apps and websites.
If you’re building something that touches Facebook data, expect more scrutiny around permissions and compliance than a decade ago. That’s partly user pressure, partly regulators, and partly because abuse of integrations has real consequences now.
What to watch in 2026 if you use Facebook a lot
A few trends are pretty clear from recent product and news updates:
- More emphasis on Marketplace and local utility. Meta keeps shipping Marketplace improvements and moving it into more prominent navigation.
- Video discovery keeps growing. Reels is a core business line, so recommendation and creator tooling will keep getting investment.
- Ongoing pressure around safety and scams. Regulators and journalists are paying close attention, and that pressure tends to produce product changes, even if unevenly.
- Policy enforcement remains a moving target. The rules are published, but how they’re applied can still surprise people, so it’s worth knowing where the official standards live.
Key takeaways
- facebook.com is no longer just “friends’ updates”; it’s a mix of social connection plus discovery, with Reels, Marketplace, and Groups doing a lot of the work.
- Marketplace is being upgraded with collaborative features and AI assistance, which signals Meta wants it to be a daily habit, not an occasional tab.
- Privacy control is real but opt-in: tools like Off-Facebook Activity exist, but you have to use them intentionally.
- Community Standards and enforcement affect everyone, especially pages and creators, and the official reference point is Meta’s Transparency Center.
- Scams are a persistent issue on large platforms, including through ads, so account security and transaction caution aren’t optional anymore.
FAQ
Is facebook.com different from the Facebook mobile app?
Same account and same network. The web version can feel simpler for some tasks (like long posts, settings review, downloading your information), while the app tends to get the newest navigation and creation features first.
What’s the quickest privacy check I can do?
Review who can see your future posts, look at your profile visibility, and check Off-Facebook Activity to understand what outside activity is being linked to your account.
Why am I seeing posts from people I don’t follow?
Because Facebook’s Feed increasingly includes recommended content for discovery, especially around video. Meta has explicitly been updating Feed and search to improve content discovery.
Is Marketplace safe to use?
It can be, but treat it like any peer-to-peer marketplace: stay on-platform for communication, avoid unusual payment requests, and be skeptical of listings that push urgency or off-site links. Meta is adding tools meant to improve buying decisions, but user caution still matters.
Where do the official content rules live now?
Meta publishes the Community Standards in its Transparency Center, and those rules cover Facebook along with Instagram, Messenger, and Threads.
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