Could Facebook’s New ‘Messenger Rooms’ Compete With Zoom And Houseparty?

Since the start of the pandemic, we have been forced to stay indoors and rely on digital platforms for all our work, school lessons and even entertainment. One of the companies that have seen a surge in users is Zoom. However, Zoom also has seen the rise in malicious behaviour on its platform, putting its users in unnecessary risks.

Seeing the importance of video conferencing, Facebook has announced Messenger Rooms, a video chat service where users can make video calls with up to 50 friends even if they don’t have a Facebook account. Different from Zoom which focuses mainly on work video conferencing, Messenger Rooms is created to cater for everyone to socialize whether for birthdays, book clubs or any form of celebration and gatherings. Ceo Mark Zuckerberg elaborated, as reported by The Verge,

“Video presence isn’t a new area for us. But it’s an area that we want to go deeper in, and it fits the overall theme, which is that we’re shifting more resources in the company to focus on private communication and private social platforms, rather than just the traditional broader ones. So this is a good mix: we’re building tools into Facebook and Instagram that are helping people find smaller groups of people to then go have more intimate connections with, and be able to have private sessions with.”

The room’s creator will have the authority to decide whether he or she wants the room to be opened for all or a private room for only invited guests. The creators can also remove any visitors with unacceptable behaviours and report the person to Facebook. Messenger Rooms has started its rollout today (24 April) and will be available globally within the coming weeks.

Watch the launch video here:

Do you use any video conferencing platform at home? If you do, would you consider using this new service offered by Facebook? Share with us your opinion in the comment section below.

Also read: Over 500,000 Zoom Accounts Are On Sale On The Dark Web, Can Be Bought For Less Than RM1 Each