F8 makes it abundantly clear that Facebook has ambitions way beyond your social network

It's Facebook's world — we're just data living in it.
 By 
Jack Morse
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo

Facebook is coming for you.

With the social media giant's F8 conference in the rear-view mirror, it is now more clear than ever that what we think of when we think of Facebook — messaging, sharing photos, forming groups, etc. — represents only the beginning of the company's ambitions.

Adweek notes that people spend a combined total of 50 minutes every day on Facebook and Instagram. For company CEO Mark Zuckerberg, that just means there are 1,390 minutes left to be captured.

He dreams of a future where Facebook is the default way you interact with the world, and the products and services unveiled at the conference Tuesday and Wednesday prove his team has a plan to get there.

Augmented Reality

From the newly announced Facebook Spaces, to Messenger 2.0, to the added Workplace enterprise features, Facebook is working toward having eyes on each and every one of your digital interactions. But F8 drove home the fact that this isn't enough for the boy king of Silicon Valley.

Facebook envisions a near-future where its augmented reality platform--first accessed via phone and then later glasses--is the go-to interface for engaging with the world.

Want to see a mural? Check it out via AR. In Facebook Land, art is created digitally and then overlaid on real-world objects. The only way to see it will be through the company's AR platform. Those same walls will appear blank, and not as a moving tapestry of color, if you choose to stick with your silly organic eyes.

Or say you want to leave location-specific notes for a friend, like a message in your favorite cafe imploring your buddy to order your favorite sandwich? How about directions, manifested as visual arrows lighting up the sidewalk, through a crowded market to a hip vendor? AR to the rescue.

But wait, there's more

Not everything lends itself to an overlay of augmented reality, and Facebook knows this. Some people can't or won't use AR, and there are still moments in life that need to be physically experienced to have real value. That's totally cool — Facebook is getting in on that game as well.

That's why the company is developing ways for people to type with their mind and hear with their skin. Yes, hear with their skin.

For the former, Facebook's Regina Dugan described "a system capable of typing 100 words per minute, straight from the speech center of your brain." For the latter, she explained how the company's tools could fill the role of the ear's cochlea and how that data could be sent to the brain through a person's skin.

Even the notion of reality itself is primed for reshaping. As far as Facebook is concerned, all reality is virtual.

What's next?

While some of the bold pronouncements made at F8 may be years away from fruition, the head of the company founded in a Harvard dorm room wants us to know that they're coming, and that Facebook is the one bringing them to us.

Because as the two days of 2017's F8 conference made clear, it's Facebook world. We're just another piece of data living in it.

Mashable Image
Jack Morse

Professionally paranoid. Covering privacy, security, and all things cryptocurrency and blockchain from San Francisco.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
This robot snow blower is trending — and it's $400 off right now at Amazon
the yarbo robot snow blower removes snow in the dark while a home with a big window sits behind the robot. Inside, a family is looking outside while smiling.


California just launched the country's largest public broadband network
Newsom stands behind a teen on a computer. A group of people cheer and clap behind them.

Turn complex ideas into clear visuals with this $10 Microsoft tool
Microsoft Visio 2021 Professional: Lifetime License for Windows

Verizon says network back up after massive outage
A Verizon sign on a building.

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone


NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!