Meta Introduces Personalized Year-End Features on Facebook and Instagram

On both Facebook and Instagram, Meta has unveiled new 'Year in Review' sections that give users a snapshot of some of the significant moments they've shared on each network throughout 2021 – which, in my opinion, hasn't seemed like a complete year.

As you can see in the image above, Instagram's new 'Playback' feature will showcase Stories highlights from the previous 12 months, giving you a sentimental look back at a year that most likely contained a lot of couch time. The function assembles the visual summary using your Stories Archive, and users may then choose up to 10 Stories from their collection to share with their friends as a summary of their experience.

A new 'Year Together' option on Facebook will showcase 'friends, feelings, places, and people you interacted with within 2021. It's a touch schmaltzy, and these types of highlight features may rapidly become overwhelming when they're sent out to all users at once, but many people engage with Facebook's On This Day reminders, so it'll almost certainly be a hit and will help users of both apps recall happy experiences. However, seeing too many highlight reels on your feeds might become irritating.

These are highlight reels, as most people don't share their low points or struggles on social media. So, if you find yourself looking at someone's year in review and feeling like they're accomplishing more than you are, keep in mind that everyone confronts problems and hardships at some point in their lives, even if they're not documenting them.

'Year Together' on Facebook is available until December 30, and 'Playback' on Instagram will be available for several weeks.