Facebook is currently testing an option for users to set an expiration date on statuses up to 101 characters as well as choose if the status appears on their profile or News Feed.

Facebook looks back to move forward

For those who may recall, when Facebook first hit the web, before the advent of ‘posts,’ users could only post pictures and share user statuses. It was a simpler time.

User statuses all contained “is” (as in “Shawn is dancing foolishly”) which rooted statues very much in the present. The introduction of “temporary profile statuses” harkens back to a more timely quality.

Bringing back those old time feels

In 2016, Facebook saw a significant decline in original sharing as users posted less on their platform and opted for more use of their competitors such as Snapchat and their own subsidiary Instagram.

By introducing Facebook Live and cloning Snapchat Stories, the original social media juggernaut managed to bolster its relevancy, but never quite regained its original sense of fun from early years.

A return to present-moment statuses is a bid to reach back and bring some of that original spontaneity to current users.

The evolution of Facebook has brought the platform into a myriad of spheres, from the professional to educational, and this new effort may allow the company to have its cake and post it too.

Do you remember the status updates of those early times? Do you see value in expiration statuses? Let us know in our comments section below.