Facebook is adding a search box powered by Wikipedia, which shows information about places, interests, TV shows, movies, and public figures. This latest addition would power the users to search for information outside Facebook, without having to switch to other platforms such as Google or Wikipedia.
Facebook’s new thought would retain its users to make use of its platform to the fullest. Recently, Facebook has officially acknowledged that the Wikipedia feature is launched as a ‘Pilot program.’ which is available across Web, Mobile, and iOS platforms. This is a knowledge box option closely resembling Google’s knowledge panel feature, which is displayed on a Google search page.
The feature works similarly to Facebook’s current search bar, which is present at the top of the screen. If you search for the name of a place or a public figure in the search bar, a knowledge box will appear on the right side, giving minute details from Wikipedia. Anyhow, it will also show the relevant links of the place or the public figure. There will be more enhancements to the features in upcoming updates.
As this is a pilot feature, many of the users may not get access to this new search feature. Anyhow, the latest feature of Facebook has its own limitations as not all the information is displayed in the knowledge box.
Comparing it to Google, the search engine would show all the details of the official website, Youtube, Twitter, and Linkedin links. There is also additional information and useful links provided by Google during tough times of COVID-19. The search results, of Facebook, are less diverse than that of Google search.
This new feature would add useful knowledge to the users while browsing inside Facebook. This might also add up some fact-checking while users surf through a lot of information in their news feeds.