Facebook considers autoplay videos

Social media buffs are likely to get even more frustrated, with reports Facebook is about to launch autoplay advertising videos on news feeds.

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It comes one day after Instagram unveiled a new photo sharing policy which has infuriated many users globally.

American advertising and marketing publication, Ad Age, has revealed that Facebook, which owns Instagram, will launch its latest attempt to bring in advertising dollars by April.

It's understood, the 15 second videos will appear on news feeds and play automatically, although the company is said to be debating whether the videos will include audio automation.

The videos are expected to play on mobile app versions of Facebook also.

On the desktop version, the videos will also expand into webpage real estate in both the left and right columns. What that means, is that advertising will appear in, what are currently, the white spaces or rails on the sides of the screen.

While Facebook does have an obligation to abide by rules agreed to by users, it has an even bigger obligation to its shareholders who have seen their initial investment in the company slump by almost 30 per cent since it listed in May.

But if you think financial greed is the main motivator for this latest move, you would be heartened to know, that its CEO is set to donate almost $500million to charity.

Mark Zuckerberg says he is gifting the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a charity which focuses on health and education issues, 18 million shares in the company.

It's Zuckerberg's biggest donation to date, following his $100million in stock gift to public schools in New Jersey in 2010.

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2 min read

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By Ricardo Goncalves
Source: SBS

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