During a beautiful springtime lunch hour on Wednesday, many Facebook users like Joe Fessler, noticed their page looked very different.
"It just looks all white, and like the blue border seems like it's gone, like it didn't load right or something," he said.
He is not the only one a bit shaken by the new look. Facebook is making the biggest change to its look since the arrival of the News Feed in 2011, the company said in its announcement.
What will be different
A mockup, released by Facebook, shows how Groups, not your News Feed, will become the dominant feature (see photo above).
Users will notice that News Feed which many check multiple times each day, is now lower down on Android and iOS phone screens.
Kim Frederick was impressed with the big photos of the Groups she belongs to.
"It's better, it's brighter, and I like how the pictures are especially brighter," she said.
Facebook users won't see the change on desktop — Facebook is changing its mobile app first. Its desktop and laptop layout won't change for at least few more weeks, the company says, giving users more time to get used to the new look.
Steve Moore is happy to hear about the slow roll out, because he says the changes make Facebook look a lot like its sister site. Instagram.
"I like the changes," he said, "but now I get confused, because it looks like Instagram. They have made them very similar."
Reasons for the change
The Wall Street Journal says Facebook will be emphasizing moderated Groups in the future, and individual conversations, instead of the News Feed.
Tech site The Verge says it will also be pushing Events, sorted by which ones match the users' interest.
The Journal says it's part of Facebook's attempt cut down on fake news, hate speech, trolling and other problems that have caused so much trouble the past few years.
Hate and trolling can easily be deleted by Group moderators, making Facebook more like the original community site it was before 2011.
