Born Online, Facebook Now Wants to Be Your ‘Paper’

Print and broadcast news outlets have long been the world’s gatekeepers of information. Now, Facebook wants a turn. Facebook just introduced a long-awaited mobile app, called Paper, that offers users a personalized stream of news.

Facebook said it will be available Feb. 3 for the iPhone; there is no date yet for Android. Instead of editors and reporters, Facebook’s publication is staffed by a computer algorithm and human “curators.” The content comes from outside sources, based on links shared by the social network’s 1.2 billion users. During a recent demonstration, the curated content featured articles from The New York Times, The Washington Post and Time Magazine, among others. The move is part of Facebook’s long-term strategy to be more than just a popular app, or a destination on the Internet. Facebook wants to be the global hub of human communication, essential in the lives of its users.