Facebook is primarily known as a social networking platform. They might have dabbled a bit in smartphones with Facebook-based smartphones as well as acquiring the likes of WhatsApp, but could Facebook be shifting their attention to another sector? Like the health sector, for example?
Well according to a report from Reuters, the answer is yes. It seems that Facebook has been talking to medical industry experts and are apparently in their early stages of putting together a research and development team to develop health-related mobile apps and tools. They are also looking to build communities in which people afflicted with the same illness can discuss about it.
Given that Facebook has groups and pages already in play, we reckon this does not seem like such a stretch. Apparently this idea came about when Facebook started noticing that people tend to look for advice on their illness on the social network. It is unclear as to when Facebook’s rumored health app and services will launch, but it definitely sounds like an interesting direction in which they are headed.
Given that both Google and Apple have announced health initiatives of their own, not to mention the rising interest in health and fitness related hardware and software in the form of fitness bands and smartwatches, it does not seem like a stretch if Facebook wants to hop on board the bandwagon, but what say you? Will Facebook’s health efforts flop like Facebook Home? Or will it be a huge success given their massive active user base?