While browsing fellow classmate blogs, Heidi Lung‘s post “Ever wonder why you were forced to download Facebook messenger?” stood out in particular. Not only am I another fellow bitter Facebook user who tried to avoid making the download as long as possible, but one who faced inconvenience since my phone did not have the space available for the application. Users who do not have the messenger application are completely blocked from accessing Facebook messenger on their mobile devices, which when on the go is extremely bothersome.

Heidi raises a good point on how despite the short aggravation users faced from Facebook’s insistence on downloading Facebook messenger, this clearly was a smart long run decision by Facebook. I personally never would have downloaded Facebook’s messenger application if it was optional, even if it offered better upgrades and features. By nudging users to switch over to the quicker and smoother messenger application not only does Facebook improve their quality of service but increases the number of users on this extended application which can easily create a new revenue stream for Facebook.

This article expands on how the Facebook messenger application can make profits in the near future. Although Mark Zuckerberg states Facebook has no intentions of going in the direction of easy advertisements, they have considered expanding as a “promotional tool for consumer products”. Stickers, cute little emoticons sent through messenger, are an opportunity that could generate profit if Facebook decides to work with Disney or other animation studios. A prime example of this promotional tool was last year when “Despicable Me 2” stickers were released closely to the launch of the second film. It’s interesting to see how such a simple concept can still drive revenue.

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http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-facebook-messenger-could-make-money-2014-11