Facebook's immersive tool that 'feels a little like the future' isn't just for ads anymore

Facebook's fast-loading, immersive Canvas tool, which combines video, text, and photo slideshows in an interactive, scrolling format, isn't just for advertisers anymore.

The company is letting any business with a Page create Canvases for free, Facebook ad chief Andrew "Boz" Bosworth tells Business Insider.

Organic Canvases, like regular Page posts, won't be given any extra weight in the News Feed algorithm.

Since Facebook launched the ads globally in February, people spend an average of 31 seconds in each one, which has driven over 100 years of time spent in Canvases total.

"It's a really cool experience," Bosworth says. "It's super quick - it feels a little like the future."

Facebook wants businesses to think of Pages as a replacement for building mobile-optimized websites and making this more immersive format available for free is a nice perk.

Plus, to Facebook's benefit, there's a good chance that businesses that create a Canvas post that gets a lot of engagement will pay to increase its reach.

"Really advanced admins could go nuts with [Canvas]," Bosworth says. "The sky's the limit."