Facebook wants you to start talking to random people online.

The social networking giant is rolling out a new feature called “Discover People,” according to a report from TechCrunch, which is aimed at connecting you to people you might share interests with who you’re not already friends with.

It’s designed to “help you discover more about people you have things in common with by browsing through profile cards of people in your community,” Facebook says.

When you navigate to the feature – which is listed alongside more traditional features like “Events” and “Pages” – it prompts you to make sure your profile is up-to-date, as this is what other people will see when you appear in it. After that, it shows you a lists of events you’re down as attending on, as well as your workplace and where you live.

Clicking on these will give you lists of random people you’re not already friends with that you have that thing in common with.

So you could feasibly use it to find a work colleague you've talked to but haven't added on the social network; or it might come in handy for finding neighbours as you move to a new village. But the focus is very much on creating new connections, rather than strengthening existing ones. People you've friended don't appear in the feature, after all.

Some Facebook employees are reportedly concerned about a decline in sharing on the social network. People are posting less original content, Bloomberg reported in April 2016, and there's a team trying to work out why and reverse this trend.

If successful, "Discover People," could signal a shift in how people use Facebook. Rather than simply mapping existing "real world" connections, it might play a more active role in building and shaping these connections. And this shift - Facebook employees presumably hope - could help drive growth in interactions and sharing on the platform.

As TechCrunch notes, it could come in handy for everything from professional networking (Who can you connect with from your company? Who's planning to go to the same conference as you?) to online dating (Who was that guy saw at a gig last week?).

The feature is reportedly rolling out gradually on iOS and Android, and is not yet available for all users. It isn't yet available on my (Android, UK) device, for example. It has already been tested quietly tested on certain users for months.

A Facebook spokesperson did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment, but one told TechCrunch that "too often, it's hard to learn more about people around you, whether it is upon starting a new job, joining a new group, deciding if you want to attend an event, or moving to a new place ... To make it easier, we're starting to roll out a new bookmark in the More menu called 'Discover People' that can help you discover more about people you have things in common with by browsing through profile cards of people in your community."