This past week, Facebook unveiled its new Timeline, which will replace the traditional profile page that we’re all used to.  If you’re wondering why you haven’t seen the change on your own profile, it’s because Facebook is rolling out the new feature slowly.  So far, only Facebook Developers are able to make the change.  However, thanks to a tip from our friends at Mashable, anyone is capable of taking the new layout for a test drive.

If you frequently share images, one of the first things you’ll notice about the latest feature is that they are much more pronounced.  The current version of the profile that is being replaced was much more text oriented.  Images were merely icons, which meant an extra click of the mouse if you wanted to see it in more detail.

Mark Zuckerberg‘s intention with the layout change was to create an emotional experience as you look back on someone’s life through Facebook.  Knowing that, it’s no surprise that larger images were used to create that effect.  A single picture can illicit that emotional experience in a way that would take a thousand words to describe.  It’s now much easier to see a child grow over the years, watch someone make an amazing physical transformation, or remember all the amazing destinations you’ve travelled to.

When Facebook makes a change to what will grab a user’s attention the most, the ripple effect can be profound.  For instance, it won’t be surprising to see apps like Instagram and Hipstamatic grow even more popular than they already are.

Additionally, we already know that the most successful Tumblr posts are typically images with a small amount of text, so that leaves us wondering if Twitter will make a change to put more of an emphasis on images, as well.  If the rest of the social web begins to move toward a largely image focused way of sharing, it would be interesting to see if they incorporate them into their platform.

So tell us, do you think we are moving toward a more image based social web?  Why or why not?