In the coming months, the next Facebook update will see the news feed showing fewer posts from Pages to give more space to content from Profiles. Learn more with us!
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, has announced the introduction of changes to the flow of information displayed when opening the social network – the so-called news feed. Priority will be given to posts, videos, and photos from friends and family, thus reducing the space allocated to content from Pages and businesses.
The stated goal is to give people more opportunities to “engage with those they care about.” This means there could be a decline in video view duration and traffic from Pages and public content.
The impact will vary based on determining factors, such as the type of content produced and how people interact with it – the much-discussed engagement.
Pages that publish material or messages that people rarely engage with may see a significant reduction in distribution; content that generates more engagement, on the other hand, will be rewarded.
Facebook itself explains, in a statement:
«With this update, we will also prioritize posts that generate conversations and create meaningful interactions between people. To do this, we will try to predict which posts people are most likely to engage with their friends, and we will show these posts higher in the feed.
These are posts that spark discussions in the comments, those that people might want to share, and those that could generate reactions – whether it’s a post from a friend asking for advice, a friend’s post seeking travel recommendations, or articles or videos that stimulate a lot of discussions.»
Even before it is implemented, the Facebook update has already raised doubts and concerns, primarily regarding fake news.
The social network has long focused its efforts on combating the spread of false information, for example by eliminating the ability to modify text and images of shared links to prevent “counterfeiting.” However, this algorithm change could go in the opposite direction: people might end up seeing content that only reinforces their own ideologies, interacting mainly with the opinions of friends and family, and fake news could continue to spread unchecked. A “misleading” piece of information posted by a relative or friend, for instance, could be widely disseminated without any refutation…
And let’s not forget the obvious increase in costs and efforts this would entail for businesses, who would have to deal with advertising that is less self-promoting and increasingly focused on user interaction – a double-edged sword if not properly managed. For this reason, it is advisable to consult professional Social Media Managers to organize your presence and activities on social platforms, creating tailored content capable of generating real value.
