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| Facebook is changing the way your News Feed looks -- and hopes you will spend less time looking at it (AFP) |
LAS VEGAS
(AFP) - Facebook
has announced a major change to how its news feed works, giving advertisers and
media posts a back seat to what family and friends share on the leading social
network.
It could
signal trouble for media outlets hungry to pull in readers and advertising
revenue, but Facebook says the tweak will result in a healthier experience for
users.
The change
to the way Facebook ranks posts will put more weight on social interactions and
relationships, according to News Feed product manager John Hegeman.
"This
is a big change," Hegeman told AFP.
"People
will actually spend less time on Facebook, but we feel good about that because
it will make the time they do spend more valuable, and be good for our business
in the end."
For
example, a family video clip posted by a spouse will be deemed more worthy of
attention than a snippet from a star or favorite restaurant.
"We
think people interaction is more important than passively consuming
content," Hegeman said.
"This
will be one of the more important updates that we have made."
In tests
since October in countries like Slovakia, Guatemala and Bolivia, media outlets
saw a significant drop in clicks from Facebook.
The social
media giant is seeking to fix a problem with ad revenue topping out, Olivier
Ertzscheid, a tech researcher at the University of Nantes, told AFP.
"Those
who want visibility are going to have to pay to keep getting it," he said.
"It could also produce a bit of pull toward Facebook's other sites, like
Instagram (for brands)."
Facebook
shares fell 5.4 percent as trading opened on Friday after the changes were
announced on Thursday.
'More
meaningful' interactions
Facebook
co-founder and chief Mark Zuckerberg has said that bringing people together and
strengthening communities in the real world are priorities.
The news
feed ranking update, which is set to roll out globally in the coming weeks, is expected
to support that goal.
"As we
roll this out, you'll see less public content like posts from businesses,
brands, and media," Zuckerberg said in a post at his Facebook page.
"And
the public content you see more will be held to the same standard -- it should
encourage meaningful interactions between people."
Google,
Twitter and Facebook have come under fire for allowing the spread of bogus news
-- some of which was directed by Russia -- ahead of the 2016 US election and in
other countries.
Facebook
has introduced a series of changes intended to address the problem.
"We
are doing a ton of work to reduce the frequency of bad content on
Facebook," Hegeman said.
"This
update is more about amplifying the things people value."
He cited
academic research indicating that interacting with loved ones is crucial to a
person's wellbeing, while reading news articles or watching shared videos may
not be.
"There
is really no silver bullet here to determine what is most meaningful, but we
are trying to mine the signals to get the best representation that we
can," Hegeman said.
Known for
setting annual personal goals ranging from killing his own food to learning
Mandarin, Zuckerberg's stated mission for this year is to "fix" the
social network, including by targeting abuse and hate, and making sure visiting
Facebook is time well spent.
"I'm
changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find
relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions,"
Zuckerberg said Thursday.
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