By now you may have heard that Facebook is undergoing one of its biggest ever shake-ups in terms of what we see in our feeds. But what you may not know is just how it’s going to affect you and your mindless scrolling.
So we’ve taken a closer look at the changes, to break down just what they mean for you and how you can take back some control.
What are these changes exactly?
Facebook uses complicated algorithms to decide exactly what content it shows you. For instance, if you watch a lot of funny cat videos, it figures out that you like them, and keeps showing you more.
But in a recent Facebook post, Mark Zuckerberg himself told the world that users would now be seeing a lot fewer posts from businesses, brands and media sites.
Zuckerberg said he wanted Facebook to go back to being more about finding out what your friends and family are doing and interacting with them. So, you’re likely to see more “I missed the bus and then it started raining. Worst day ever” posts from your Aunt’s bestie, and fewer posts from the pages you follow.
Listen: Why Facebook messenger for kids is problematic. (Post continues.)
What if I like seeing news stories in my News Feed?
Right now you might be thinking, ‘but I like seeing Mamamia in my news feed, how will I see your stories now?’ Well, funny you should ask! We have a couple of suggestions.
First off, get off Facebook and come to our homepage Mamamia.com.au. Even before these changes, Facebook was showing you just a fraction of the stories we write every day, and if you want to be in charge of what you’re reading, coming to our homepage is the best way to do it. You could also subscribe to our newsletter, and have the best of Mamamia delivered straight to your inbox.
And if you still want to see us and all the other sites you like on your Facebook News Feed, you can increase the chances with a few clicks.
Go to our Facebook page, hold your mouse over where it says ‘Following’ near the top and tick ‘See First’. Done.
When will I see these changes?
Although Facebook was a touch vague on when the changes to our News Feeds would come into effect when it made the announcement earlier this month, by all accounts they’ve already made the switch.
How do you feel about the new Facebook changes? Do you think they’ll help strengthen a sense of community online like the company hopes?
Top Comments
All that and they still can't make the most desired changes.
Default to Most Recent not Top Stories. I don't want to see what you think I want to see, I want to see what has happened recently. Unfortunatly even Most Recent still uses your crappy algorithms and doesn't show everything.
Let me filter to statuses, photo's or shared articles. I'm sick of seeing something and then can't find it because I didn't see who had posted it or shared it.
Go back to allowing us to dictate what we do and don't see from individuals. Sure I want to keep up with my family photos from my cousin but not the constant status updates bitching about everyone. Or yes I want to see statuses of that friend but not the constant stream of "funny" jokes she shares.
'The good news is, Facebook is taking extra measures to make sure the content you see is more “trustworthy”.'
IS this the same Zuckerberg that ripped off the Winklevoss twins who came up with the Facebook idea?
'Zuckerberg said he wanted Facebook to go back to being more...'
WHO cares what Zuckerberg wants? It's the end user who decides how they will utilise a publicly available product.
'paid $100,000 to post factually incorrect or misleading political-based (aka “fake”) news over a two-year period.'
EVERY self-serving, greedy, politician has been guilty of this and before the Trump election it seemed no-one was interested in holding anyone accountable. We just find new ways to justify the lies: Core promises vs non-core promises.
And exactly who is going to determine what is and what isn't fake? Shall we give the job to crooked Hillary, an exemplar of what is factually correct and never misleading?