Facebook announced that it will implement new controls to customize the content you see in your Feed. The move comes after months of complaints from millions of people who disagree with the way Facebook or Instagram display content from people you don’t follow. Now it will be possible to tell the algorithm that you do not want it to show you certain posts for 60 days.
The platform introduced the “Show more” and “Show less” buttons, which will appear under the posts of friends, pages you follow and those suggested by Facebook’s artificial intelligence. With this, users will choose what content interests them and what is irrelevant without the need for intermediate steps. According to the company, these buttons they affect the ranking score for the post and the like.
In practical terms, if you press “Show less”, the algorithm subtracts points from that content, albeit only temporarily. Unlike what happened a few years ago where we could choose not to display certain posts permanently, now only valid for 60 days. Facebook revealed to TechCrunch that this decision is based on their research shows that people want these preferences to last only a few weeks.
It is important to mention that buttons will be displayed periodically on posts from the Feed, although users will have access to these functions by touching the three-dot menu in each content. The measure will apply to all content, including what your friends post. The company mentioned that it also they are testing this feature on the Reels.
Facebook wants to copy TikTok, despite complaints from its users
With the drop in advertising revenue during the last quarter, Meta tries to replicate the success of TikTok. It’s no wonder the company copies all the popular apps, after all, it’s something it’s been doing for years. The problem is that adapting features, such as Displaying content from people you don’t follow has annoyed millions of users.
Facebook recommends posts from creators and communities you may not know about for your enjoyment and review. What you see in your Feed is uniquely personalized to your interests through machine learning.
Facebook has experimented with multiple options for training the algorithm over the years. in 2019 integrated small surveys to know if you were interested in the publications recommendations that appeared on your feed. If people answered yes, then they would give it a rating and show similar content.
Currently, 15% of the content we see in the Feed belongs to accounts recommended by the algorithm, although that will change. A few months ago, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that the percentage will double, despite the rejection of the users of him. The Facebook co-founder said social media will go from being powered by people and accounts you follow, to an intelligence algorithm that recommends content to you.