Facebook Changing News Feed Algorithm to Favor Content From Family, Friends

Facebook said it's changing its news feed algorithm to increase the visibility of content posted by a user's friends and family. The news feed algorithm changes will come at the expense of content posted directly by publishers, said Vice President-Product Management, News Feed Adam Mosseri in a Wednesday blog post. “The specific impact on your Page’s distribution and other metrics may vary depending on the composition of your audience,” said Engineering Director Lars Backstrom in a separate blog post. “For example, if a lot of your referral traffic is the result of people sharing your content and their friends liking and commenting on it, there will be less of an impact than if the majority of your traffic comes directly through Page posts.” Facebook doesn't “favor specific kinds of sources -- or ideas,” Mosseri said. “Our aim is to deliver the types of stories we’ve gotten feedback that an individual person most wants to see. We do this not only because we believe it’s the right thing but also because it’s good for our business.” Facebook is “not in the business of picking which issues the world should read about,” Mosseri said. “We are in the business of connecting people and ideas -- and matching people with the stories they find most meaningful. Our integrity depends on being inclusive of all perspectives and view points, and using ranking to connect people with the stories and sources they find the most meaningful and engaging.” Facebook faced pressure in recent months over allegations it suppressed conservative viewpoints in the trending topics of its news feed (see 1605100032 and 1605170068).