Algorithm Change to Facebook Newsfeed Won't Discourage Users, News Media Alliance Says

News will remain “highly popular” on Facebook despite an algorithm change announced Thursday that will shift focus away from public content, professional pages and publishers, said News Media Alliance President David Chavern in a Friday statement. The company is making the change based on “feedback from our community that public content -- posts from businesses, brands and media -- is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “I expect the time people spend on Facebook and some measures of engagement will go down. But I also expect the time you do spend on Facebook will be more valuable.” The change highlights Facebook’s power “to decide (and alter) the kinds of information that people are exposed to,” said Chavern, who has said the social media service should move to a subscription model. Barclays said the move could hurt revenue in the short term, but the company should be in a position to drive pricing over the long term.