The social network introduces a feature to explain to users how its mysterious algorithm works. Here’s what it’s all about!
The algorithms behind Facebook have always been a mystery. Now Mark Zuckerberg’s team has decided to make them known. He announced this intention through a post on the official blog that is titled “Why am I seeing this Post?” This would seem to be the name of a new feature coming soon.
The new feature announced by Facebook explains why a post from a contact, group or page is shown in the social network’s feed. This feature is also present in other digital platforms. For example, Netflix recommends movies or series to its users if they have previously viewed one with the same actors or a similar plot. The novelty on Facebook is very important: it allows us to discover how the brain of the social network works and therefore how it interprets every choice, share, comment by users.
How does the algorithm that regulates the Facebook feed work
Why do you often see the photos of a contact rather than another? How come news related to a specific business page always scrolls in front of you? Answering these questions was difficult, until now. But now Facebook is unveiling its cards, and doing so through its official blog. In fact, soon will be available a new feature that will allow you to know how the secret algorithm that regulates the feed on the wall works. The feature will have an evocative name and will be called “Why am I seeing this post?” (“Why am I seeing this post?” in English) and will allow to know why the social network shows just that content instead of the other. This will allow users to understand the system and act accordingly to personalize their feed even better, choosing carefully the content they interact with in order to get a tailor-made feed.
Although it was announced the day before April 1, the feature is no joke, as a Facebook spokesperson told CNET. According to his statements, the update will be available for several users as early as this week. And it will be fully rolled out by May. In addition, the feature will offer further indications to understand what are the reasons – and related data – that led the social to show a certain content. The reasons given will be related to the number of likes and interactions occurred with other pages or profiles. But it will also affect the length and type of post: for example, if a user interacts mainly with videos, in his wall will appear especially this type of content.