Facebook news feed will be less of “news, media ” more of “family, social” posts

BY Libyan Express Jan 14, 2018 - 19:38

Facebook Inc. said it’s making major changes to its flagship social network, shifting users’ news feeds back toward posts from friends and family and away from businesses and media outlets — a transition that is likely to mean people spend less time on the site. The shares tumbled the most in more than a year, Bloomberg reported.

In a post Thursday, Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said community feedback has shown that public content has been “crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other.” The goal of the product teams will be to help Facebook’s more than 2 billion monthly users find content that will lead to more meaningful social interactions, he said, according to Bloomberg.

Bloomberg added that Facebook and companies from Twitter to Apple have been confronting a mounting public backlash against technology and social media, as the public grapples with a constantly connected life in which they are exposed to fake or biased news, cyber bullying and even internet addiction. Zuckerberg’s vision for Facebook has always been a platform for giving people a voice and a place to make meaningful connections, though he spent much of last year on the defensive.

“By making these changes, I expect the time people spend on Facebook and some measures of engagement will go down,” Zuckerberg wrote. “But I also expect the time you do spend on Facebook will be more valuable. And if we do the right thing, I believe that will be good for our community and our business over the long term too.”

Facebook’s shares fell as much as 5.5 percent, the most since November 2016, to $177.40. They were trading down 4.1 percent at 9:45 a.m. in New York, according to Bloomberg.

The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Libyan Express.
How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@libyanexpress.com. Please include ‘Op-Ed’ in the subject line.