Did you visit your news feed recently? You would be forgiven and in good company if you weren't. The experience is filled with photos from familiar acquaintances and incongruous sponsored posts. It was shuffled and served up by a computer program that had ties to all manner of societal ills. How do you make the news feed better? Maybe you take the whole thing out.
You make that a more visible option if you're Mark. A new tab called Feeds will show the most recent posts from friends, groups, and Pages that you follow, according to the Meta CEO. Clicking Most Recent in the left-hand panel or navigating to Menu and Recent favorites in the app made it possible to summon a reverse-chronological view. A shift in how Facebook presents itself to a world that is increasingly looking in other directions is marked by placing this front and center.
The feature to make sure people don't miss friends' posts is one of the most requested features for Facebook. The Feeds tab will show posts from your friends, groups, Pages, and more in chronological order.
The Feeds tab is part of a broader reclamation. The idea of showing the order in which they were sent came back. Meta has been on this road before, with the introduction of the following and favorites views on the social network in March.
The Feeds tab doesn't offer much sustenance for people who think of themselves as starving. I used chronological Facebook for two weeks this spring and it made me realize how few people still post there on a regular basis. The brands are doing well, but who do you want to spend more time with? Depending on how active your social circle is on Facebook and how many media outlets you follow, your mileage may be different. The feeling is not mutual based on the first 20 or so posts at the top of my most recent feed.
You can add "Favorites" to your Feeds tab to highlight the people and Pages you really want to see. At least you won't have to scroll so far to find them when they post. There are still ads in Feeds, but they aren't "suggested for you"
The idea of random content in front of your eyeballs is still alive and well. It's far from it. The Feeds tab is used to free up room for the Home tab, which will serve up whatever the algorithm deems appropriate. Artificial intelligence is being invested to serve recommended content in this ranked experience.
It seems purpose-built to prioritize the random encounters that drive so much of TikTok's virality, despite the fact that you'll still see people you know in the Home tab. The main view of the app has become overwhelmed with suggestions. When you need a Marie Kondo moment, following and favorites are there.
That is close to where the News Feed is. You won't be able to make Feeds your default view, but you will be able to use the shortcut bar at the bottom of the app. It's not going to get you to use Facebook more, but it should make the experience more enjoyable when you do.
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