Social media: How does Facebook choose the messages you see?

Greg Marra, 26 years old, is the man behind algorithms at Facebook. In other words, he works with his team on the instructions that determine what you will see on your Facebook newsfeed, and those of the 1.3 billion registered users as well. Indeed, considering the volume of information circulating on the social network, it is impossible for all news from your contacts to be visible, especially if you have hundreds of virtual friends. Therefore, it is necessary to sort and decide what will appear and in what order.

FACEBOOK CHOOSES… AND CENSORS

The journalist Ravi Somaiya of the New York Times investigated how these algorithms work. He noticed that the goal of Facebook is to display content that you are most likely to click; those that interest you most.

That is a good idea but, in reality, it can cause some excessive content as well. Therefore, the format of the message (videos, status, URL, photos…) plays an important role. If you watch several videos posted by your friends, you will start to notice more and more of their videos being displayed. The time the information is posted alongside when you connect are also factors in the visibility of the comments. This is similar to the popularity of some messages, which allows them to return to the top of the list.

Your behavior on the network allows Facebook to learn more about your habits and your preferred method of consuming information. The clicks are monitored to tailor your Facebook newsfeed to your personality and, of course, to display ads or information that are likely to grab your attention.

Finally, and indubitably the most annoying, the algorithm brings you closer to your friends among the numerous “close relations” you have in this digital space. The more you like and comment on somebody’s post, the more you will see his/her news. Conversely, if you rarely interact on Facebook with somebody to whom you are very close in real life, their posts will be less visible in your newsfeed. A modern method of censorship as a matter of fact. Can we by-pass it? Yes, partially, by adjusting some settings and, for example, creating lists of close friends that will be given priority on your newsfeed. Nevertheless, don’t be fooled, the IT giant will always keep a controlling hand on your account.