Facebook improves News Feed experience (FB)

Two upgrades to Facebook's News Feed could improve thequality of newsdiscovery andmobile page loadingtimes.

The first affects the "Related Articles" module that appears below frequently shared stories in the News Feed, even before a user clicks on them. Launched as a test in April, Facebook said it's rolling it out more broadly after receiving positive feedback on it. It will also use machine learning to identify and send more stories to third-party fact checkers. As a result of the second upgrade, faster-loading web pages will appear more prominently in the News Feed.

From Facebook's perspective, these changes are pretty clearly aimed at improving the user experience. Weeding out false information and surfacing fact-checked articles could help improve users’ view of Facebook as a trustworthy news platform, and stay engaged for longer periods of time. This adds to Facebook’s other recent efforts in combating fake news, and helps improve its reputation as a proponent of the echo chamber. And guiding users to faster-loading websites obviously reduces frustration and allows them to consume more content.

They could also have potentially significant implications for publishers.

The Related Articles change could help with publisher discoverability.
Prioritizing fast-loading websites will incentivize publishers to speed up slow pages.
Attract more publishers to join Instant Articles.

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has been shaken by a proliferation of malicious content and data breaches, which has significant consequences for brands that use these platforms.
The top platform won by a huge margin on most attributes. Content on this platform is more likely to be viewed as forthright and honest, which increases the persuasiveness of ads and marketing messages that appear alongside it. This also creates ideal conditions for thought leadership and branded and sponsored content to flourish.
The second-ranked platform was bolstered by users' confidence sharing content they find there. Users were most apt to share content they found there, which, together with its massive audience and high engagement, makes it the right platform to maximize reach.
The social platform that finished dead last did so because of its abusive comments section and extremely annoying ads. Still, this hasn’t dissuaded people from visiting, as evidenced by the time spent monthly and massive user base. This platform also resonates more with older generations.

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Facebook improves News Feed experience (FB)

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