We had a feeling this was coming…
Yesterday Facebook announced it would not affect the rankings of “trusted sources” in upcoming changes to the News Feed algorithm.
In a recent blog post the social network said it will to prioritize the content of certain media outlets, but still plans to heavily curate what users see in their feeds from online publishers, businesses and brands.
Interesting.
“Starting next week, we will begin tests in the first area: to prioritize news from publications that the community rates as trustworthy,” Facebook’s Head of News Feed Adam Mosseri said.
So, how does Facebook plan on determining what is a “trustworthy” news source?
“We surveyed a diverse and representative sample of people using Facebook across the US to gauge their familiarity with, and trust in, various different sources of news. This data will help to inform ranking in News Feed.”
The social network plans to globally implement this new strategy in the future, but will begin in the United States starting next week.
Many netizens use Facebook as a means of keeping up with current events.
We expect users will be happy to hear they’ll still be able to find the occasional link to a newsworthy article in their feed, without coming across annoying clickbait.
Smaller, independent and up-and-coming media outlets, however, may not qualify as “trustworthy” sources and might have their content censored from the platform.
We understand Facebook is trying to ensure the time users’ spend on the platform is “time well spent”, but it could be treading down a slippery slope by letting certain news agencies publish content on the social network and preventing others from doing so.
Either way, the change to News Feeds algorithm will benefit influencers and influencer marketing.
Brands that work with influencers (or who are planning on working with influencers) shouldn’t be too concerned if the engagement on their company Facebook Pages dips in the next few weeks.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below…