Clickbait is super annoying – especially when it pops up in your Facebook feeds.
So, we’re very glad to hear that Facebook is now working to put a stop to it!
In the next few weeks the social media giant will begin demoting posts from individual users, groups and Pages that use irritating tactics (i.e. “engagement bait”) to grab the attention and engagement of other users.
According to Facebook, this means that posts that use engagement bait tactics will be shown less in a user’s News Feed.
“People have told us that they dislike spammy posts on Facebook that goad them into interacting with likes, shares, comments, and other actions. For example, ‘LIKE this if you’re an Aries!’ ” Facebook said. “This tactic, known as ‘engagement bait,’ seeks to take advantage of our News Feed algorithm by boosting engagement in order to get greater reach. So, starting this week, we will begin demoting individual posts from people and Pages that use engagement bait.”
Facebook is giving publishers some time to change their posting tactics, hence the reason why it will take a few weeks for their new posting policy to come into effect.
It will also make an exception for posts related to missing children, raising money for a cause, or users asking for advice (i.e. travel tips).
It will be interesting to see how this new update in the News Feed algorithm will affect bloggers, influencers and creators that use the platform to promote their content. Either way, we’re sure all Facebook users will be happy to see less spam and more authentic content.