Facebook’s algorithm is a secret recipe that determines what users will see in their News Feeds. It is constantly changing, and it’s hard to nail down exactly how it works.
The algorithm takes into account a number of factors including how long you’ve been scrolling on Facebook, how many people have clicked on your content, and whether or not people are interacting with it.
This article will walk you through how Facebook’s algorithm evolves over time and what it means for users so that you can get the most out of the platform.
Facebook’s Algorithm Timeline
Here’s a breakdown of Facebook’s Algorithm Evolution:
2004
Facebook’s inception.
2006
Launching of Facebook’s News Feed and Status.
2009
March 2009, Facebook introduced filters into its platform. This gave users more control over what they saw on their news feed and allowed them to make a list of certain friends from whom they wanted updates.
October 2009, The app released a new type of sorting order based on popularity. The update has created some backlash among its users who are used to the previous sorting order.
2011
September 2011, Facebook once again launched a different News Feed algorithm that shows all the relevant popular posts to their users.
2013
August 2013, Facebook introduced another News Feed ranking algorithm update that gives users another chance to see a post they may have missed. Another update involves interaction on the platform; what a user interacts with most will appear more often in their news feed.
2014
August 2014, Facebook eliminated click-bait links and analyzed how much time users spent on the site after clicking a link. If they returned quickly from the link then Facebook considered it a click-bait.
2015
January 2015, Facebook introduced a feature that enables users to report hoax links. If a link is reported by many users, Facebook will reduce its distribution within the platform.
June 2015, Facebook launched the “See First” feature.
2016
January 2016, the app launched an Audience Optimisation Tool that lets publishers set preferences so they can target their audience accordingly.
February 2016, The platform can now analyse the probability a user may interact with a post. This post will be placed at the top of the user’s News Feed.
February 2016, the platform began analysing the probability a user may interact with a post. This post will appear at the top of the user’s News Feed.
2017
March 2017, Facebook weighs its user’s reactions to certain posts on whether or not they will show similar content.
2018
January 2018, Local News Publishers are highly prioritised in the platform’s News Feed.
2021
March 2021, Facebook introduced the “Feed Filter Bar,” which enables users to further tailor their News Feed to what they prefer.
2022
February 2022, Facebook changed the name of its News Feed to Feed to eliminate the assumption that it is mainly for news.
April 2022, the platform’s algorithm was updated to further highlight original content.
June 2022, Facebook continues to improve its algorithm in order to better compete with TikTok.
In conclusion, it is evident that Facebook’s algorithm has improved a lot since its creation. It is also evident that it will continue to improve itself for the convenience of its users.
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