Facebook might have assumed a very impersonal feel over the past year or so, due to the way in which the latest posts from the pages 'liked' by a user used to dominate the timeline, but according to latest reports the company is going to change the face of the timeline by focussing more on what is shared by friends and relatives. On Wednesday, Adam Mosseri, the Vice President of product management (news feed) shared a statement on Facebook regarding the upcoming change.
In the statement, he stated, "When we launched News Feed in 2006, it was hard to imagine the challenge we now face: far too much information for any one person to consume. In the decade since, more than a billion people have joined Facebook, and today they share a flood of stories every day. That's why stories in News Feed are ranked - so that people can see what they care about first, and don't miss important stuff from their friends. If the ranking is off, people don't engage, and leave dissatisfied. So one of our most important jobs is getting this ranking right."
The statement went on to add, "Facebook was built on the idea of connecting people with their friends and family. That is still the driving principle of News Feed today. Our top priority is keeping you connected to the people, places and things you want to be connected to - starting with the people you are friends with on Facebook. That's why if it's from your friends, it's in your feed, period - you just have to scroll down. To help make sure you don't miss the friends and family posts you are likely to care about, we put those posts toward the top of your News Feed. We learn from you and adapt over time. For example, if you tend to like photos from your sister, we'll start putting her posts closer to the top of your feed so you won't miss what she posted while you were away." The news might not come as particularly a pleasant one for media houses who had started investing substantially towards their Facebook feeds.
