The days of clicking on headlines stating 'you can't imagine what happened next' on Facebook may be over as the company has decided to change its news feed algorithm in order to ensure that users are not duped by clickbair websites. A report on CNBC stated, "The bottom line: Media companies, which have become increasingly dependent on Facebook in attracting readers, will have to comply with the site's editorial values or face a fall-off in social media referrals. It's probably no surprise that people do not like clickbait headlines. To fix the pervasive problem, Facebook's algorithm will start playing editor to your News Feed in the coming weeks. The new virtual editor - built by a team of engineers who analyzed tens of thousands of clickbait headlines - will identify phrases commonly used to lure clicks, such as "You'll Never Believe Who Tripped and Fell on the Red Carpet ..." or "Apples Are Actually Bad For You?!" and push those posts further down in the scrolling stream of information known as the Facebook News Feed."
The report went on to add, "Facebook's updated algorithm will quash stories with headlines that deliberately withhold key information - a tactic publishers have employed to drive clicks and digital ad dollars - and something Facebook's users have complained about. (Breaking news: these are only bad for you if you eat too many.) Posts and stories that Facebook's algorithm "likes" - i.e., those it deems "genuine" - will be ranked higher up in people's News Feeds. Facebook has already updated its News Feed algorithm to reduce the distribution of posts that people click and quickly return from, but the clickbait problem has persisted."
In a post released by Alex Peysakhovich, Research Scientist and Kristin Hendrix, User Experience Researcher at Facebook, "We're still seeing Pages rely on clickbait headlines, and people are still telling us they would prefer to see clearly written headlines that help them decide how they want to spend their time and not waste time on what they click," The times are definitely changing.
