The Facebook news feed displays updates, photos, videos, links, and more from friends, pages, and groups. There are a few key things to know about the format and structure of the Facebook news feed:
The News Feed is Personalized
The Facebook news feed is customized for each user based on their connections, interests, and previous interactions on Facebook. When you log in to Facebook, you see a unique news feed tailored just for you. Facebook uses complex algorithms to determine the ranking and order of posts in your news feed. Posts from people you interact with more frequently are typically shown higher up. Facebook also analyzes your past likes, comments, clicks, and other actions to discern what types of content you are most likely to engage with, and displays those types of posts more prominently.
The News Feed Displays Recent Updates
The Facebook news feed shows recent updates from the past day or so. However, it does not display posts sequentially in chronological order. Again, Facebook’s algorithms determine the ranking of posts, with more recent interactions generally being weighted higher. When you refresh your news feed, new posts are loaded inranked by relevance, not simply in order of recency.
The Format is a Continuous Scroll
The Facebook news feed format is designed for endless scrolling. As you scroll down through the news feed, additional posts are dynamically loaded. There are typically no static “pages” on Facebook. The experience is designed to allow scrolling through a never-ending feed of updates and content. The idea is to make it easy for users to consume large amounts of information quickly by simply scrolling down their personalized feed.
Posts Include Rich Media
The Facebook news feed contains more than just text statuses. Posts can include photos, videos, live videos, GIFs, links, polls, events, voices messages, and more. This rich multimedia content makes the news feed dynamic and visual. The different types of media also allow users to communicate in ways beyond just text posts.
Multiple Post Types
In addition to the different media formats, there are also different post types you may see in your news feed. Some examples include:
- Status Updates – Text, photo, video, etc. posts published directly to a user’s profile feed.
- Shared Content – Links, news articles, videos, etc. shared by a user to their feed.
- Life Events – User posts about major life events such as engagements, marriages, childbirths, etc.
- Check-Ins – Users can check-in at locations and share these updates.
- Reviews – Users can write reviews for restaurants, movies, products, etc.
- Group Posts – Updates from groups the user has joined.
- Page Posts – Updates from pages the user has liked or followed.
- Ad Posts – Sponsored posts targeted to the user based on their data and interests.
The News Feed has Side Columns
The main center column of the Facebook news feed contains the personalized post feed described above. However, there are also customizable side columns that display supplementary information:
- Left Column – Displays links to shortcuts like Events, Groups, Friends list, Marketplace, etc. The links shown are tailored for each user.
- Right Column – Displays ads, page suggestions, contacts birthdays, etc. This content is also personalized.
The Format Adjusts Across Devices
Facebook is designed to be responsive across different devices and screens. On a desktop browser, the news feed takes up about 60% of the screen width with side columns on either side. On tablets and mobile devices, the news feed takes up 100% of the screen width and the columns are either collapsed into a menu or displayed below the main feed.
Some key differences in the mobile news feed format include:
- Bigger fonts and buttons for easier tapping/navigation.
- Single column view that takes up the full screen.
- Certain post types may be enlarged (e.g. photos and videos).
- Less text heavy – more visual posts.
Ads are Intermixed Organically
Facebook intersperses sponsored ad posts directly inline with normal user/page news feed posts. The ads are displayed in the same format as regular posts for a seamless experience. Users can provide feedback on ads and choose to hide ads they do not wish to see. But in general, the ads are simply mixed in with other posts in the feed.
The Order is Algorithmically Determined
As mentioned earlier, Facebook’s algorithms control the order of posts shown to each user. The exact ranking algorithm is proprietary and constantly evolving. But in general, it takes into account factors like:
- Information about the post content itself – text, images, video, links, etc.
- The age of the post.
- The type of post – status update, shared post, photo, video, etc.
- Engagement on the post – likes, comments, shares, clicks, etc.
- The user’s relationship to the person who posted.
- How often the user interacts with the poster.
- The user’s interest in the post topic based on past activity.
- Frequency of posts from the same source.
- How long since the user has seen posts from the same source.
- Relevance to recent news events and trends.
By taking all these factors into account for each user, Facebook aims to create the most engaging, personalized feed.
There are Data Filters
Users have some ability to filter the types of posts they see in their news feeds by using filtering options like:
- Unfollow – Removes someone’s posts without unfriending them.
- Snooze – Temporarily hides posts from a person, page, or group for 30 days.
- See First – Makes sure you see posts from select people at the top of your feed.
- Relevance Score – Lets you rate how interested you are in certain posts and sources.
However, most users do not change these settings from the defaults and simply consume the news feed as ranked by Facebook’s algorithms.
It Loads New Content on Scroll
The Facebook news feed dynamically loads additional content as you scroll down. Typically each scroll action triggers a request for another batch or “page” of news feed posts to append to the current feed. This gives the impression of an infinite, endless feed stream that provides new content continuously as long as the user continues scrolling down.
The number of posts loaded at one time can vary based on device, connection speed, and other factors. But in general Facebook tries to load posts in batches or chunks to balance speed and data transfer size.
Conclusion
In summary, the Facebook news feed has a highly personalized, rich media format optimized for scanning and scrolling quickly through visual content. Algorithms determine the order of posts based on relevance to each user. The responsive design adapts across devices while maintaining the core infinite scroll experience. Ads mix inline organically, and some filtering options allow users limited control. But for the most part, Facebook controls what each user sees in their constantly updated news feed optimized to keep them engaged on the platform.