Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2.8 billion monthly active users as of 2023. The platform allows users to share updates, photos, videos, and more with their friends and followers. Two of the core features that facilitate sharing on Facebook are the News Feed and Stories.
What is the Facebook News Feed?
The Facebook News Feed, commonly just referred to as the “Feed,” is the constantly updating list of updates from friends, family, Groups, Pages, and other connections that appears in the center column of a user’s homepage when they log into Facebook on desktop. On mobile, the News Feed takes up the entirety of the screen when a user opens the app.
The News Feed acts as a personalized news source, curating a unique mix of updates for each individual user based on the Facebook algorithm and their connections on the platform. When a user’s friends post updates, comment on posts, share content, react to content, and more, those posts may appear in the user’s News Feed.
Some things that may show up in a user’s News Feed include:
- Status updates from friends
- Shared links, videos, and photos from connections
- Life events like engagements, marriages, childbirths
- Comments and reactions to a user’s own posts
- Page posts from Pages the user has liked
- Group posts from Groups the user has joined
- Ad posts sponsored posts
The Facebook algorithm controls what appears in a user’s News Feed and in what order. The algorithm takes into account factors like a user’s past interactions, the type of post, who posted it, and how popular it is to curate the most relevant mix of content for each user. Posts higher up in the News Feed are ones that the algorithm has determined to be more popular, engaging, and relevant to that specific user.
Key Facts About the News Feed
- Introduced in 2006
- Shows recent updates from friends, family, Groups, and Pages
- Feed is personalized for each user
- Algorithm controls order of posts
- Accessible on desktop and mobile
What are Facebook Stories?
Facebook Stories are short photo or video updates that appear at the top of a user’s News Feed and disappear after 24 hours. Stories allow users to give their friends quick, casual updates showcasing their everyday lives.
When viewing a story, friends can react to it, respond with a message, or skip to the next story. Stories do not receive likes or public comments. They are meant to be a more raw, unedited way to share everyday moments without making them a permanent part of your profile.
To view someone’s story, simply go to their profile and tap on their profile picture, which will have a colorful ring around it if they have an active story up. Their stories will automatically play one after the other. If you want to post a story yourself, you can do so by:
- Opening the Facebook app
- Tapping the ‘+’ or ‘Create Story’ icon
- Taking or uploading a photo/video for your story
- Adding effects, drawings, stickers, locations, etc.
- Posting it to your story
Stories appear in a bar at the top of the News Feed. Only people you are connected with can view your Facebook stories.
Key Facts About Facebook Stories
- Introduced in 2017
- Short photo and video updates
- Appear at the top of News Feed
- Disappear after 24 hours
- Allows users to be more casual and raw
Differences Between the News Feed and Stories
While the News Feed and Stories both allow you to view updates from friends, there are some key differences between the two:
| Facebook News Feed | Facebook Stories |
|---|---|
| Ongoing feed of updates | Temporary 24-hour updates |
| Posts can receive likes and comments | Stories do not have public likes or comments |
| Algorithm-controlled ranking | Appear in chronological order |
| Primarily text, link, photo and video posts | Primarily creative photos and videos |
| Accessible on desktop and mobile | Mainly accessed on mobile |
As you can see, while both features allow for sharing updates with friends, the News Feed is designed for more permanent sharing and engagement while Stories offer a space to be more spontaneous and casual.
Facebook’s Feed Algorithm
The order of posts that appear in a user’s News Feed is controlled by Facebook’s feed ranking algorithm. The algorithm selects from thousands of possible posts and ranks them in order of relevance specific to each user.
According to Facebook, the algorithm considers over 100,000 different factors to determine the ranking. Some of the main factors include:
- Past interactions – Posts from friends you interact with more often are ranked higher.
- Type of post – Photos, videos, and statures tend to be ranked higher than links.
- Popularity – More popular posts generally appear higher up.
- Timeliness – Newer posts are usually ranked higher than older posts.
- Comments – Posts with lots of comments often trend higher in the News Feed.
In 2018, Facebook updated their algorithm to prioritize “meaningful” posts from friends and family over public content from brands, Pages, and publishers. As a result, users typically see much more personal content from their social circles rather than viral videos or news stories.
The main goal of Facebook’s ever-evolving feed algorithm is to show each user the posts that are most likely to engage and interest them specifically. This provides a personalized, relevant News Feed experience for every individual user.
How Facebook’s Algorithm Affects Businesses
Facebook’s algorithm changes have significantly affected content creators and businesses who use Facebook to reach their audiences. With more focus on friends and family content, organic brand and Page reach has declined over time. Businesses now have to rely more heavily on paid advertising on Facebook to get their content seen.
Some tips for businesses trying to adapt to Facebook’s algorithm include:
- Post content that provokes high engagement
- Go live and create Facebook Stories
- Use hashtags and tag people to help spread reach
- Run both brand awareness and conversion Facebook ads
Ultimately, creating standout content optimized for the platform and diversifying reach through paid methods is key for brands to succeed with Facebook’s algorithm.
The Pros and Cons of Personalized News Feeds
Personalized News Feeds like those on Facebook have some notable pros and cons:
Pros
- See content you care about from friends and family
- Get introduced to new interests based on your tastes
- Avoid spam and irrelevant content
- Easier to keep up with many subscriptions and interests
Cons
- Can create echo chambers and “filter bubbles”
- Leads to less content diversity
- Causes users to miss posts from connections
- Gives algorithms influence over what information users see
Overall, personalized feeds have benefited users by allowing them to connect over shared interests and giving them a more focused experience. However, concerns around diversity of viewpoints and algorithms controlling information are certainly valid. Moderation seems to be the healthiest approach for consuming personalized feeds.
Conclusion
The Facebook News Feed and Stories are core features that enable users to share updates, photos, videos, and more with friends and followers on the platform. The constantly updating, personalized News Feed allows you to discover recent posts from connections, while Stories allow for more casual, temporary sharing.
Facebook’s feed algorithm controls the order of posts users see on their News Feeds, aiming to show each user the content most relevant to them. Businesses have had to adapt their strategies due to the algorithm’s focus on friends and family content over branded content. Overall, the News Feed and Stories have become staple ways for over 2 billion people to connect and share on Facebook.