Facebook’s news feed algorithm is complex and considers many factors when determining the order in which to show friends’ posts. However, there are some general principles that govern how the news feed is ordered.
Most Recent Posts Are Prioritized
In general, Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes showing the most recent posts from your friends towards the top of your news feed. When a friend makes a new post, whether it’s a status update, a shared link, a photo, or a life event, that new post is more likely to appear closer to the top of your news feed compared to older posts.
This makes sense, as most users are interested in seeing the latest updates from their network. If Facebook simply showed posts in chronological order, you’d have to continuously scroll down your feed to find new posts. By surfacing recent posts up top, Facebook creates a better user experience.
Some Friends Are Weighted More Heavily Than Others
However, recency is not the only factor Facebook considers. They also weight some friends’ posts more heavily than others, even if they are older, based on the algorithm’s understanding of who you interact with most often.
Specifically, the algorithm tracks your historical interactions to determine who your closest friends on the network are. This includes metrics like:
- How often you like, comment on, or share a friend’s posts
- How often you view, comment on, or post photos of a friend
- How often you RSVP to a friend’s events or view their content
- How often you communicate with a friend via Messenger
Friends with whom you have significant engagement across multiple areas like these will have their posts weighted more heavily in your feed. Even if their posts are not the most recent, they are still more likely to be surfaced towards the top rather than network acquaintances you rarely interact with.
Algorithm Considers Other Engagement Signals
Beyond your direct interactions, Facebook’s algorithm also tracks other signals to infer what types of posts you are likely to engage with. These include:
- How long you spend looking at certain posts
- Whether you click links, play videos, or enlarge photos
- Whether you hide, report, or block certain posts
The algorithm uses all these signals to learn your individual preferences and make predictions about which new posts you are most likely to interact with. Friends whose posts receive lots of engagement from you are more likely to have their content shown higher up.
Relevance Is Key
Facebook’s overriding aim is to show you content that is most relevant to your interests. While recency and relationships are important factors, the algorithm ultimately tries to surface the posts it believes will be most meaningful to you.
So even if a close friend made a post 6 hours ago, if the algorithm believes the post is highly relevant to your interests, it may resurface it back towards the top of your news feed. The goal is to maximize the chance you’ll find engaging content each time you scroll through your feed.
External Sites and Information
In addition to data within Facebook, the algorithm also utilizes signals from external sites and information to better understand your interests. For example, Facebook may determine you have an interest in cryptocurrency based on pages you visited or articles you read on external websites. It can then factor this into the ranking of Facebook posts to surface relevant crypto content higher, even if that content comes from more distant connections.
User Controls for Feed Ranking
While the news feed algorithm is fully automated, Facebook does provide some user controls allow you to influence how your feed is ordered:
- Favorites – You can designate some friends as favorites, increasing the likelihood their posts are shown up top
- Unfollow – You can unfollow friends without unfriending them, removing their posts from your feed
- Snooze – You can snooze friends for 30 days, temporarily removing their posts
- Reconnect – If you haven’t interacted with a friend in a while, Facebook may ask if you want to reconnect, resurfacing their posts
Using these controls strategically lets you craft a more personalized feed experience.
The Algorithm Is Always Evolving
It’s important to keep in mind that Facebook’s news feed algorithm is not static – it is constantly being updated and improved. Major News Feed changes roll out every few months. Some factors may become more or less important over time as Facebook continues trying to refine its ranking system.
The overall goal remains showing people the posts that matter most to them, but how the algorithm determines relevance will keep morphing. As user behavior changes and new technologies emerge, Facebook needs to evolve its algorithms continuously to stay current.
Transparency Around Ranking Factors
Due to the complexity of the news feed algorithm and its frequent changes, Facebook used to be fairly opaque about how ranking worked in practice. However, in recent years, the company has tried to promote more transparency.
Facebook now provides periodic updates on its Newsroom blog about major algorithm shifts and what new signals they are incorporating. They also launched a “Why am I seeing this post?” feature that provides individual users with more visibility into why certain posts are being shown in their feed.
While the algorithm remains highly complex, these transparency efforts help users better understand the hierarchy of factors impacting what they see day-to-day.
Machine Learning Refines The Algorithm
Increasingly, Facebook relies on powerful machine learning capabilities to constantly analyze engagement patterns across its 2+ billion users. Sophisticated AI models can detect nuanced patterns in user behavior and refine the algorithm’s ranking logic accordingly.
For example, deep learning models can cluster users together based on common interests and engagement patterns. The system can then learn to adjust ranking based on what posts users in those clusters are most likely to interact with.
Over time, AI gives Facebook an unprecedented ability to segment users and precisely cater to their interests when ranking posts. Machine learning provides a scalable way to make sense of vast amounts of data and improve personalization.
The Future of Social Media Feeds
Looking ahead, it’s safe to assume news feed algorithms at Facebook and other social networks will only grow more advanced. Here are a few emerging trends to expect:
- More personalized – Algorithms will continue learning your individual interests to filter content
- More contextual – Ranking will adapt to situational factors like time, location, or current events
- More predictive – AIs will become better at anticipating the posts you want to see before you know it
- More impartial – Algorithms will depend less on who you know and more on what you like to see
Balancing relevance, transparency, and impartiality will remain a challenge. But in general, the future points towards social feeds that provide each person with a truly unique experience curated to their evolving interests.
The Pros and Cons of Personalized Feeds
The advantage of personalized news feed algorithms is that they surface the social media content most relevant to each individual user. However, there are also risks to consider:
Pros
- See more relevant content
- Less overwhelmed by irrelevant posts
- Discover new topics and connections
- Platforms can surface important info unique to each user
Cons
- Can isolate users in “filter bubbles” and promote tunnel vision
- Limits exposure to alternative viewpoints
- Can amplify polarization, misinformation, and extremism
- Raises concerns around platforms manipulating users
Overall, personalized feeds are likely here to stay. But platforms will need to provide controls and transparency to mitigate the risks.
Strategies for Getting Your Posts Seen
Given how many factors impact Facebook’s news feed algorithm, what can you do to increase the reach of your own posts?
- Post consistently – Stay active to increase chances of reaching your audience
- Post at optimal times – Track when your followers are most active
- Use relevant keywords – Include keywords your audience cares about
- Post different content formats – Video, images, links, polls, etc.
- Create engaging content – Inspire reactions and comments from followers
- Leverage ads – Use paid promotion to ensure reach
Mastering social algorithms is challenging. But combining great content with some strategy can help you break through the noise.
Differences Across Social Platforms
While this article covers the Facebook news feed algorithm, it’s important to remember that every social media platform orders feeds differently:
| Platform | Main Feed Factors |
|---|---|
| Recency, Relevance, Relationships | |
| Popularity, Recency, Relationships | |
| Recency, Popularity, Relevance | |
| TikTok | Engagement, Video Relevance |
| YouTube | Watch Time, Recency, Relevance |
So strategies need to be tailored for each platform. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for optimizing social media feeds.
The Takeaway
Facebook’s news feed algorithm has one main purpose – to show each person the posts most relevant and valuable to them. But achieving this requires considering many personalized and contextual signals.
While the specific logic remains opaque in many ways, Facebook does aim to improve transparency. And users have some controls to influence what content surfaces in their feeds.
As machine learning improves personalization, social media feeds will only get better at providing unique value to each user. But platforms need to thoughtfully consider the risks and downsides too.
With some understanding of how algorithms work and posting savvy, content creators and businesses can still find ways to effectively reach their audiences on Facebook.
The order of posts we see is determined by far more than just reverse chronology. But engaging in meaningful ways with your connections remains the best way to ensure your voice gets heard.