Facebook’s News Feed algorithm is constantly trying to determine what content might be interesting or relevant to each user. There are a number of factors that go into generating suggestions for people, posts, Pages, Groups, and events that you might want to connect with on Facebook.
How the Facebook News Feed algorithm works
According to Facebook, there are over 100,000 factors that determine what appears in each person’s News Feed. The goal is to show users the posts that are most likely to be meaningful to them and encourage meaningful interactions. Some of the main factors include:
- How often you interact with certain people, Pages, or Groups
- How much you have interacted with a certain type of post in the past
- How popular or engaging posts are among your friends and people you follow
Facebook groups these factors into categories like “close relationships,” “informative content,” and “relevance.” Posts that are timely, local, photo-heavy, or have other qualities known to elicit higher engagement may be ranked higher. Facebook is also looking at longer-term patterns of usage and preferences.
In addition, advertisers can pay to increase the reach and placement of their posts. Users can also proactively boost the visibility of their own posts by paying or requesting others to share it.
How personalization factors into suggestions
One of the main goals with Facebook’s algorithm is to show each user content that is uniquely tailored to their interests and relationships. Some key inputs to personalization include:
- Pages and accounts you’ve Liked or followed
- Posts and topics you frequently interact with
- What your friends and connections have Liked
- Groups you have joined
- Ads you’ve clicked on or engaged with
- Your usage activities across Facebook’s family of apps
- Demographics like age, location, gender, education level, job title, etc.
Facebook may infer details about users’ interests and habits based on this data. Then it can serve up recommendations aligned with those inferred preferences.
How Facebook picks up trends
In addition to individual users’ data, Facebook also looks at broader patterns across networks and populations. Trending topics that gain a spike in popularity and engagement can get boosted within the algorithm. Facebook has automated mechanisms as well as human reviewers that work to detect emerging trends.
Some examples of factors that can drive a topic’s virality include:
- News events like elections, natural disasters, or deaths of prominent figures
- Entertainment releases like movies, albums, games, or other cultural moments
- Holidays and events
- Memes and other social phenomena
Facebook’s algorithms pick up on the increased activity around these topics and may incorporate them more into users’ feeds, even if those users haven’t engaged with that topic before.
How you can influence suggestions
While much of what appears in your News Feed is determined by Facebook’s algorithms, you can take some actions to shape what kinds of suggestions you see:
- Like or follow Pages aligned to your interests
- Join Groups relevant to your hobbies, causes, identity, location, etc.
- Post, comment on, and engage with the types of content you want to see more of from friends
- Use the News Feed preferences to hide or snooze posts from sources you don’t want to see as frequently
- Provide feedback in News Feed surveys about the relevance of suggestions you see
Being selective with your engagement and followership signals to Facebook what content resonates with you. Over time, the related suggestions should become more tailored to your demonstrated preferences.
Major factors driving different types of suggestions
Now let’s explore some of the top factors that go into different common types of Facebook suggestions or recommendations:
Suggested friends
- Friends of your friends
- People with shared education or workplaces
- Similar demographics like age, location, interests, etc.
- Connections imported from your contact lists
- Reconnecting with past friends or acquaintances
- Friends you’ve interacted with frequently or recently
Suggested Pages to follow
- Pages your friends like or follow
- Popular Pages related to your location
- Pages consistent with your demographics and inferred interests
- Pages you’ve previously engaged with or visited
- Pages related to your Likes, Groups, or recent interactions
Suggested Groups to join
- Groups your friends have joined
- Popular local Groups
- Niche Groups aligned to your interests or identity
- Groups related to Pages you engage with
- Groups discovered via your searches or activities
Suggested events
- Events created by your friends
- Local events near you
- Events related to your interests
- Events with friends attending or interested
- Events from Pages or Groups you follow
- Paid event promotions
The role of advertising and paid promotion
In addition to suggestions based purely on algorithmic signals and personalization, Facebook also incorporates paid advertising and promoted posts into News Feed and recommendations:
- Pages and businesses can pay to boost the reach of their posts
- Event creators can pay to promote their events to targeted audiences
- Businesses can run ads that appear in the News Feed
- Facebook identifies natural overlaps between ad targeting and users’ interests
Facebook labeling distinguishes sponsored content from other suggestions. But paid promotion still plays a significant role in what users see in their feeds and recommendations.
Ad targeting aligns with interests
Facebook offers detailed options for advertisers to target very specific demographics and user interests. The more closely ad targeting matches your profile and behavior, the more likely Facebook is to show you those ads.
For example, a music brand advertising a new album release could target fans of that artist or genre. Users could then see that ad in their feeds even without any prior interaction with that brand.
Businesses can sponsor recommendations
Businesses have options to pay to get their Pages, posts, or events shown to larger audiences that fit their ideal customer demographics. While labeled as “sponsored,” these paid recommendations can influence the perceptions users form of brands.
For instance, a restaurant could promote their Page or a post about a new menu item to foodies in their city. Event promoters can buy visibility for their upcoming concerts or festivals targeting relevant listeners.
Ads in feed are personalized
Facebook designs ad placements to blend with non-sponsored posts in the News Feed. It aims to show users ads likely to be relevant based on their profile and behavior data.
For example, users who Liked sports Pages or engage with sports content could see more ads for sporting goods, fantasy leagues, or sports media brands.
Limitations and concerns around Facebook suggestions
While Facebook’s recommendation algorithms aim to personalize and improve user experiences, there are some limitations and concerns to note:
- Algorithms can reinforce biases or create echo chambers around interests or beliefs
- Higher engagement on controversial topics can lead to more polarized suggestions
- People dissatisfied with recommendations often have limited insight into why they see certain posts
- Paid promotions and ads aren’t always clearly distinguished from algorithmic suggestions
Facebook does allow users some controls over what they see in their News Feeds via tools like snoozing accounts or limiting ad topics. However, the core algorithm remains fairly opaque in how different signals get weighted.
Filter bubbles limit diversity of ideas
A phenomenon sometimes called the “filter bubble” can occur when algorithms recommend content based on users’ past behaviors. You may see an increasingly narrow range of perspectives and ideas tailored to your inferred preferences.
For example, if you frequently engage with content from one political ideology, you may see ever more suggestions aligned with those views. This can limit exposure to alternate ideas.
Engagement isn’t always a trustworthy signal
Facebook points to engagement as a key metric in determining relevance of content. But outrage, shock value, or misinformation can also drive higher engagement.
Some warn Facebook’s algorithms can end up promoting polarizing, extremist, or unreliable information simply because it gets more reactions and shares. Curiosity and controversy are not always signs of true relevance.
Lack of transparency around suggestions
Given the many unknowns in how Facebook’s black box algorithms function, some users express unease about why certain suggestions appear in their feeds.
Without clarity around why you see each recommendation, it can feel like you have limited control. More transparency could help users better shape their experiences.
Tips for managing your Facebook suggestions
Here are some tips to help optimize the relevance of the content Facebook recommends to you:
- ActivelyLike and follow the Pages aligned with your interests
- Join Groups relevant to your hobbies, causes, or identity
- Engage thoughtfully with posts from friends and Pages by reacting or commenting on valued posts
- Limit your interactions with clickbait, outrage posts, or misinformation
- Snooze or unfollow friends who frequently share irrelevant or negative content
- Check News Feed preferences for controls over ad topics and favoriting Friends and Pages
- Provide Facebook feedback via surveys about why you don’t want to see certain suggestions
While you don’t have access to exactly how the algorithm works, you can influence its assumptions through your selective engagement with content you find meaningful. Be choosy with your clicks.
Conclusion
Facebook’s constantly evolving News Feed algorithm considers thousands of signals to select each user’s personalized set of suggestions and recommended content. Major factors include your connections, interests, activities, demographics, and interaction patterns.
Paid promotions also influence what you see, blending sponsored posts and ads in with algorithmic suggestions. There are some risks of filter bubbles and lack of transparency around Facebook’s black box system.
However, users do have some abilities to shape their experiences through tools like managing preferences, giving feedback, and being selective in engaging with valued content. With Facebook becoming such a dominant force in news, information, and connections, it’s worthwhile to understand what influences its suggestions.