Facebook’s decision to remove the trending topics feature from its platform in 2018 came as a result of several factors. The social media giant had faced criticism over the feature for some time, including allegations of bias in the sources and topics that were surfaced as trending. Additionally, usage of the feature had declined over time as Facebook evolved its algorithmic ranking of posts in users’ News Feeds. Removing trending topics helped streamline the Facebook experience and focus resources on other priorities, like curbing fake news and data privacy concerns. However, the change also impacted news publishers who relied on trending topics for visibility and traffic. Ultimately, Facebook determined the costs of maintaining the controversial feature outweighed the benefits.
When did Facebook introduce trending topics?
Facebook first introduced its trending topics feature in 2014. The feature displayed a list of news topics and viral stories that were spiking in popularity on Facebook at any given time. The goal was to surface interesting and timely stories to users and encourage more engagement on the platform. Trending topics were visible on Facebook’s desktop site in a dedicated sidebar column and in its mobile apps. When users tapped on a trending topic, they would see a feed of relevant posts from friends, Pages, and media outlets.
How did Facebook determine what was trending?
Facebook relied on an algorithm and human reviewers to curate the trending topics list. The algorithm identified topics that were generating a spike in engagement and shares across Facebook, which signaled they were trending organically. Human reviewers then filtered those algorithmic suggestions to confirm the topics were tied to current news events and of general interest. The reviewers could also add or remove topics based on what was happening in the news cycle. Facebook maintained a team of contracted media curators specifically for this purpose. They were required to review guidelines on news judgment and unbiased practices. The goal was to surface non-partisan news events rather than specific political viewpoints or agendas.
What controversies did the trending feature face?
In 2016, Facebook’s trending section came under fire over allegations of liberal political bias. Anonymous former curators told the media that they routinely suppressed conservative news sources from trending lists, even if the topics were organically popular on Facebook. They claimed managers instructed them to artificially inject non-trending liberal stories at times too. Facebook denied outright political bias, but acknowledged the need for better trending news guidelines and practices. An internal investigation found no evidence of systemic bias but confirmed a lack of processes for objectivity. In 2018, Facebook dissolved its entire team of media curators for trending news in response.
Why did Facebook usage of trending decline over time?
In Facebook’s early days, trending topics provided a useful way for users to discover timely news and viral content. But as Facebook evolved, usage of the dedicated trending sections declined significantly. After Facebook tweaked its News Feed algorithm in 2018 to show more posts from friends and family, engagement with Pages and media outlets decreased overall. Users simply spent less time browsing interests-based content from Pages they didn’t follow directly. Facebook also expanded options for users to discover content themselves, such as notifications for live videos and breaking news events. These shifts made a separate trending topics feed less necessary to users.
How did Facebook’s News Feed algorithm impact trending?
Facebook’s move towards more algorithmic, personalized News Feeds also impacted the utility of trending topics for users. In the past, Facebook displayed the same trending list to all users globally. But as the News Feed became tailored to individuals’ interests based on their usage patterns, the idea of universal trending topics was less relevant. What’s trending for one user based on who and what they follow is different than another user’s feed. The rise of hashtags also allowed users to track trending topics themselves rather than relying on Facebook’s curated list.
How did removing trending topics benefit Facebook?
Eliminating the dedicated trending topics feature freed up resources for Facebook in a few key ways. First, it allowed the company to allocate its engineering staff towards higher priority products, like video offerings. Maintaining the backend infrastructure for trending topics was likely costly for little usage payoff. Second, dissolving the controversial team of news curators improved public perception at a time when Facebook was facing scrutiny over its role in spreading fake news and propaganda. Given those PR challenges, removing human influence over trending topics helped Facebook seem more objective. Lastly, streamlining the Facebook experience to focus on connecting friends and family rather than serving news better aligned with the company’s mission going forward.
How did publishers react to Facebook removing trending?
Many digital media publishers came to rely heavily on Facebook as a traffic source, so the disappearance of trending topics did negatively impact some outlets. Trending topics provided an opportunity for breaking news stories to gain huge amounts of visibility and traffic quickly through Facebook’s platform. Without human curators selecting and foregrounding stories in trending lists, it became more difficult for news sites to have their content amplified in that way. Facebook did point publishers towards other opportunities like Facebook Live and Instant Articles, but the loss of the trending signal was felt by some as detrimental to their business models.
Did Facebook replace trending topics with anything?
Facebook explored a few potential replacements for the flagship trending topics section after removing it. In some countries, Facebook tested a “Today In” feature that highlighted news deemed important for users’ local cities and communities. For publishers, Facebook developed a “Breaking News” tag that could help elevate time-sensitive stories in the crowded News Feed. Facebook also relied more heavily on hashtags in posts to allow users to discover real-time trends and events themselves. But the company ultimately never recreated the singular, authoritative trending topics feed. News consumption continued shifting towards personalization and users following niche interests rather than universal trends.
Could Facebook bring back trending topics in the future?
While Facebook has given no indication it plans to revive trending topics, the concept of surfacing what is popular in real-time aligns with the company’s mission overall. Facebook sees its role as helping users connect and share timely information. From that lens, a trending section could return in some form, likely involving more algorithmic curation versus human intervention. However, Facebook faces much scrutiny over its role in spreading misinformation. Any return to human-curated trending news would draw skepticism over neutrality and fairness. Facebook may be better positioned as a platform for users to create their own trending content rather than dictating a centralized list from the top down.
How do Twitter’s trending topics differ from Facebook’s?
Unlike Facebook, Twitter continues to maintain a trending topics feature to highlight news and events spiking in popularity across the platform. There are a few key differences in Twitter’s approach. First, Twitter relies entirely on algorithms to detect trending topics without any human curation. Second, Twitter displays trends tailored to a user’s geography rather than a universal list. Users in one city may see completely different trending topics from users in another. Lastly, Twitter displays trends across multiple timeframe windows – from topics trending in the past hour up to over 24 hours. This allows users to view both immediate and sustained trends. Overall, Twitter’s trending feature places more emphasis on algorithmically detecting organic trends customized to location.
Could Facebook integrate trending into its other apps someday?
Looking beyond the Facebook app, there could be opportunities for Facebook to highlight curated trending content within its other apps. For example, Facebook might test integrating trending topics or news into the Watch video hub to make it easier to discover viral and timely videos. Or the company could enable trending hashtags inside Facebook Messenger as it doubles down on chat features. On Instagram, where many users already track hashtags, a trending hashtag carousel could provide added utility. If Facebook finds the right vehicle for trending content that feels native to how users engage with each app, the concept could make a return even without a News Feed presence.
Conclusion
In summary, Facebook removed its trending topics section in 2018 due to declining usage, controversies over bias, and a desire to streamline the Facebook experience by focusing less on serving news. While the change had some negative impacts on publishers, eliminating the feature allowed Facebook to reallocate resources towards more pressing priorities at the time like data privacy. Given ongoing debates over Facebook’s role in journalism, any return of a human-curated trending feature seems unlikely. However, Facebook may explore integrating topical content in other ways that feel more algorithmically-driven and personalized to individual users in line with how the broader platform has evolved.