If you’ve been noticing a lot of old posts showing up in your Facebook feed lately, you’re not alone. Many users have reported seeing Facebook posts that are weeks or even months old suddenly appearing at the top of their news feed as if they were new.
There are a few reasons why you may be seeing old posts on Facebook again:
Facebook’s Algorithm
The main reason old posts show up is due to changes Facebook has made to its news feed algorithm over the years. The goal of the algorithm is to show you posts and stories that Facebook thinks you’ll find most interesting and engaging.
In order to do this, Facebook looks at a variety of factors to rank and select posts for your feed, including:
- How recently the post was shared
- The type of post (photo, video, status update, etc.)
- How many likes, comments, and shares the post receives
- Your interactions with the person who posted it
- The popularity of the post
Based on these and other factors, Facebook’s algorithm ranks and decides which posts it thinks you’ll care about most. Older posts can appear in your feed if the algorithm determines the post was highly engaging.
Post Popularity
Even if a post is months old, if it suddenly starts getting a ton of new likes, comments, and shares, Facebook may resurface it thinking it’s popular and relevant. This is why sometimes old news stories or viral posts bubble back up in your feed.
Sponsored Posts
Facebook allows pages and advertisers to sponsor posts and boost their reach. If a Page chooses to boost an old post, it can end up in your feed even though it wasn’t originally shared recently.
Friends Commenting on Old Posts
When your friends interact with old posts and leave new comments on them, this signals to Facebook that the post is still relevant. The post can then reappear in your news feed with your friend’s latest comment on it.
Page You Follow Reshares Old Post
Similarly, when a Page you follow reshares one of their old posts, that post may show up at the top of your feed again as if it’s new. Pages will often reshare old popular posts to gain more reach.
You Recently Interacted With the Person or Page
If you’ve recently viewed someone’s profile, left a comment on their post, or interacted with them in some other way, Facebook takes note of that. You’re then likely to see more posts from that person in your feed, even if they’re older posts.
You Have Mutual Friends Who Liked It
Facebook’s algorithm also takes into account how many of your friends liked or interacted with a post. So if a lot of your friends are liking an old post, Facebook may assume you’ll find it relevant too and put it in your feed.
recap
Here’s a quick recap of the main reasons old posts appear on Facebook:
- Changes to Facebook’s news feed algorithm
- A post suddenly increases in popularity and engagement
- Pages sponsor old posts as ads which resurfaces them
- Friends commenting on or interacting with old posts
- Pages you follow re-sharing old posts
- You recently interacted with the person who posted it
- You have mutual friends who liked or commented on the post
Does Facebook Show More Old Posts Now?
Many Facebook users report noticing a significant increase in old posts and recycled stories in their feeds within the past couple years. This is likely due to some algorithm tweaks Facebook has made.
In 2018, Facebook updated their algorithm to focus more on posts that spark meaningful interactions between friends and family. As a result, you may see more resurfaced posts that your close connections have engaged with.
Facebook also wants users to spend more time on their platform, so showing engaging posts that people may have missed can help increase time spent in the app. More time onsite equals more potential ad revenue for Facebook.
Tips to See Less Old Content
If you want to curate your Facebook feed and see fewer old posts, here are some tips:
- Adjust your News Feed preferences: Go to the “Prioritize who to see first” menu and choose the friends you want to see most.
- Unfollow pages that resurface old content too often.
- Hide or snooze posts you don’t want to keep seeing.
- See First updates from close friends and family by adjusting News Feed preferences.
- Interact more with fresh posts you like so Facebook learns your preferences.
- Use Lists to group friends whose posts you want to see most often.
Why Facebook Shows Old Posts
To summarize, here are some of the key reasons Facebook shows you old posts:
| Reason | Description |
|---|---|
| Facebook algorithm determines post is highly engaging and relevant to you | Based on likes, comments, shares, interactions, etc. |
| Post suddenly increases in popularity and goes viral again | Gets lots of new engagement signals |
| Page sponsors an old post as an ad | Boosted posts appear in feeds |
| Friends interact with old posts | Comments and likes make the post seem relevant |
| Page you follow reshares an old post | Appears new in your feed again |
| You recently interacted with the person/Page who posted it | Facebook shows you more of their content |
| You have mutual friends who engaged with the post | Friends’ interactions signal relevance |
Should I Be Concerned About Old Content?
Generally, there’s no need to be concerned about old posts appearing routinely in your Facebook feed. It’s just the natural result of Facebook’s algorithm trying to show you relevant and engaging content.
However, if you see a significant increase in old posts, it could signal that:
- Your current connections aren’t posting as much
- Pages you follow have decreased in posting frequency
- You need to refresh your connections and who you follow
- Facebook lacks recent high-quality content to show you
If this happens, try engaging more with your close connections, join some new interest-based groups, and be more selective about the Pages you follow to see more fresh content.
How to Filter Old Content on Facebook
You have options to filter out old posts so your Facebook feed contains more timely, relevant content:
- Unfollow people and Pages that frequently re-share old posts
- Adjust News Feed preferences to rank close friends higher
- Use the “See First” list for your favorite people and Pages
- Snooze or hide posts you don’t want to see again
- Interact more with recent posts from friends
- Refresh who you follow to get new content sources
You can also switch to the “Most Recent” feed view to see all latest posts in chronological order rather than ranked by algorithm.
Conclusion
Old posts commonly resurface on Facebook due to ranking factors like engagement, popularity, paid promotion, and your connections’ interactions. While old content can seem stale, it doesn’t necessarily indicate an issue with your account.
Focus on connecting with close friends regularly, being selective about who you follow, and utilizing feed filters to see more fresh posts you care about. With some feed curation, you can keep your Facebook experience vibrant and current.