Social Media

Facebook to push more local stories in your News Feed

Finally, something good for local publishers.

Facebook’s big changes in its flagship feature News Feed have been the most talked about topic since we entered 2018. Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerburg announced big changes in Facebook’s news feed starting this month, aimed to make it more focused towards posts from friends and family while suppressing pages of publishers and corporates. As of now, Facebook’s news feed has another new focus and that is local news.

It appears to be linked with Facebook’s earlier promise when the company started testing a local news and events section for local publishers. The new change that has been affirmed by Zuckerburg in a Facebook post means that people who have either followed a local news publication or not will now see more stories from that publication, all thanks to the algorithm that integrates your friend’s interest in your news feed. According to Zuckerberg,

“People consistently tell us they want to see more local news on Facebook. Local news helps us understand the issues that matter in our communities and affect our lives. Starting today, we’re going to show more stories from news sources in your local town or city.”

It’s the third big change Facebook has announced following the company’s mission of 2018 to make Facebook more productive for society since last month. And the experts predict that at least one more is coming. All of these changes to news feed are part of Zuckerberg’s broader plan to try to make sure Facebook plays a positive role in people’s lives. Meanwhile, this positive role has proven to be the overhaul for some publishers.

The changes are the result of the scrutiny Facebook faced earlier about its influential algorithms and the massive power they have over what people see online. Meanwhile, Facebook is still facing backlash for its role in the 2016 US election, in which Russian agents misused Facebook and other tech giants including Google and Twitter to spread the fake news in the country.

Sponsored
Sajeel Syed

I am a writer at TechJuice, overseeing IT, Telecom, Cryptocurrency, and other tech-related features here. When I'm not working, I spend some of my time with good old Xbox 360 and the rest in social activism. Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sajeelshamsi

Leave a Comment
Share
Published by
Sajeel Syed

Recent Posts

Microsoft Launches AI-Powered “Support Virtual Agent” for Xbox Users

Microsoft has launched its AI-powered “Support Virtual Agent” chatbot for Xbox Insiders in the U.S.,…

43 mins ago

Musk Says Tesla Won’t Enter Smartphone Market Unless Necessary

Android Authority recently polled its users to find out if they would purchase a Tesla…

52 mins ago

Sukkur IBA Sets Seven Conditions for Conducting MDCAT

The Secretary of the Sukkur IBA Testing Agency has formally requested urgent action from the…

1 hour ago

PSEB Opens Bidding for Nationwide e-Rozgar Centers

The Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) has launched a nationwide program to encourage IT startups…

2 hours ago

Google Play Services Bug Disrupts Access to Apps for Pixel Users: Here’s How to Fix It

A significant issue with Google Play Services has left many Pixel users unable to access…

2 hours ago

WhatsApp Beta Partners with Google for Innovative Image Search Feature

When it comes to Android messaging apps, WhatsApp stands out as one of the best.…

2 hours ago