Facebook to Ask Users for Feedback to Improve Algorithms

Tech giant Meta Platforms Inc will soon ask users for more direct feedback to customize the user feed and improve algorithms. The move is part of a broader effort to compete with the social-networking platform TikTok and show people posts from users they don’t follow. 

Users will soon be able to see “show more” and “show less” buttons on the posts in their feed, giving them a direct way to tell the company of their interests. The platform will then use that feedback to temporarily alter the type of content people see to improve “discovery” across various apps. This would enable new posts and videos to surface from others they don’t already follow.

Meta already personalizes user feeds on leading platforms such as Facebook and Instagram using likes and follows. The new impact of the “show more” and “show less” buttons would add more to assess user engagement. 

Tom Alison, the head of Facebook’s core app, claims that using the buttons will likely impact the algorithm for 30 to 60 days, and help dictate the kind of accounts that show up in feeds. “We are looking at it as a signal you are giving us that is a little more time-bound than liking a post,” Alison said, adding that it’s meant to tell Facebook “how you feel about content in the moment”.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that improving “discovery” is a key focus for Meta. The company has also spent a lot of time and resources trying to build a short-form video product called Reels.

‘The “show more” and “show less” options will only appear on some posts, but they will also work on ads’, Alison said. “It’s not designed for ads, but you can apply these controls on them. This is all about delivering a relevant experience,” he added.