With an app like Paper and a keen awareness of just how much traffic they are pushing to publications, Facebook has become more than just a place where you keep up with friends and family. It’s a bona fide news feed.
Some publications have come notorious for creating the sorts of headlines that were typically the domain of grocery store gossip rags, an old practice that has simply transmuted itself into online form. There was a hefty amount of backlash, with some groups taking matters into their own hands, commenting with what the content really is to impose transparency.
It appears that Facebook, too, wants content to be of quality and not spammy-looking. A new algorithm introduced Monday on Facebook’s blog will reduce the click-baiting headlines in a user’s feed as well as assist users to see links shared on Facebook in a better format.
Facebook cites a survey they conducted that shows that people prefer headlines that actually helped them to decide whether or not they wanted to consume the content. A few ways Facebook will determine what is or isn’t click-bait is seeing how long it takes for users to circle back to Facebook as well as looking at the ratio of clicks on the content versus how many people are actually talking about it.
The update will also give preference to sharing links on the feed as opposed to photos with a buried link, giving preference to articles in the feed.
Source: Facebook Newsroom
