Did you catch our last post on the latest Instagram updates coming this year? Today, we’re dishing all things Facebook, and exactly what the social media giant has in store with its latest updates.
Ready? Here’s a quick overview of the latest Facebook features to expect to see soon:
1. More Quality, Trusted News
You heard it from Zuckerberg himself. Earlier this year, the Facebook CEO claimed that Facebook will now show “more high quality, trusted news” to users of the platform. What does this mean? For one, news from broadly trusted resources nationwide. Facebook also claims to promote news from local sources that are relevant and credible.
Says Zuckerberg: “If you follow a local publisher or if someone shares a local story, it may show up higher in the News Feed. We’re starting this first in the US, and our goal is to expand to more countries this year.”
2. An Eye On Fake Accounts & Bots
At Facebook’s annual F8 Conference, a developer event that takes place each spring in San Jose, Zuckerberg addressed election integrity and the Russian interference in the 2016 US election. He vowed to “make sure this never happens again,” promising that Facebook will be more vigilant going forward in regards to fake accounts and bot activity. The trend seems to be shifting towards a more authentic, trustworthy online experience – and let’s all hope that’s true.
3. “Clearing History” Tool
No doubt a direct result of the Cambridge Analytica scandal that impacted Facebook earlier this year, the network has recently announced the rollout of a tool called “Clear History,” found in users’ privacy settings on Facebook. It will allow users to determine what websites and apps share information with Facebook (and vice versa), with the option to wipe this information from their account.
What does Zuckerberg have to say on this? “To be clear, when you clear your cookies in your browser, it can make parts of your experience worse. You may have to sign back in to every website, and you may have to reconfigure things. The same will be true here. Your Facebook won’t be as good while it relearns your preferences.”
But he did add: “But going through our systems, this is an example of the kind of control we think you should have.” (We’d better hope so.)
4. The Test of the Downvoting Button
After many years of requests from Facebook users, the network is now testing out the waters with a trial of the “downvote,” a feature that allow users to give comments an “up” or “down” vote. (Sounds a bit like Reddit, doesn’t it?)
A spokesperson noted: “This feature allows people to push those thoughtful and engaging comments to the top of the discussion thread, and to move down the ones that are simply attacks or filled with profanity. This does not affect your personal News Feed or interactions with friends.”
Facebook hasn’t told us how long the trial of this feature will last or how many users it’s being tested on, but we’ll be on the lookout for the downvote as the year progresses.
And there you have it! As we have all experienced since the start of 2018, the organic reach on Facebook for brands and small businesses has declined with the algorithm shift, with a trend toward paid social campaigns to get seen on the platform. As marketers, this makes our jobs a bit more difficult to reach our target markets and retain brand recognition. But it’s all the more reason to take a strategic approach when launching campaigns on Facebook, without resorting to click bait for engagement.
Keep your messaging relevant, genuine, and above all, create content that matters. It’ll help you break through the noise, no matter how many algorithm changes try to stand in your way.
DARCI Creative
Total Brand Agency
