Sorry publishers, Facebook has decided it's putting family first

FACEBOOK HAS SAID it will give friends and family more prominence on user feeds, a move that may hurt media outlets that rely on the social network to draw readers.

The company said in a statement that the goal of the ‘news feed’, which appears when users log in, “is to show people the stories that are most relevant to them” and that its update “helps you see more posts from your friends and family”.

The change has been a long time in the pipeline after Facebook realised users were sharing fewer ‘original’ posts about their personal lives – raising concerns in the company that people may start to switch off the network.

However while the tweak will affect the organic reach of posts – that is, unpaid content – it won’t change the prominence of ads from businesses and publishers.

That means companies and organisations reliant on reaching audiences via Facebook are more likely to need to pay for the privilege of that reach in the future.

Facebook head of product partnerships Ime Archibong

Suppressing views

The latest move comes after Facebook came under scrutiny from allegations by a former contractor that it was suppressing some political viewpoints in its “trending topics.”

Facebook said its review found no bias, but that it would take steps to reassure users about the neutrality of the platform.

The social network’s vice president, Adam Mosseri, said in a blog post that an updated algorithm that determines what users see would help people find information that matters to them.

“We are not in the business of picking which issues the world should read about,” he wrote.

“We are in the business of connecting people and ideas — and matching people with the stories they find most meaningful.

“Our integrity depends on being inclusive of all perspectives and viewpoints, and using ranking to connect people with the stories and sources they find the most meaningful and engaging.”

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg

A source of news

Even though Facebook has emphasized it does not want to be a media provider, surveys show it has become a key source of news, even if users visit the network for other reasons.

A Pew Research Center survey last month found 66% of Facebook users get at least some news on the platform.

Global trends are similar. A survey across 26 countries by Oxford University’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found more than half of all respondents used social media for news, with 12% using it as their main news source.

Facebook was by far the most important source, used by 44% in the total survey.

The latest tweak in the algorithm could thus impact news organizations that use Facebook to drive traffic and generate advertising revenues.

Additional reporting Peter Bodkin