Unpacking the Strategy Behind Facebook’s News to Just Feed Shift

Facebook has many compartments, from groups, to friends, to stories, amongst others. But when you think about Facebook, you are most likely thinking of its News Feed, which is the main interface everyone sees every day.Facebook’s News Feed is probably the most powerful tool on the internet; it’s not an exaggeration to say that News Feed has changed the world.Now its name is changing from News Feed to Feed. But why?

Why Facebook Erased “News” from News Feed?

Facebook’s News Feed will now simply be known as the “Feed”, but Facebook does not offer any real details as to why.

“This is just a name change and does not impact the app experience more broadly,” a company spokesperson said in an email to The Verge .

Not so fast.

It is probably safe to say that a major motivation for everything Facebook does today is pressure from Congress, which has been investigating the role Facebook’s algorithm plays in distributing misinformation on the internet. This name change is no different.

Indeed, a bill called The Social Media NUDGE Act has already been drafted, which seeks to slow down the spread of harmful content and misinformation on social media.

Facebook made at least two changes to how it distributes news prior to this announcement. In October 2019, the company launched Facebook News in the US.

Facebook News is a dedicated place for news on Facebook in the bookmarks section, which independent journalists moderate.

Related:Why Meta Is Threatening to Kill Facebook and Instagram in Europe

Then, in February 2021,Facebook announced it would reduce the distribution of political content in News Feed in Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, and the US, as a test before rolling out across the world.

With this renaming, Facebook has closed the loop. Posts by your friends, groups, pages you follow, and others will now be in the Feed.

Politics and current affairs will now be in Facebook News; according to Axios , US, UK, and German publishers included in the News tab credit Facebook News for referring 30% of all the Facebook traffic they get.

Therefore, segregating the news away from regular updates by your friends and family is a legally smart move for Facebook. It will certainly help their case with regulators if it drives down misinformation. In that regard, a change from News Feed to Feed makes sense.

Is Facebook Getting Out of the News Business?

News Feed made Facebook the biggest distributor of news and information in the world. For better or worse, News Feed has had important consequences for the world, especially in politics.

Will removing the news out of our feeds help stop misinformation? That remains to be seen. After all, friends, groups, and pages you follow are still a potent source of misinformation and toxic content; and Facebook’s algorithm will continue to promote what generates the most engagement.

Facebook may not be getting out of the news business altogether, but it is clear that Facebook is determined to move beyond news, which has brought it nothing but trouble, and dive deep into the metaverse.