On Thursday, July 21, Facebook announced that it is launching a new feature that will allow its users to see posts in reverse chronological order instead of the usual content that is ranked by an algorithm.
The new feature is called Feeds, a dedicated tab in the platform's app that shows the latest pictures from users' friends.
The main news feed will now be called Home, and it will serve as a discovery engine based on people's online habits.
Facebook Launches Feeds
In a Facebook post, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that one of the most requested features for Facebook is to make sure that people do not miss their friends' posts, which is why they decided to launch Feeds so that people can see posts from their friends, groups, and pages.
According to The Guardian, Meta is pushing Zuckerberg as the face of its latest product launches, with the company's founder announcing several new feature updates on Facebook.
The social media company has lost a lot of top executives lately, from Sheryl Sandberg, its Chief Operating Officer, to Mike Schroepfer, the company's Chief Technology Officer.
Also Read: Instagram to Rearrange Your Feed - Will Ditch Chronological Order And Show Best Posts First
Feeds is set to roll out globally over the next couple of weeks, first on the mobile version of the platform. The desktop version's Feeds feature will be released in the next few months.
The new feature is a nod to a more basic social media experience from the past, launched by Facebook itself, where the feed was solely focused on activity from the users' friends and family, according to USA Today.
The feature was also from Instagram, a platform that Facebook bought back in 2012 for $1 billion.
Previously, the platform showed users a chronological feed with the latest posts shown at the very top, but Instagram checked it in 2016 in favor of an algorithm-based feed.
Instagram recently reintroduced chronological feeds with new settings that show users the latest posts from those they follow first.
Twitter, another platform that had chronological feeds before, has the same feature that allows users to set their timeline to show only the latest tweets from those that they follow.
Massive tech companies like Facebook and Google are under fierce scrutiny from regulators over the way their platforms have reshaped online forums.
Among the contentious issues is the use of users' personal data to amplify posts that fuel the most engagement, like fake news, as well as targeted advertising.
Facebook Groups Channel
Aside from the Feeds feature, Facebook also introduced Facebook Groups, including Channels that will let users connect with each other in smaller settings.
TechCrunch reported that the feature will allow admins to create channels to connect with their groups in more casual settings with their communities to have more focused and specific discussions.
Currently, there are three types of channels that admins can create they are chat, audio, and feed.
Community chat channels can be used as a way for people to message and collaborate with others about specific topics in real-time.
Once you've created a chat, you can decide on its privacy feature. When you join a chat, you can send messages and receive notifications.
The feed channels allow members to connect when it is convenient for them.
Related Article: Instagram Follows In Facebook's Footsteps By Evolving With These New Changes
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Written by Sophie Webster
