Dive Brief:
- Facebook is in testing mode with mobile users to override the News Feed algorithm to see more from chosen friends and preferred pages.
- For a limited number of mobile users, a animated dog appears at the top of the News Feed with the message “See more of what you love.”
- Clicking the message brings up a screen where users can choose friends and pages from "bubbles" representing each. Choosing a bubble will prioritize those updates in the News Feed.
Dive Insight:
If the test turns into a widespread rollout, it could have implications for brands. Brands that are able to engage with followers could convince some to prioritize the brand pages posts. Other brands may suffer as users choose friends and family over brand posts in the News Feed. Either way, better control could offer up a more realistic idea of what Facebook users actually want, resulting in better targeting data for ads and organic marketing on the platform.
