The modifications to Facebook recently announced by the site's chief will involve changes in the way content is displayed in users' News Feeds. According to expert speculation, the planned changes could seriously harm publishers who depend their business to a significant extent on, among others, Facebook.

Facebook's return to its roots

Facebook's return to its roots

Marc Zuckerberg once again stirred the whole world. In his post, he announced that Facebook wants to rebuild the original idea that accompanied it at the beginning of its existence. This is about bringing users closer together and strengthening relationships between them. In the news feed, the priority will be content published by a given user's friends or family. As a result, materials published by publishers and companies will lose out. Those pieces of content that are most frequently shared and commented on by a user's friends will become the most visible. The algorithm will decide whether newly published materials have a chance of gaining appropriate engagement in the form of user interactions. If a given article, photo, or video meets the criteria, it will be appropriately exposed in the News Feed.

Currently, the virtual world created by social media is a world in which companies and brands become "cool" in a much shorter time than when traditional media were used. Thanks to the right strategy, speed of reaction, influential partners, and good tactics, you can achieve much more for your company than just sales. Companies such as GymShark and Daniel Wellington are multi-million-dollar businesses built using Instagram tactics, influencer collaboration, and flawless sales funnels.

Unfortunately, social media is also a place where fake news can gain the most actions and reach, especially on Facebook. In order to limit this, Zuckerberg is willing to risk users' temporary interest on his platform in order to gain more interactions with family and friends.

This is not the first time Facebook has radically changed its model

All of us remember the times when Instagram and Facebook were chronological. You followed people in order to see the content they published, and that content was shown in the appropriate order. Strategies were less complicated, and everything was under the user's control. Eventually, a breakthrough came. The mysterious "algorithm" from the end of 2016. Facebook and Instagram limited the reach of followers, which allowed the algorithm to decide what content should be displayed on the feed.

Companies must adapt to the new marketing ecosystem

Companies must adapt

Those that base their operations on Facebook and Instagram may feel threatened by the current changes. Their task will be to understand the ambitions of the brand or product and adapt it to the target consumer who has similar ambitions.

 

Terms from the article

Social Media — Social media. Platforms enabling users to create, publish, comment on, and share content, as well as build communities. For a brand, they are an organic, advertising, service, and analytical channel.

Why it matters: It combines reach, dialogue, and sales in one place: the brand speaks, listens, and responds where audiences spend their time. It is also a customer service channel and the first front line in a crisis.

When it is used: Constantly: organic content, paid campaigns, handling inquiries, opinion monitoring, and collaborations with creators.

What happens if you skip it: Absence from social media hands the narrative to others: people will talk about the brand anyway — just without its voice.

Summary

Facebook wants to rebuild the original idea of the site: in the news feed, the priority will be content from friends and family, not publications from publishers and companies. The algorithm will decide which materials have a chance for interactions and deserve to be exposed in the News Feed — a risky change for brands building their business on this platform's reach.

Even earlier, back at the end of 2016, Facebook and Instagram limited the organic reach of followers in favor of the algorithm. Now companies must adapt to the new marketing ecosystem, understanding the ambitions of the brand and the target consumer. Otherwise, they will lose control over the narrative in social media.