JAKUB RŮŽIČKA [email protected] cz.linkedin.com/in/littleROSE
January 2014
FACEBOOK NEWS FEED ALGORITHM:FACEBOOK USERS’ AWARENESS
PILOT TESTING
(n=25)
PRELIMINARY RESEARCH DESIGN & OUTPUT SAMPLES
(very limited generalisation)
Outline
research background
research objectives, questions &hypotheses
methodology &research sample
results conclusions &discussion
Outline
research background
research objectives, questions &hypotheses
methodology &research sample
results conclusions &discussion
Research Background
The Facebook News Feed algorithm (formerly known as ‘EdgeRank‘) decides whichnews/content streams are displayed on the main page of any user‘s Facebookaccount. Let’s start with some definitions by the Facebook Help Center [01]:
• News Feed - the center column of the Facebook home page - is aconstantly updating list of stories from people and Pages that youfollow on Facebook. News feed stories include status updates,photos, videos, links, app activity and likes.
What is News Feed?
• The News Feed algorithm uses several factors to determine topstories, including the number of comments, who posted the story,and what type of post it is (ex: photo, video, status update, etc.).
• If you feel you're missing stories you'd like to see or seeing stories inyour News Feed that you don't want to see, use the different NewsFeed controls to adjust your settings.
How does my News Feed
determine which content is most
interesting?
The ‘News Feed‘ (formerly ‘EdgeRank‘) algorithm governs what is displayed - andhow high - on the News Feed (the center column on the main Facebook Page ofany user). The Facebook algorithm is based on three basic variables [02]:
• Affinity is a one-way relationship between a User and an Edge. It could be understood ashow close of a 'relationship' a Brand and a Fan may have. Affinity is built by repeatinteractions with a Brand's Edges. Actions such as Commenting, Liking, Sharing,Clicking, and even Messaging can influence a user's Affinity.
affinity
• Weight is a value system created by Facebook to increase/decrease the value of certainactions within Facebook. Commenting is more involved and therefore deemed morevaluable than a Like. In the weighting system, comments would have a higher value thana Like. In this system all Edges are assigned a value chosen by Facebook. As a generalrule, it's best to assume Edges that take the most time to accomplish tend to weighmore.
weight
• Time Decay refers to how long the Edge has been alive; the older it is the less valuable itis. Time Decay is the easiest of the variables to understand. Mathematically it isunderstood as 1/(Time Since Action).
• As an Edge ages, it loses value. This helps keep the News Feed fresh with interestingnew content, as opposed to lingering old content.
time decay
Facebook News Feed Algorithm Formula
What is EdgeRank?. Applum. http://www.whatisedgerank.com
While much of what is shown in the Facebook News Feed depends on the(automatic) algorithm, users also do have some level of control of what they see intheir news feed [01] (while pointing out that many Facebook users might not beaware of these features and/or their effects on the NewsFeed content shown):
sorting stories(i.e. content shared on
Facebook)
filtering by friend lists (created by Facebook users)
switching between 'Top Stories' & 'Most Recent'
stories
managing updates fromfriends
(following, i.e. subscribing to receiving their content &
adjusting what stories you see from them)
managing updates from Facebook Pages
(subscribing to a page's notifications, checking its
'show in News Feed' button, adding the Page to a user-
created interest lists)
hiding or unhiding people, Pages or types of stories
reporting a story and/orreporting spam
allowing 3rd party applications using
Facebook Open Graphfeatures
adjusting user privacy settings
While much of what is shown in the Facebook News Feed depends on the(automatic) algorithm, users also do have some level of control of what they see intheir news feed [01] (while pointing out that many Facebook users might not beaware of these features and/or their effects on the NewsFeed content shown):
relationship settings
('manually' adjustable by a user; 'learning'
Facebook about what we want to see)
hiding posts & spam reporting
(Facebook penalizes the content which is hided
and/or reported by users)
clicking on Facebook advertisements
viewing other timelines
(Facebook profiles)
device (we are employing while using
Facebook) & other technical
considerations
story bumping
(i.e., reinforcement of the affinity factor, while weakening the time
decay factor)
chronological by actor & last actor
(tracking 50 most recent interactions and giving more weight to them)
emphasis on visually engaging stories
(/content)
choice of different feeds
(diversity)
public popularity
(more weight to generally popular content)
check-ins & user-ratings of places
browsing, chatting, poking, attending
events etc. (i.e. , any interaction)
Content Personalization Theoretical Issue
& the reason why every social media marketer
makes an effort to increase the ‘engagement‘
metrics
Theoretical issue
The idea of ‘free Web 2.0 participation‘ is challenged by the work ofLawrence Lessing, who sees the (creators of) algorithms as thenew ‘gatekeepers‘ – ‘code is the new law‘. [03] ‘As the world isnow, code writers are increasingly lawmakers. They determinewhat the defaults of the Internet will be; whether privacy will beprotected; the degree to which anonymity will be allowed; theextent to which access will be guaranteed. They are the ones whoset its nature. Their decisions, now made in the interstices of howthe Net is coded, define what the Net is.’ [03] Similary, the negativeeffects of content personalization in online services is a subject ofParisers ‘The Filtre Bubble’ [04] 2011 book.
Literature
Literature
[01] How News Feed Works: Facebook Help Centre. FACEBOOK. [online]. Menlo Park, California, U.S., 2013 [Retrieved 2013-11-08]. https://www.facebook.com/help/327131014036297/
[02] What is EdgeRank? [online]. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.: Applum, 2013 [Retrieved 2013-11-08]. http://www.whatisedgerank.com/
[03] PARISER, Eli. The Filtre Bubble: How the New Personalized Web Is Changing What We Read and How We Think. New York, USA: Penguin Group US, 2011, 304p. ISBN 1101515120; 9781101515129.
[04] LESSIG, Lawrence. Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace. New York, NY, USA: Basic Books, 1999, 297p. ISBN 04-650-3913-8; 978-0465039135.
Outline
research background
research objectives, questions &hypotheses
methodology &research sample
results conclusions &discussion
Research Objectives
Research Objectives
To examine Facebook users’:
awareness of the News Feed
content selection
awareness of how they can
affect it
actual behavior
(features affecting content personalisation
usage)
Research Questions
Research Questions
• Are Facebook users aware of how their Facebook News Feedcontent is selected?1)
• Are Facebook users aware of the different Facebook featuresaffecting their News Feed content shown?2)
• Do Facebook users use the different Facebook features affectingtheir News Feed content shown?3)
• Are Facebook users aware of the effects of using the differentFacebook features on their News Feed content shown?4)
Research hypotheses
Hypotheses
Majority of Facebook users is not aware of the Facebook EdgeRank/NewsFeedalgorithm.
Majority of Facebook users is aware of at least half of the Facebook features affecting their News Feed content shown.
Majority of Facebook users have used at least half of the features affecting their News Feed content shown.
Majority of Facebook users does not use the features on a regular basis.
There are no significant differences between men & women.The older the user, the lower the overall awareness.The higher the education, the higher the overall awareness.There are no significant differences between different nationalities.
Outline
research background
research objectives, questions &hypotheses
methodology &research sample
results conclusions &discussion
Methodology
Target group
active Facebook users
(using Facebook at least once a week)
Research instrument & sampling
An ONLINE SURVEY (questionnaire) was
conducted to collect the data.
Respondents were recruited using a non-probability sampling method, the
SNOWBALL SAMPLING (among ACTIVE
FACEBOOK USERS).
Questionnaire structure [average length = 10min]A typical ‘funnel structure’: starting with questions that are easy for the respondent to answer, following with more difficult ones & finishing with demographic and other classification questions:
research objective clarification
filtering question
active Facebook users only (loging-in at least once a
week)
respondent’s Facebook usage
frequency detection
questions about respondent’s
awareness of the different Facebook
features
questions about the frequency of
respondent‘s usage of the
different Facebook features
‘have you ever...?‘ usage
usage frequency
questions about respondent’s
awareness of the different Facebook features affecting their News Feed content shown
question about respondent‘s
awareness of the NewsFeed algorithm
demographic questions
gender age education nationality
social media manager /
specialist (or similar job) detection
acknowledgement
Research Sample
n = 25
Research sample
62.5%
37.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Gender
female male
70%
30%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Age
20s 30s
Nationality
Education
4%
36%
36%
24%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Grammar school Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) High school (or equivalent)
Master's degree (or equivalent) Doctoral degree (or equivalent)
Facebook usage
4%4%
4%
16%
72%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
less than once a week
once a week4-6 times a
week
2-3 times a week
about once a day
many times every day
Facebook proficiency
(100% knowledge of all Facebook features)
Outline
research background
research objectives, questions &hypotheses
methodology &research sample
results conclusions &discussion
Results
Facebook News Feed Algorithm
Facebook News Feed Algorithm (/EdgeRank) familiarity
8%8%
38%
46%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
I have no idea
I rather don’t know what this is (but I think I have some idea)
I rather know (but I am not completely sure)
I know for sure
n=24Do you know what Facebook EdgeRank and/or Facebook News Feed Algorithm is?
Knowledge of which Facebook featuresaffect the algorithm
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
reporting someone’s Facebook profile (/timeline)
blocking someone’s Facebook profile (/timeline) – not being able to see or contact each other
poking someone on Facebook
reporting a post (/a spam) by a person or a page
sorting Facebook posts (/stories) on the Facebook home page by friends lists
liking, sharing and/or commenting a post by a person or by a page
creating and editing friend lists (e.g. ‘close friends’)
adjusting your personal user privacy settings
hiding/unhiding a post by a person or a page
sorting Facebook posts (/stories) on the Facebook home page by ‘Top Stories’ or ‘Most Recent’ stories
sending messages to someone on Facebook
adding a page to interest lists (checking ‘add to interest lists’)
following a post by a person or a page
liking, sharing and/or commenting a post by a person or by a page
showing a page’s posts in your news feed (checking ’show in news feed’)
showing someone’s posts in your news feed (checking ’show in news feed’)
subscribing to notifications from a page (checking ‘get notifications’)
subscribing to notifications from someone (checking ‘get notifications’)
chatting with someone on Facebook
adding a friend or ‘unfriending’ someone
following someone on Facebook
following a page on Facebook
liking (/becoming fan of) / unliking a page on Facebook
n=24Please, check all Facebook features that you believe, to some extent influence, which content (statuses, photos, videos, likes etc.) is displayed on your Facebook home page (called News Feed)
How many people paid attention to all of the options
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
reporting someone’s Facebook …
blocking someone’s Facebook …
poking someone on Facebook
reporting a post (/a spam) by a…
sorting Facebook posts (/stories) on…
liking, sharing and/or commenting a…
creating and editing friend lists (e.g. …
adjusting your personal user privacy…
hiding/unhiding a post by a person…
sorting Facebook posts (/stories) on …
sending messages to someone on…
adding a page to interest lists …
following a post by a person or a page
liking, sharing and/or commenting a…
showing a page’s posts in your …
showing someone’s posts in your …
subscribing to notifications from a …
subscribing to notifications from …
chatting with someone on Facebook
adding a friend or ‘unfriending’ …
following someone on Facebook
following a page on Facebook
liking (/becoming fan of) / unliking a…
Chart Title
68%
32%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Filled the ‘trap question‘ correctly
n=24[please, check this option to make sure the questionnaire is displayed correctly (technical message)]
Knowledge & usage of different Facebook features
How many people paid attention to all of the options in the batteries of questions (the ‘trap question‘ filled correctly)
75%
25%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Knowledge of the features
87.5%
12.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Usage of the features
n=24[please select 'I rather don't know' to make sure the questionnaire is displayed correctly (technical message)]
[please select 'I use it fequently' to make sure the questionnaire is displayed correctly (technical message)]
Adjusting privacy settingsknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
4.2%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
knowledge
usage
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [adjusting your personal user privacy settings]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [adjusting your personal user privacy settings]
Showing posts by ‘Top Stories’or ‘Most Recent’ storiesknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 29% 33%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [sorting Facebook posts (/stories) on the Facebook home page by ‘Top Stories’ or ‘Most Recent’ stories]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [sorting Facebook posts (/stories) on the Facebook home page by ‘Top Stories’ or ‘Most Recent’ stories]
100% (or nearly 100%) familiarity
adding a friend or ‘unfriending’
someone
liking, sharing and/or commenting a post by a person
or by a page
sending messages to someone on
chatting with someone on
poking someone on Facebook
liking (/becoming fan of) / unliking a page on Facebook
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [...]
Knowledge of the current‘following‘ feature on Facebook
79%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Following a Page on Facebook
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
75%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Following someone on Facebook
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [...]
Following a single post by a person or a pageknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 29% 38%
21% 42%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [...]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [...]
Subscribing to notifications from someoneknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 25% 54%
29% 63%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [subscribing to notifications from someone (checking ‘get notifications’)]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [subscribing to notifications from someone (checking ‘get notifications’)]
Subscribing to notifications from a pageknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 29% 33%
29% 54%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [subscribing to notifications from a page (checking ‘get notifications’)]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [subscribing to notifications from a page (checking ‘get notifications’)]
Adding a page to interest listsknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 25% 46%
25% 54%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [adding a page to interest lists (checking ‘add to interest lists’)]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [adding a page to interest lists (checking ‘add to interest lists’)]
Creating & editing friends listsknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 29% 42%
25% 67%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [creating and editing friends lists (e.g. ‘close friends’)]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [creating and editing friends lists (e.g. ‘close friends’)]
Sorting posts by friends listsknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 50% 33%
25% 33%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [sorting Facebook posts (/stories) on the Facebook home page by friends lists]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [sorting Facebook posts (/stories) on the Facebook home page by friends lists]
Showing someone‘s post in NewsFeedknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 25% 25%
25% 67%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [showing someone’s posts in your news feed (checking ’show in news feed’)]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [showing someone’s posts in your news feed (checking ’show in news feed’)]
Showing a page’s posts in your news feedknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 25% 25%
25% 67%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [showing a page’s posts in your news feed (checking ’show in news feed’)]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [showing a page’s posts in your news feed (checking ’show in news feed’)]
Hiding/unhiding a post by a person or a pageknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 21% 42%
17% 75%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [...]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [...]
Reporting a post by a person or a pageknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 54% 38%
21% 67%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [reporting a post (/a spam) by a person or a page]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [reporting a post (/a spam) by a person or a page]
Reporting someone‘s profile/timelineknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 63% 21%
42% 50%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [reporting someone’s Facebook profile (/timeline)]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [reporting someone’s Facebook profile (/timeline)]
Reporting a pageknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 58% 29%
38% 50%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [...]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [...]
Blocking someone‘s profile/timelineknowledge ► usage
don‘t know rather
don‘t knowrather know
know for sure
never used before
use rarelyuse
sometimesuse
frequently
knowledge
usage 54% 38%
33% 63%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
n=24Which of the following Facebook features do you know? [blocking someone’s Facebook profile (/timeline) – not being able to see or contact each other]How often do you use the following Facebook features? [blocking someone’s Facebook profile (/timeline) – not being able to see or contact each other]
Outline
research background
research objectives, questions &hypotheses
methodology &research sample
results conclusions &discussion
Conclusions
about regular Facebook users in their 20s,
University students
Conclusions
• seems to be true
• (excluding social media managers/specialists) nearly no regular Facebook user knows about it
Majority of Facebook users is not aware of the Facebook EdgeRank /NewsFeedalgorithm.
• doesn‘t seem to be true
• Facebook users are rather aware of the influence of their their ‘affirmative‘ actions (liking, sharing, commenting befriending, following, subscribing) than the influence of their ‘private‘ interactions with other users (messages, chatting), their ‘private‘ actions (adjusting privacy settings, creating & editing friends lists, sorting Facebook posts) and/or of their ‘negative‘ actions (hiding, reporting & blocking something)
Majority of Facebook users is aware of at least half of the Facebook features affecting their News Feed content shown.
Conclusions
• seems to be truebut (related to the next point)
• more than half of the Facebook users seem to be rather ‘passive‘ consumers of the News Feed content shown (not adjusting it in any way even though they seem to know about some ways of how to do it)
Majority of Facebook users have used at least half of the featuresaffecting their News Feed content shown.
• seems to be truemoreover
• in general, more than half of the users have never reported or blocked anything on Facebook
• people rather subscribe to notifications from a page than from a person
• majority of Facebook users know about the interest and/or friend list feature but only about 1/3 of them actually use it
• there are still some users (even among University students) who have never adjusted their privacy settings
Majority of Facebook users does not use the features on a regular basis.
Conclusions
• N/A due to a limited sample
There are no significant differences between men & women.
The older the user, the lower the overall awareness.
The higher the education, the higher the overall awareness.
There are no significant differences between different nationalities.
What have we learned?
if we, University students in their 20s, really live in a filtre bubble
while being controlled by algorithms, they /we don‘t care
enough =)
increasing the engagement of your posts (i.e. any interaction with your posts) still seems to
be the best practice of increasing your overall
Facebook visibility since not many users will ‘filter you out‘
manually
Discussion
Biases & limitations
• non-probability (snowball sampling), selection bias (self-selection) &English speaking people only - possibly higher education & younger (even though respondets were asked to re-send the questionnaire to various educational & age groups, it did not work)
coverage, sampling & non-response errors
• identification
• by ‘trap questions‘ – verifying whether respondents paid attention to all of the options in the batteries of questions
• prevention
• knowledge of which Facebook features affect the algorithm should be rather detected using several yes/no questions than one question with many checkboxes
matrix grids (/long batteries of questions) prone
to satisficing
Suggested improvements
• merging some similar questions with insignificant variance# of questions in batteries
reduction
• devices used to access Facebook, browser X application, commercial content recognition, groups, applications, events etc.
adding questions related to Facebook News Feed
Algorithm
• combining or substituting (if possible) self-reported data with behavioral (/service usage) data
add tracking / data mining (using FQL & Graph API)
• socio-demographic differentiation by correlations, ANOVA, regression, cluster analysis (education, age, nationality, gender, service usage frequency etc.) and user typology according to the service usage patterns
suggested analysis(larger sample needed)
JAKUB RŮŽIČKA [email protected] cz.linkedin.com/in/littleROSE
January 2014
FACEBOOK NEWS FEED ALGORITHM:FACEBOOK USERS’ AWARENESS
PILOT TESTING
(n=25)
PRELIMINARY RESEARCH DESIGN & OUTPUT SAMPLES
(very limited generalisation)
Top Related