Facebook Inc. on Wednesday offered a rare glimpse into how it ranks and shows content in its News Feed, part of an effort to provide more transparency about its operations as the social network's cultural and political influence continue to grow.
The disclosures, though lacking in detail, are notable in part because they come in the wake of a May news report alleging liberal political bias in a Facebook feature called Trending Topics.
“News Feed is a system that’s designed and built by people, but people have values and those values are reflected in how we make decisions on a regular basis,” Adam Mosseri, vice president of product management for News Feed, told a press briefing.
Mosseri said the core principle of News Feed - the place most people see postings on Facebook - is that posts from family and friends get ranked first.
That is followed by -"informative-" content, which can range from news articles to recipes and is determined by what types of posts an individual tends to click on.
-"Entertaining-" content is the third priority, and is similarly based on past preferences.
Although News Feed is separate from Trending Topics, it is the central feature of the Facebook experience and any hint that is was influenced by a political agenda could be hugely damaging to the company. The heated U.S. presidential election has heightened concerns about possible attempts to influence elections.
Facebook denied the May allegations about Trending Topics, but the claims spurred a Congressional letter demanding answers. Facebook then provided a first-ever explanation of how Trending Topics articles were chosen and also made changes in its process.
