By Naomi Dolin-Aubertin
Facebook Newsfeed, love it or hate it, you can't get rid of it; but you can change it. The thing is, everyone's internet footprint is assiduously tracked by algorithms. These algorithms may be smart -- they allow companies like Facebook to track what you like, what you click, and what pages you visit, in order to market ads to you better -- but they are still just mathematical equations.
There are two fairly easy ways to achieve a newsfeed without tons of brand-sponsored posts and obnoxious, targeted links. (I'm largely against liking brand pages. Consider it likes this: your friend brings a bag of branded potato chips to your family barbecue. But instead of sitting quietly on the table, that bag is able to shout about how great it is (because your friend liked it, it shows up in your barbecue). In my opinion, potato chips should be eaten, not heard, except by their satisfying crunch). But I digress.
The first way to clean up your feed sounds easier than it is; that is, to stop liking things on Facebook. Elan Morgan wrote an article on Medium about two months ago detailing how she stopped liking things on Facebook, partly in response to an article by Matt Honan of Wired.com in which talked about how he liked everything on Facebook, with devastating effect. Considering companies like Facebook and OkCupid treat the internet and its users like a giant social experiment, for money or "research," I decided to try the challenge of unliking for myself.
It's surprisingly difficult. As digital citizens, we're conditioned to "like" things. Brands use special offers to entice potential customers to like their pages. Facebook like buttons appear on just about every webpage nowadays. Especially on the newsfeed, the challenge to unlike is extremely hard to resist. I want to tell my friends I like their new haircut, the photo of the sunset they experienced through a camera lens, the post about whatever is going on in their lives. A like is so easy. Which is why, I took the other part of Morgan's challenge and try to comment on posts instead of liking them. She found, as have I, that it leads to a better experience, a conversation, a connection, that goes deeper than the like button ever can. And it has changed the face of my feed. I'm seeing more posts from people I care about and less, though still present, sponsored posts that were liked by my friends. In essence, I've been able to take by the social in my social media.
The other way I've been able to eliminate the spam, is by ignoring, that is refusing to participate in clickbait. Clickbait is essentially an article written to be inflammatory a la the 24-hour news channel. The leaked celebrity nude photos were clickbait, getting internet users to click on a link by presenting it in a scandalous way. The more these links are opened, the more they are shared, the more they show up in feeds and feed the gossipy, trollish side of the internet no one holds dear.
The key, I think, to building a better, happier, friendlier newsfeed, is also the key to building an internet community with the same qualities. We can't encourage the spammers, the advertisers, and the scandalizers. Without the clicks and the likes, the obscene, the inflammatory, and the polarizing all seem to fade away and I have to say, I like my feed much better this way. I like Facebook much better this way! The faces are back and that's why we all joined in the first place, right? I urge you to give it a try and see what you think. That like button will always be waiting there for you if you change your mind.
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