This video imagines the Facebook newsfeed algorithm as the mafia, and maybe it's not wrong
“Hey we all have wants, and if you want people to be able to see your little ‘youtubes’, you best throw us some dough, ok?”
Facebook’s announcement last week that your newsfeed now will be more personal, felt, well, a bit abrupt. We weren’t consulted really, but then users have never been asked explicitly.
So, we have to see what Facebook wants us to see, when it wants us to see it. Sounds a bit like a bully doesn’t it? Or perhaps more like...the mafia?
The video above by College Humour imagines just that, presenting the newsfeed algorithm as the mafia, bullying a user into looking at posts she has no interest in. When the poor victim cries that she just wants her old timeline back, the mafioso goes, “Hey we all have wants...”
Facebook’s latest announcement means we will be seeing more posts from friends and family. The motivation behind this decision stems from a decline in “original sharing”, with users apparently sharing news and other information and holding back on more personal stories. To encourage personal sharing the site has introduced reminders like “On this day” and videos of you and your friends. According to a report in Bloomberg, the new live video feature is also aimed towards that end.
In other words, less of what's happening in the world, and more of that boring meal your friend ate.