Algorithms

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Facebook has changed its algorithms again… Once again deciding what content we see on our feeds and when. Forcing us to navigate this new set up to find the content we really want to see without getting confined in an echo chamber of our own ideas. However all these new algorithm changes harm organic content from brands and force feeds us content that Facebook thinks we like. Facebook is currently in an endless cycle with the ultimate goal being able to show people all the posts that really matter to them and none of the ones that don’t. But is this realistic?

Facebook has tried so many times to make a perfect system but I don’t think that’s what people need or want. If we saw content that was meant to please us 24/7 I don’t think we would be using Facebook very long. We don’t need to be constantly stimulated by “likable” content. No matter how much Facebook changes its algorithms they will never create something that is completely perfect because of the one thing it takes to make it; us. “Facebook’s algorithm, I learned, isn’t flawed because of some glitch in the system. It’s flawed because, unlike the perfectly realized, sentient algorithms of our sci-fi fever dreams, the intelligence behind Facebook’s software is fundamentally human.”

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” Shakespeare could not be more right when he wrote this. It isn’t the algorithm that is flawed; its us. We are the reason that a perfect algorithm that everyone is pleased with, doesn’t exist. Its because we don’t fit into little lines on a computer screen so no matter how much Facebook tries to pin people’s interests down they will never be 100% accurate.

Facebook’s algorithm changes doesn’t just affect the public; it also affects the brands trying to build their community through social media. Because of these changes, organic content is all but dead. We are forced to pay to be seen by our target audience and we have to shape our strategy around the constantly shifting algorithm. Tara explained it best in her video, Surviving Facebook’s Algorithms  these platforms are only giving companies rented space to reach their audience on. Tara says that many businesses take up shop and spend a lot of resources on one platform that they do not own.  So when these algorithms change it can leave your business stranded if you are not prepared for it. She suggests using a multi-platform distribution model, coaxing people to your site, and building a loyal community to help your brand stay ahead of the changes. The biggest thing I got from this is to never take the platform’s current state for granted and to never drain all of my resources into something that can be taken away in the next update.

Kelsey O'Connell