Photo by: William Iven

Who is Really inCharge of Our

Feeds?

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There is an overload of content posted on the Internet for discovery.

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Two million blog posts are written each day, 30 billion pieces of content are shared on Facebook each month and 278,000 tweets are sent every minute. 1

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For People with lots of friends and page likes, as many as 15,000 potential stories could appear any time they log on .

“ ” 2– Brian Boland, Facebook Advertising Executive

There are so manydaily posts on social media; it is unlikely that a user will be able to see the updates from all of their connections.

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2

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Who chooses which posts users see in their timelines, and which posts disappear into the “content landfill”?

So,

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Users have the ability to choose which friends or pages to follow on social media websites.

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This gives the illusion that users are in control of the content they see on their social media newsfeeds.

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Newsfeeds are becoming increasingly curated by outside sources through: 1. Algorithms2. Digital Marketing3. Online Influencers

However,

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Facebookiscon,nuouslydevelopingtheiralgorithmsthatiden,fywhatstoriesuserswillfindmostimportantbasedonpastlikes,shares,andclicks.

Algorithms1

3

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Instagram and Twitter have followed suit by sorting their feeds based on the user’s predicted interest rather than chronological order.   4

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Unfortunately, the posts that garner likes, shares, or clicks are not always the most meaningful to the user. Users may enjoy learning and keeping up-to-date with their friends without engaging with the posts. 5

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Without the user engagement, those desired posts will be hidden due to flaws in the algorithms. 5

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Online ads are becoming less effective due to Ad Blocker Applications.

Adobe says that $21.8 billion in global ad revenue will be blocked this year.

Digital marketing2

6

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Consequently,socialmediawebsiteshaveintroduced“SuggestedPosts”and“SponsoredTweets”whicharepaidmediapoststhatappearinnewsfeedsbuthavenoconnec,ontotheuser.Theydonotgetblockedbyoutsideapplica,ons.

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A user may not immediately notice that the sponsored post is not connected to their friends, and give the post an unwarranted level of attention.

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Top social media profiles are often paid to feature brands and products in their posts.

Online Influencers3

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Social media influencers can be

paid upwards of $15,000 per

sponsored post, depending on the

number of followers.

9

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Average users are manipulated into thinking their online idols genuinely support the featured brands. 10

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This can be very powerful when 5% of Instagram users take action after seeing a post, such as visiting a website, searching, shopping, or telling a friend. 11

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Users are under the impression that they are in full control of their social media feeds. In reality, their control is limited.

Overall,

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Users are under the impression that they are in full control of their social media feeds. However, their control is limited.

However,

Awareness of evolving online marketing techniques and algorithms can help users get the most out oftheir time on social media.

Photo by: Wesson Wang

Photo by: Hans Vivek

References 1 [1] Catherine Toole. "Brands as publishers: inside the content marketing trend." Getty Curve. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.[2] Dredge, Stuart. "How does Facebook decide what to show in my news feed?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 30 June 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.[3] Constine, Josh. "Instagram is switching its feed from chronological to best posts first." TechCrunch. TechCrunch, 15 Mar. 2016. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.[4] Oremus, Will. "Who Really Controls What You See in Your Facebook Feed—and Why They Keep Changing It." Slate. Slate Magazine, 03 Jan. 2016. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.[5] Baer, Jay. "3 Ways to Fight Facebook’s Algorithm and Customize Your Feed." Convince&Convert. Convince&Convert, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.[6] Rosenwald, Michael. "The digital media industry needs to react to ad blockers … or else." Columbia Journalism Review. N.p., Oct. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.

Photo by: Hans Vivek

References 2 [7] Darwell Brittany Darwell|October. "Facebook tests 'suggested post' label for non-social News Feed ads." Adweek. N.p., 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.[8] Bennett, Shea . "Paid, Owned and Earned Media: What's the Difference?" Adweek. N.p., 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.[9] Rutherford-Morrison, Lara. "How Do Instagram Stars Make Money? Here's What Goes On Behind All The Valencia." Bustle. Bustle, 02 Feb. 2016. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.[10] Hohener, Doug. "The Blurred Lines Between Advertising and Social Media." LinkedIn. LinkedIn, 13 Sept. 2016. Web. 26 Feb. 2017. [11] Nadiminti, Deepak. "139 Facts About Instagram ." Adweek. Adweek, 23 Jan. 2017. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.

All images sourced from unsplash.com with “Creative Commons Zero”