If you’ve been a Facebook user for more than 10 minutes you probably already know that scams and hoaxes pop up all the time on there.
Well, the latest hoax to arrive on the scene is claiming that Facebook’s algorithm is limiting users’ Newsfeeds to the same 25 friends, and no more.
The supposed “fix” is to copy and paste the text of the hoax post onto your Timeline in order to “bypass the system”.
Unfortunately, the only thing posting the hoax on your Timeline will do is ensure that even more folks see it and post it on their Timelines.
The exact wording of this hoax varies quite a bit, but it typically looks something like this:
“It WORKS!! I have a whole new news feed. I’m seeing posts from people I haven’t seen in years.
Here’s how to bypass the system FB now has in place that limits posts on your news feed.
Their new algorithm chooses the same few people – about 25 – who will read your posts. Therefore,
Hold your finger down anywhere in this post and “copy” will pop up. Click “copy”. Then go your page, start a new post and put your finger anywhere in the blank field. “Paste” will pop up and click paste.
This will bypass the system.
If you are reading this message, do me a favor and leave me a quick comment…a “hello,” a sticker, whatever you want, so you will appear in my newsfeed‼️It WORKS!! I have a whole new news feed. I’m seeing posts from people I haven’t seen in years.“
The first clue that this is hoax is the very first two words: “It works!!”, followed by not one, but two exclamation points.
The second clue is the directive to copy and paste the text of the post into a post of your own.
Note: Just for the record, virtually ANY post that asks you to copy and paste something to fix some type of “problem” is a hoax.
Now all of the above being said, this hoax is based upon a real issue with Facebook’s algorithm.
If you never interact with a given friend’s posts by liking them, commenting on them or sharing them, Facebook’s algorithm will conclude (incorrectly in most cases) that you aren’t interested in seeing them.
Therefore, Facebook will stop placing that friend’s posts in your Newsfeed after a while.
This is why you probably have people on your friends list whose posts never show up in your Newsfeed.
Just because you never see a certain friend’s posts doesn’t mean that person wasn’t lucky enough to end up in a golden group of 25 users Facebook has anointed with the privilege of showing up on your page. It simply means that in the past you never interacted with that person’s posts so Facebook assumed (probably incorrectly) that you don’t want to see them.
In summary, Facebook is NOT limiting your Newsfeed to “the same 25 friends”. They’re actually limiting your Newsfeed to the friends whose posts you regularly like, comment on and share.
If there are people on your friends list that you never hear from anymore and you’d like to start seeing their posts again, all you need to do is visit their Timeline every day and interact with a few of their posts by liking them, commenting on them and/or sharing them.
Before long Facebook’s algorithm will pick up on the fact that you’re interested in those friends’ posts and start placing them in your Newsfeed again.
Once a user’s posts start showing up on their own you can stop visiting that friend’s Timeline every day and simply keep interacting with their posts as they hit your Newsfeed.
Bottom line: Facebook is NOT limiting your Newsfeed to just the same 25 friends. What they are doing is limiting the posts you see to only the posts from friends that you interact with on a regular basis.