Imagine a Facebook News Feed not populated by dumb memes (and not because you just don't get them) but by links to articles dealing with current events and issues.
Got the picture? Good, because it's about to become very real.
Facebook is updating the News Feed to push out more "high quality content," a move in response to surveys that show people prefer links to articles about current events to "the latest meme."
Users will especially notice the change on mobile as Facebook aims to become the go-to source of information about what's happening in the world, and not just a peddler of third-party tripe.
Other News Feed changes
Facebook also said that when users click on an article link, they may occasionally be shown up to three related articles directly below the News Feed post.
In addition to minimizing memes and pushing out more reputable content, the company has a scheme to generate more engagement around articles.
Facebook revealed it will republish articles users may have already seem to the top of the News Feed whenever a friend comments on the thread.
The thought alone is annoying enough, but Facebook noted its testing has found that "doing this in moderation for just a small number of stories can lead to more conversations between people and their friends on all types of content."
We're dubious this will work the way Facebook envisions, but we don't really have a choice now, do we?
