📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

Facebook Overhauls Trending and Will Now Show the Same Topics to Everyone Facebook is also rolling out 'an improved system to determine what is trending.'

By Angela Moscaritolo

entrepreneur daily

This story originally appeared on PCMag

via PC Mag

Facebook will no longer personalize the list of trending topics it displays to users.

In a Wednesday blog post, the social network said that everyone will now see the same stories in the Trending section, regardless of location. Facebook is making this change "to help make sure people don't miss important topics being discussed on Facebook that might not show up in their News Feed," VP of Product Management Will Cathcart wrote.

Facebook is also rolling out "an improved system to determine what is trending," Cathcart wrote. And finally, trending topics will now feature a publisher headline below each category.

The company's algorithms will determine what's trending by looking at the number of publishers that are posting articles on Facebook about the same topic and engagement around that group of articles. In the past, topics might have trended due to high engagement around a single post or article.

This new method "should surface trending topics quicker, be more effective at capturing a broader range of news and events from around the world and also help ensure that trending topics reflect real world events being covered by multiple news outlets," Cathcart wrote.

For the uninitiated, Facebook's Trending section shows you popular topics being discussed on the service. In the latest version, you'll see a news headline under the name of the topic to give you more insight about why it's trending, a highly requested feature.

"The headline that appears is automatically selected based on a combination of factors including the engagement around the article on Facebook, the engagement around the publisher overall and whether other articles are linking to it," Cathcart wrote. Previously, Facebook used the space under each topic to display the number of people talking about it.

Like before, you can click on any of the topics to see additional sources and posts about it.

The changes are rolling out now and should reach everyone in the U.S. in the "coming weeks," Cathcart wrote.

Initially, Facebook had a team of human curators who selected topics that appeared in the Trending box. Amidst reports that the team favored liberal news outlets and supressed conservative voices, Facebook in August ditched human editors for algorithms. But that created another problem: fake news. The social network has pledged to crack down on that, too, with reporting tools it rolled out in December.

Angela Moscaritolo has been a PCMag reporter since January 2012. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

Panera Is Discontinuing Its Controversial Charged Lemonade After Multiple Lawsuits

A large serving of the drink contains nearly triple the amount of caffeine an average person consumes in a day and just 10 mg less than a whole day's recommended intake.

Business News

Kevin O'Leary Says This Is a 'Huge Red Flag' When He's Looking at Resumes

The "Shark Tank" star took to X to share his opinions on job hopping — and how long you should really stay in a job.

Business News

These 5 States Have the Most People Eligible for $1 Billion in Unclaimed Tax Refunds from the IRS

One million Americans have yet to file their 2020 tax returns and claim refunds.

Business News

The Met Museum, OpenAI Created an AI Chatbot With the Persona of a 1930s Socialite for a New Exhibit

The finale of the Costume Institute's latest fashion exhibit features a wedding dress worn 94 years ago by New York socialite Natalie Potter and an AI chatbot with her vibe.

Side Hustle

The Sweet Side Hustle She Started in an Old CVS Made $800,000 in One Year. Now She's Repeating the Success With Her Daughter — and They've Already Exceeded 8 Figures.

Mother-daughter team Elisabeth and Gina Galvin are taking their snack brand Stellar Snacks to new heights, literally — you've probably seen their products in-flight.