Meta has revealed its newest Widely Viewed Content Report, which gives perception into probably the most considered content material within the app, and the newest developments of word in Fb feed consumption.
Meta initially created the Extensively Considered Content material Report back to counter the suggestion that Fb is dominated by controversial and divisive content, amid studies that right-wing political posts have been gaining extra traction than the rest within the app.
And together with Meta’s efforts to reduce political argument in-stream, there does appear to have been a transparent discount within the prevalence of political-type posts, with the newer Extensively Considered Content material updates displaying a variety of light-hearted, humorous posts, versus argumentative updates.
So what’s gaining traction on Fb in 2023?
Principally, Fb customers are keen on a comet that’s set to be seen within the night time sky someday subsequent yr, which accounts for 3 of the highest ten most considered referral hyperlinks from the app. There are additionally celeb tales, a report on Netflix cracking down on password sharing – it’s all fairly innocuous stuff, particularly compared to the divisive political debates that when seemingly dominated Fb feeds.
By way of probably the most considered Fb Pages, it’s additionally dominated by viral development posters, recipes and pet clips.
So sure, Fb is just about as you’ll count on – cute cat movies and celeb developments, with political content material nearly non-present amongst its most-viewed lists.
Which, as famous, just isn’t surprising, on condition that Meta has sought to cut back the presence of political posts, primarily based on suggestions from customers.
Again in January 2021, within the wake of the Capitol Riots, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that:
“One of many high items of suggestions we’re listening to from our neighborhood proper now could be that folks don’t need politics and combating to take over their expertise on our providers.”
That sparked Meta’s crew to re-align its algorithms with a purpose to scale back the attain of political posts, which has since seen a discount in such publicity on Fb. And whereas this push additionally confirmed that some customers do nonetheless wish to see political content material in-stream, Meta has clearly taken a step again from this ingredient, by shifting its algorithmic incentives away from political debate.
As a substitute, Meta’s now emphasizing Reels, and consumption of short-form video within the feed, which has seen general Facebook usage on the rise in recent months. But, the secondary impression of that’s that customers are posting fewer unique updates, in favor of consuming video in feed as an alternative – so Fb is basically turning into extra of an leisure supplier on this context, versus a social community, the place folks look to publish their very own private updates.
That’s additionally mirrored on this stat, which is especially worthy of word for social media managers:
“92.3% of the views within the US throughout Q1 2023 didn’t embrace a hyperlink to a supply outdoors of Fb.”
That determine is on the rise – within the first Extensively Considered Content material report, revealed for Q3 2021, 86.5% of the posts considered didn’t embrace a hyperlink outdoors the app.
The regular rise in views of posts that don’t embrace hyperlinks seemingly correlates with the growing consumption of video content material, and customers partaking in-stream, nevertheless it’s seemingly additionally led to a big discount in referral visitors from the app.
So should you wished to know why your Fb visitors is down, this might effectively be it.
These are some attention-grabbing notes on Fb consumption behaviors, and the way the feed is shifting in step with new utilization developments. And whereas the referral visitors numbers are taking successful because of this, it additionally looks like a optimistic that divisive political debate is lowering in presence, which might see much less angst and debate general.
Or extra of that dialogue is shifting to non-public teams and DMs. Whether or not that may be a greater end result, I don’t know, nevertheless it’s attention-grabbing to notice the newest Fb shifts nonetheless.
You’ll be able to learn Meta’s newest Extensively Considered Content material Report here.
