Facebook rolls out 'Why Am I Seeing This Post' in a bid to hand control to users

According to a feature spotted by Social Samosa, Facebook is asking users for their preferences and allowing them to take control & customize their News Feed while explaining why they see a certain post.

Following the recent changes in the algorithm prioritizing friends you might want to hear the most from and links that you might think are worthwhile, Facebook is giving you more control on what you see on your feed.

You might remember seeing a "Why am I seeing this ad?" prompt while an ad plays. Similarly, Facebook now explains why do you see a certain post.

When you click on the three horizontal dots above a post, you'll find a prompt saying, "Why am I seeing this post?"

The prompt explains the reasons as for why you saw the post in the order that you saw it. Factors that influence it include how often you interact with a given friend, the number of mutual friends, patterns like being tagged in the same photos, reacting and commenting on the same posts, checking-in at the same places and more.

You can change your preferences if you are not happy with the algorithmically suggestive feed, you can now customize it.

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To control & customize your Facebook News Feed, follow the following steps:

• Click on the three horizontal dots on the top-right corner of the post.

• Tap on 'Why am I seeing this post?'

• On the new window, below the sub-category 'MANAGE WHAT YOU SEE IN NEWS FEED', click on the option 'Edit your News Feed preferences'

• You'll see a new window with the options 'Prioritise who to see first', 'Unfollow people and groups to hide their posts' and more.

In the recent years, News Feed has been a clutter of content. Objections like certain posts are most interacted with because they are the only posts users see due to the algorithm had surfaced.

This was an astute move by Facebook. By giving users the control to see what they want, complaints about the algorithm changes would be at bay.

Brands and creators on the platform that are preferred by users also have a fair chance to be noticed on the users' feed if they are prioritised in the Preferences.

If you do not see the option to edit your preferences, there are chances the feature is not available where you're located.