Does it seem like you never are shown posts from your friends on Facebook?
Instead, all you’re given are ads, posts from pages, and suggested content from brands you don’t even follow!
The truth is, many people have been noticing this in recent months, myself included. So, you’re certainly not alone.
I dug deep to determine why this is happening, and what can be done about it. So, in this article, I’ll be sharing everything I know – including how to fix it!
Why Aren’t I Seeing Posts From My Facebook Friends?
The truth is, this change was intentional by Facebook.
Facebook’s goal is to keep you on the platform as long as possible, so they can serve you as many ads as possible. This is how they make their money.
So, here are the three reasons why you’ve been seeing more ‘recommended for you’ content as well as more ads, while simultaneously seeing less posts from friends.
1. Facebook’s Updated Their Algorithm
Did you know that Facebook is constantly updating their algorithm, which determines which posts are shown?
However, in recent years, they’ve deliberately pushed updates to show more suggested content from pages you don’t even follow, which means there’s less room for posts from your friends.
This was first announced in Facebook’s Q2 2022 earnings report. During the earnings call, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the following:
“Right now, about 15% of content in a person’s Facebook feed and a little more than that of their
Instagram feed is recommended by our AI from people, groups, or accounts that you don’t follow. We
expect these numbers to more than double by the end of next year.”
I’ve certainly noticed an increase since this was originally announced, so it’s clear to see that this decision was deliberate!
But why are they doing this? Again, it all comes down to keeping you on Facebook as long as possible.
This brings me to my next point.
2. Your Friends Aren’t Posting Engaging Content
Every Facebook post is carefully weighed, measured, and tracked based on how likely you are to engage with it.
And the fact of the matter is, most of your friends are probably posting content that you are unlikely to care about – at least in Facebook’s eyes.
It’s possible that Facebook may have already shown the post to some of their other friends, and found out that few people engaged with it. This means that they didn’t like, comment or share the post, or even stop to read it.
Yes – Facebook tracks how long you look at each post, down to a fraction of a second!
By showing you posts from pages you don’t follow that have already proven to be engaging, you’re more likely to pay attention to your feed and continue scrolling for longer.
Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of seeing posts from your friends and family. Despite human connection being the original purpose of Facebook, we are now being shown less posts from our friends than ever.
Kind of ironic, isn’t it?
3. Ultimately, Facebook Exists To Serve Ads
Never forget that Facebook is motivated by their own self-interests. And since the service is free, that means that you are the product.
Facebook doesn’t make money from you seeing posts from your friends, or even the suggested content they think you’ll engage with. They only make money when you are served an advertisement, either in your news feed or elsewhere on the site.
Therefore, everything they do is geared towards getting you to spend more time browsing Facebook, which will result in you being shown more ads.
They want their platform to be addicting, so you’ll scroll longer and come back to Facebook more frequently when you crave entertainment.
By focusing on the most engaging content – and squeezing as many ads in as possible, this maximizes the amount of revenue Facebook makes from you.
So, if it feels like you only ever see ads or recommended posts – but not anything shared by your friends, this is why!
Tip: Use The ‘Hide’ Feature Often!
If you want to cut down on the amount of suggested content that you receive, one thing you can do is to use the ‘Hide’ feature.
This can be done by clicking or tapping on the icon with three dots in the top-right corner of the post, which will bring up a menu similar to the one above.
Then, simply select ‘Hide all from…’ and then the page name. Once you’ve done that, you will never see posts from that page in your feed again!
Remember, Facebook wants to serve you content that it believes you will engage with.
If you are continuously hiding suggested content, this limits the number of posts they are able to show you – making it more likely that status updates from friends will show up in your feed.
So, don’t be afraid to utilize this feature often – especially if you truly don’t care about the content that you’re being served!
Conclusion
Facebook has drastically shifted its algorithm in recent years, in order to maximize engagement and ultimately profit.
Because your friends’ posts may not be as engaging as the alternatives Facebook has to show you, you’re likely seeing less of them in your news feed.
However, by regularly hiding posts from pages that you don’t care about, you can help restore your feed back to the way it was previously. Sadly, you will still see just as many advertisements, however.
I hope that this article has cleared things up, and provided some insight.
If you have any other questions about Facebook, let me know via the comment form below this article and I’ll be happy to help.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister