Facebook will allow users to restrict who can and can’t comment on posts they share, in a bid to ‘limit potentially unwanted interactions,’ the social network said.
The change follows similar moves by Twitter, and means people who publish content visible to everyone now have the option to only allow comments from their friends.
Users will even be able to restrict commenting further than just friends, so that only those users and pages tagged in the post can comment.
Ramya Sethuraman, Facebook’s News Feed manager, said it would particularly help public figures ‘feel safe and engage in more meaningful conversations.’
‘By adjusting your commenting audience, you can further control how you want to invite conversation onto your public posts and limit potentially unwanted interactions,’ Sethuraman explained.
‘This new tool is the latest example of how we’re helping you control and curate your News Feed to best reflect who you are as your interests and priorities evolve.’
It will particularly benefit public figures, creators, and brands, giving them the ability to control who can comment on their organic, public posts.
People will be able to choose from a menu of options including ‘anyone who can see the post’ to ‘only the profiles and Pages they tag’.
Nick Clegg, former deputy prime minister and Facebook Vice President of Global Policy wrote an article on transparency from social media.
In the piece, shared on social journalism platform Medium, Clegg said services using algorithmic systems should be more open over how it works.
Medium was founded by Twitter co-founder Ev Williams and has been the subject of takeover rumours from both Facebook and Twitter, although never confirmed.
‘Companies like Facebook need to be frank about how the relationship between you and their major algorithms really works. And they need to give you more control,’ he said.
The vision is for a two way partnership between people and algorithm to deliver the best service, Clegg explained.
As part of a move to be more transparent Facebook is also making it easier for people to decide how their News Feed is prioritised, with the introduction of a Feed Filter Bar.
Android app users can access the Feed Filter Bar when they scroll up on News Feed, with the same functionality available in the iOS app ‘in the coming weeks’.
‘You can choose to keep an algorithmically-ranked News Feed to keep seeing your favourites or switch it up to order your posts chronologically with the newest posts appearing first,’ the firm explained.
Alternatively filter your feed to show just your Favourites, or the top friends and Pages whose posts you want to see more frequently.
The Favourites tool allows users to control and prioritise posts from the friends and Pages they care about most in News Feed.
By selecting up to 30 friends and Pages to include in Favourites, their posts will appear higher in ranked News Feed and can also be viewed as a separate filter.
‘When you think of how you experience Facebook, what you probably think of first is what you see on your News Feed,’ Clegg said.
‘This is essentially Facebook’s front page, personalized to you: the vertical display of text, images, and videos that you scroll down once you open the Facebook app on your phone or log into facebook.com on your computer.’
The firm uses an algorithm to highlight the most interesting and relevant posts.
‘You can think about this sort of like a spam filter in your inbox: it helps filter out content you won’t find meaningful or relevant, and prioritizes content you will.’
The tech giant is aiming to make the reasons for suggested posts clearer, by expanding the ‘Why am I seeing this?’ box with more context.
‘You should be able to better understand how the ranking algorithms work and why they make particular decisions, and you should have more control over the content that is shown to you,’ Clegg said.
‘You should be able to talk back to the algorithm and consciously adjust or ignore the predictions it makes — to alter your personal algorithm in the cold light of day, through breathing spaces built into the design of the platform.’
It will explain factors that influenced a recommendation, which range from the types of content a person has recently engaged with on the platform, to their location.
‘This means that you’ll be able to tap on posts from the friends, Pages, and Groups you follow as well as the posts we suggest to you and get more context on why they’re appearing in your News Feed,’ the firm said.
There are three main factors that go into determining which suggested posts appear in your News Feed, according to Facebook.
A post may be suggested for you if other people who interacted with the post also previously interacted with the same group, Page, or post as you.
Alternatively, if you’ve recently engaged with a certain topic on Facebook, the platform may suggest other posts that are related to that topic.
The other main area is location. You may see a suggested post based on where you are and what people near you are interacting with on Facebook.
‘A better understanding of the relationship between the user and the algorithm is in everyone’s interest,’ Clegg said, adding that ‘people need to have confidence in the systems that are so integral to modern life.’
‘Tech companies need to know the parameters within which society is comfortable for them to operate, so that they have permission to continue to innovate.
‘That starts with openness and transparency, and with giving you more control.’