After an unsuccessful run that lasted less than four months, Facebook has decided to end its Explore Feed.
Launched last October, Facebook’s Explore feed was designed as a separate feed for content from publishers and public figures they might be interested in based their own interests. It arrived after news feed algorithm tweaks that prioritized posts from friends and family, while diminishing the organic reach of Pages.
Facebook says the separate feed connected to the rocket ship icon was a “trial response” to user feedback that they wanted to see more content from family and friends.
“To understand if people might like two separate feeds, we started a test in October 2017 in six countries,” writes Facebook, “You gave us our answer: People don’t want two separate feeds.”
In the short time the Explore Feed has been widely available, Facebook concluded it was not doing its intended job.
According to Facebook, user surveys reveal people are “less satisfied” with the posts they’re seeing, and having two feeds failed to help them better connect with friends and family. It also says users complained it was harder to access important information and that Facebook didn’t clearly communicate the fact that it was a test.
“We’re acting on this feedback by updating the way we evaluate where to test new products, and how we communicate about them,” writes Facebook in its announcement.
Facebook says it believes recent changes it has made to prioritize “meaningful social interactions” will help address the feedback it has received from users: “Those changes mean less public content in News Feed like posts from businesses, brands, and media.”
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