this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2023
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Meta Just Proved People Hate Chronological Feeds (www.wired.com)
submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Meta conducted an experiment where thousands of users were shown chronological feeds on Facebook and Instagram for three months. Users of the chronological feeds engaged less with the platforms and were more likely to use competitors like YouTube and TikTok. This suggests that users prefer algorithmically ranked feeds that show them more relevant content, even though some argue chronological feeds provide more transparency. While the experiment found that chronological feeds exposed users to more political and untrustworthy content, it did not significantly impact their political views or behaviors. The researchers note that a permanent switch to chronological feeds could produce different results, but this study provides only a glimpse into the issue.

I think this is bullshit. I exclusively scroll Lemmy in new mode. I scroll I see a post I already have seen. Then I leave. That doesn't mean I hate it, I'm just done!

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Less engagement doesn't mean dislike.

That said I do think people get a little too excited about chronological order. I'm fine with any transparent algorithm, I think the old reddit "best" algorithm thatthe xkcd guy made is still a very good way to order comments and I liked the Q&A sort method in specific cases.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (3 children)

The xkcd guy made that?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I slightly mis-remembered apparently, he introduced the idea to reddit and was a heavy heavy advocate for it, but I he didn't come up with it.

https://web.archive.org/web/20100115155608/http://blog.reddit.com/2009/10/reddits-new-comment-sorting-system.html

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

So is there a Lemmy/kbin equivalent?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Hmm... 2008... when did Reddit stop being OpenSource?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Yep! The Reddit version, at least. Dunno if the Lemmy/Kbin sorts are the same or not.

Before that, it was sorted by top. I think subreddits were top/day, and comments were top/all time. Frontpage was top/day for all the subreddits you were subscribed to (or top/day for a selection of "default" subreddits if you didn't have an account).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I would also like a source for this, thats really cool.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Do you have a source for this? That's interesting but I can't find the origin of this story.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Best I could find is here, which is an article by Randall Munroe (the xkcd artist), and states:

davean (the xkcd sysadmin) wrote the patch

This blog post links to another wayback machine page (thank you archive.org!) here, which explains the sorting algorithm and states it's original author:

Fortunately, the math for this was worked out in 1927 by Edwin B. Wilson.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

In Facebook, where I'm following family members and news sites, is where I'd want chronological feed the most. I don't want the "best" of my family's posts from one week ago.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I think that's valid, my point wasn't that meta should do "best" sorting (it doesnt even make sense without downvotes) but rather there are good algorithms that aren't just niave chronological order (which i think some people put into a pedestal of being "algorithmless" or pure). I quite like seeing the occasional post from my crazy uncle, but if it was chronological order it would just be a nonstop deluge of his posts with hardly any from the rest of my family.

Also consider many people use social media for many different things. To me Facebook market place is by far the dominant reason for ever using the platform and pretty much the only reason I still have an account. The sorting for market place shouldn't be chronological, nor should the comments under it.