Facebook is experimenting with overriding its own News Feed algorithm.
The social media giant's current test is a depature from its usual focus on behavioural signals and a move towards responding to people's expressed preferences.
People will be allowed to select friends and pages whose posts they don’t want to miss. Prioritised posts from friends and pages will appear at the top of the individual's News Feed.
With a drop in the organic reach of posts from Pages, businesses have found it harder to reach people who have liked their Pages. This test will give them the opportunity to persuade fans to prioritise their Page.
“The brands that stand to gain the most here are the ones that both have a truly loyal fan base and that produce outstanding social content (often related” said Ulrik Bo Larsen, CEO and founder of social media management platform Falcon Social.