With an abundance of information—both real and false—flooding our feeds, it’s easy to become frustrated and disengaged. Many Facebook users find themselves sifting through sensational stories while missing out on important updates from friends and family. One reader, Danette from Riverside, CA, recently reached out to express her concerns about the growing number of false stories cluttering her Facebook feed. She wrote:
I have been receiving so many FALSE stories showing up on my Facebook page lately! I barely see many of my Friends or Group posts. It’s becoming so frustrating. For example, this morning, it said that Taylor Swift has to cancel some concert tour dates due to her support of Kamala Harris. This just started happening out of the blue. Any help on how to fix this would be appreciated! I just want to enjoy my posts on Facebook and not have to play the guessing game with some of these fake posts!
Let’s dive into some practical solutions to help Danette, and you reclaim your Facebook news feed.
GET SECURITY ALERTS, EXPERT TIPS – SIGN UP FOR KURT’S NEWSLETTER – THE CYBERGUY REPORT HERE
Understanding the Facebook feed frenzy
Facebook’s algorithm is designed to show you content it thinks you’ll find engaging. Sometimes, this can lead to an influx of sensational or false stories. The good news is that you have more control over your feed than you might realize.
Steps to declutter your Facebook feed
1) Prioritize your favorites
Facebook allows you to select up to 30 friends and Pages whose posts you want to see first. Here’s how on your smartphone:
- Click the three horizontal lines in the bottom right of your screen
- Scroll down and click Settings & Privacy
- Tap Settings
- Then, under Preferences, click Content preferences
- Select Favorites
- Choose your favorite friends and Pages
This ensures you don’t miss updates from those who matter most to you.
FOOLPROOF STEPS TO HELP PROTECT YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT FROM HACKERS
2) Use the “Show more” and “Show less” features
Facebook now offers a way to fine-tune your feed directly from posts. Here’s how to do it on your smartphone.
- Click the three dots (…) on any post
- Select “Show more” for content you enjoy
- Choose “Show less” for unwanted content
This helps train the algorithm to better understand your preferences.
CLONED ON FACEBOOK? HERE’S HOW TO TAKE BACK CONTROL
3) Unfollow
This step is for connections whose posts you’d rather unfollow. This allows you to Unfollow people, Pages, and Groups to stop seeing their posts in the feed. Only you can see who you unfollow. Here’s how to do it on your smartphone.
- Click the three horizontal lines in the bottom right of your screen
- Scroll down and click Settings & Privacy
- Tap Settings
- Then, under Preferences, click Content preferences
- Select Unfollow
- Then click Unfollow next to the people and groups you want to unfollow.
4) Report false information
When you spot false stories, you can report them. Here’s how to do it on your smartphone.
- Click the three dots (…) on the post
- Select “Find support or report post”
- Choose the appropriate reason for reporting
This helps Facebook identify and reduce the spread of misinformation
A Word on that Taylor Swift rumor
The story about Taylor Swift canceling concerts due to support for Kamala Harris is indeed false. Always be skeptical of sensational headlines and check reputable news sources for verification.
Kurt’s key takeaways
By actively managing your feed preferences and being discerning about the content you engage with, you can create a more enjoyable and authentic social media environment. Don’t be afraid to regularly audit your feed and adjust your settings. Facebook is constantly evolving, and so should your approach to using it. Keep in mind that these changes may take some time to fully reflect in your feed. Be patient and consistent in your efforts to curate your Facebook experience.
What features or tools would you like Facebook to implement to give you more control over your feed content? Let us know in the comments below.
FOR MORE OF MY SECURITY ALERTS, SUBSCRIBE TO MY FREE CYBERGUY REPORT NEWSLETTER HERE