Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have all confirmed that your social media feeds will now be determined by algorithms rather than your online friendship preferences. Remember when you had complete control over who saw what on your social media timeline? Those days are gone, as Zuckerberg’s Instagram and Musk’s Twitter confirm that user feeds will be generated algorithmically. We collected user interaction data on tweets from the top 10 twitter accounts between 2020 and 2023 and corresponding ADs in the same period. We tried to establish a link between the increase in the number of ADs over the same period of time. Although there is link between interactions on top accounts and what ADs were shown to their followers, the bigger picture reveals a pattern in Twitter’s AD revenue and user interactions with these top 10 accounts.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has confirmed that Algorithms, not user preferences, will determine what you see on social media. Meta is set to double the amount of content from recommended and AD accounts people see by the end of 2023. We currently see only 15% of intended recommendations and ADs they aim to push to users. Zuckerberg calls this push, “building the “Discovery Engine,” which is a departure from Facebook and Instagram’s historical focus on showing posts from a user’s social graph, or list of friends. Similarly, Twitter’s new CEO Elon Musk confirmed changes to Twitter’s AD placement algorithm to show more ads based on keyword search.
@SassyMoonFlaps good morning ☀️ i don’t want anything other than to interact with your twitter because i realized that the stupid algorithm has apparently removed you from my feed. while i’m here, Happy Belated Birthday 🥳🎂 cuz i missed it 😳— simplydawn ❄️ 🏴☠️ (@dawnlysimple) February 22, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1628154764700655617&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fgoodrobots.org%2Fthe-friendship-algorithm-social-media-will-become-less-social%2F&sessionId=589aa777d88e331fc72ca8a63c113fe2539914b8&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px
Why are people surprised the algorithm is skewed for those that purchased twitter blue? You won’t see us on your feed even if we are mutuals – there’s a priority system and we are ones getting the short end of the stick. 🤷🏻♂️
Welcome to Elon’s Twitter.— Xel 👾 (@ThisIsXel) February 21, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1628079983225712650&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fgoodrobots.org%2Fthe-friendship-algorithm-social-media-will-become-less-social%2F&sessionId=589aa777d88e331fc72ca8a63c113fe2539914b8&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px
Incidentally, if I unfollowed you recently, it’s nothing personal. Twitter algorithm is broken & is forcing me to unfollow high volume accounts that dominate my feed. I am adopting a more lists-centric method of following people, but they decided to make that harder too.— Anatoly Karlin (@powerfultakes) February 21, 2023
What are Algorithmically Generated Feeds?
Social media algorithms play a significant role in determining the content that users see in their feeds. These algorithms are designed to prioritise and present the most relevant and engaging content to the user. One of the primary ways that social media algorithms determine the relevance of content is through the use of engagement metrics. These metrics can include likes, comments, and shares, as well as other forms of engagement such as clicking on a link or watching a video. The more engagement a piece of content receives, the more likely it is to be shown to other users. Once upon a time, the popularity of user-generated material was typically the result relevance to a creator’s target audience, which in turn increases interaction and further broadens the creator’s reach to similar audience. This meant that users could easily identify creators of interest and stick to the clusters of their preferred content providers while avoiding exposure to irrelevant information.
Social Media companies have no viable technical product behind their platforms. Ad revenues make up an average of 80% of income across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.Think Economics & Finance
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CgeQ5DqgSyv/embed/?cr=1&v=14&wp=1080&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fgoodrobots.org&rp=%2Fthe-friendship-algorithm-social-media-will-become-less-social%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A5101.100000008941%2C%22ls%22%3A1007.5%2C%22le%22%3A5075.20000000298%7D
This shift is due to a number of factors. TikTok has become one of the most popular apps in the world, and its secret sauce is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to serve trending videos to users regardless of where they originated. Most importantly, social media companies are struggling to find new revenue streams because over 80% of their revenue comes from advertising, which has now slowed. Facebook’s audience is ageing, and Twitter features have become convoluted following Elon Musk’s takeover.
https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1623590508433125376&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fgoodrobots.org%2Fthe-friendship-algorithm-social-media-will-become-less-social%2F&sessionId=589aa777d88e331fc72ca8a63c113fe2539914b8&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px
This decision is in part meant to put advertising revenue over user experience on these platforms. Instagram, on the other hand, is catching up to TikTok and racing to avoid becoming the next MySpace. This new era signals that “people have become the product for these social media companies, and the advertising companies are the new customers“.
Instagram’s CEO Adam Mosseri stands by this strategy to prioritize AI recommended video feeds, claiming that these formats tend to drive higher levels of engagement.
Social Media Will Become A Massive Electronic Billboard as People become the product for social media companies, and the advertising companies become the new customers.
Quiet Quitting – Effects on the Quality of User Interactions
Doing only what is absolutely necessary while exerting little real effort is known as “quiet quitting.” The majority of users have quietly abandoned these networks. They are present but less active than before. For example, We collected data of the top 100 twitter accounts and averaged interactions across tweets between 2020 and 2023.
Between January 2020 and January 2023, the total number of ads shown to users increased by more than 200% on Twitter and 150% on Instagram. During the same time period, the percentage of ‘active’ users on the platform flatlined. Our analysis reveals that the two factors (number of ADs displayed) and (User Interaction) are indeed related. According to [ref], users have switched from open commenting, liking, and sharing to Direct Messaging as the primary method of social media interaction. Users are questioning the value of participating in social media forums because the quality of interactions has decreased.
“One social trend that we’re seeing is that instead of people just interacting in comments in feeds, most people find interesting content in their feeds and then message that content to friends and interact there.”
What Comes Next?
TikTok redefined social media, and now everyone else is catching up. As entertainment-style content migrates to newer social media platforms like TikTok and traditional publication migrates to platforms like SubStack and Medium, the old guards of social media are being driven to review their product offering. Remember that Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram still have nearly a seventh of the world’s population as registered users, so we cannot minimise the combined importance of these platforms.