Facebook launches Feeds tab so people can view posts in chronological order again

One of the biggest and arguably most contested changes in social media platforms over the years is the drastic shift from viewing posts in chronological order to an algorithm-dependent feed. On Thursday, Facebook finally listened to users’ requests by launching a new “Feeds” tab, where people can view content only based on the time they were posted.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in a Facebook post that the new Feeds tab went live on Thursday. “Today we're launching a Feeds tab where you can see posts from your friends, groups, Pages and more separately in chronological order,” Zuckerberg wrote.

Zuckerberg also included a preview of how the new Feeds tab will work. Facebook will find a new tab beside the Watch and Groups tabs. They will have to tap the Feeds icon to start viewing posts chronologically. Posts from friends, Facebook Groups, and Pages will also be displayed separately in the Feeds tab.

It also appears that the implementation of Facebook Feeds will have similarities with how Instagram brought back the chronological timeline. The preview shared by Zuckerberg shows the Feeds tab has a “Favorites” category, suggesting users may be able to create a list of their closest Facebook friends so they can find their posts immediately -- also in chronological order.

There is a small caveat, though. Viewing Facebook posts in chronological order cannot be a default option. “The app will still open to a personalized feed on the Home tab, where our discovery engine will recommend the content we think you'll care most about,” Zuckerberg said.

The transition to an algorithm-dependent Home tab on most social media platforms has been widely criticized. By showing people content supposedly based on their interests, some became concerned that it has made social media addictive.

These discussions will likely continue, but it seems like a noteworthy improvement that a social media company as big as Facebook finally brought back a feed with chronologically displayed posts. TechCrunch also reported that the Feeds tab will not have a “Suggested For You” section, where Facebook displays content from people and pages that users do not follow while scrolling through the Home tab.

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